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.

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.

Variety

Aubergine

Runner Beans

French Beans

Beetroot

Carrots

Aubergine

Aubergine

Leek

Lettuce

Parsnip

Peppers

Potatoes

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Leaf Beet
(Chard)

Leaf Salad

Salad Onions

Strawberries

Tomatoes

Turnips

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.

• 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.