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  EMAIL EXCLUSIVES Get news and special offers from Dobies Register Now

Win a Gift Voucher
Proud of your Dobies garden? Why not send us a picture! Each month our favourite photo will win the sender a £25 gift voucher read more

In Your Garden Now
Even though July is still a busy month, especially with all that watering and dead-heading... read more

Grow your Own Vegetables - on the Patio!
If you don’t have a large garden that’s no reason not to grow vegetables... read more

Tempting , bite-size Cherry Tomatoes

If you don’t have a large garden that’s no reason not to grow vegetables - why not have some in containers on the patio? It’s amazing how many people are already doing it, and how many varieties you can successfully grow.

What type of container?

You can use any container to grow vegetables but do make sure it is at least 23-25cm (9-10”) in diameter. Ordinary flower pots are ideal but a more decorative container can also be used if you wish your patio vegetable plants to be ornamental as well as edible. Do bear in mind that plastic pots do not dry out as much as terracotta ones, also check the suitability for the type of vegetable that you want to grow. Leeks for example need a deep container.
Grow bags are another option, and there are also specialist containers available such as strawberry tubs or potato barrels. Both Tomatoes and Strawberries can be grown easily in hanging baskets to make attractive displays.

What type of Compost?
There are two types of compost that you can choose -
Multipurpose (Soilless) or soil based (John Innes type).
A good quality compost will have been balanced to contain
the optimum amount of nutrients to get your plants off
to a flying start, as well as having been sterilised to make
sure that it does not contain any weed seeds or diseases.

Multipurpose compost is the best choice for most containers
but for taller crops John Innes No 2 is more suitable as, being
soil based, it is more dense and heavy so helps to add
stability to the container.

Growbags are another popular option - ideal for vegetables
such as Tomatoes, they can be used for most vegetable crops
apart from those that need a deep soil such as leeks or
potatoes.


Trailing Tomaotes in baskets with Petunias

How many plants will you need?

Variety

Plant in 25cm (10") Pot Plant in Growbag

Aubergine

1 3

Runner Beans

4 8

French Beans

4 8

Beetroot

Sow direct and thin to 2.5cm (1") apart Sow direct and thin to 2.5cm (1") apart

Carrots

32 144

Aubergine

1 2

Aubergine

1 2

Leek

Sow direct and thin to 1cm (1/2") apart ---

Lettuce

--- 20cm (8") apart

Parsnip

Sow direct and thin to 5cm (2") apart Sow direct and thin to 5cm (2") apart

Peppers

1 3

Potatoes

1 or 2

---

Leaf Beet
(Chard)

8 ---

Leaf Salad

Sow direct finely - no need to thin Sow direct finely - no need to thin

Salad Onions

Sow direct finely - no need to thin Sow direct finely - no need to thin

Strawberries

3 30-45cm
(12-18") apart

Tomatoes

1 3

Turnips

Sow direct and thin to 2.5cm (1") apart Sow direct and thin to 2.5cm (1") apart

Aubergines and Peppers

Bright-flowered Courgettes

How should you look after Them?
Feeding - Short term crops, such as Leaf Salad, are unlikely to need feeding but long term crops, such as Beans and Tomatoes will need feeding weekly with a vegetable or liquid Tomato fertilizer later in the season

Position - Most vegetables require a sunny position for best results.

Watering - Make sure the compost is kept moist at all times.

Don’t Forget . . . Many veg are as attractive as flowers - Try red and yellow Tumbling Tomatoes, or colourful Pepper s like Apache, Dwarf Runner Bean Hestia, Dwarf Fr ench Bean Purple Teepee, Swiss Chard Bright Lights, ‘Picking Lettuce’ like bronze Lollo Rossa, sumptuous Strawberries . . . the list is endless.
Delcious Strawberries
Hints & Tips 
• Keep picking Runner Beans, French Beans and Courgettes. It encourages them to keep flowering and also means the veg is picked at its tenderest.

• Sow crops that mature quickly, regularly to maintain supplies.

• Grow a selection of Lettuce in the same container to give colour range and leaf shape.

• Do not let containers dry out. Many vegetables can run to seed or split if the water supply is erratic.

• Remove side shoots of cordon Tomato varieties when small to avoid damage to the stem.

• For early crops of Beans start the container in the greenhouse move outdoors once the danger of frost has passed.

• For a longer Strawberry cropping period, choose an everbearer variety such as Aromel or Flamenco. Move the container into the greenhouse early and late in the season to prolong the cropping period.

 
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