SPRING 2006

THE VEGAN NEWS  


Container Gardening
 By Pauline Lloyd

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sunflowers
It's possible to grow a surprising amount of your own food, vegan-organically, even if you don't have a garden. For example, various herbs, wheatgrass and salad greens (e.g. sunflower or buckwheat greens) can be grown on a well lit windowsill indoors and a wide variety of seeds including alflalfa, green lentils and red clover can be sprouted in jars, kept on a kitchen or other indoor surface.  If you would like more information on this topic, then please consult my article Windowsill Gardening, published in Growing Green International No. 9, available from the Vegan Organic Trust.  You could also read my earlier Vegan News articles on Sprouting and Herbs.


However, if you are also fortunate enough to have a balcony, some outside window ledges, or a perhaps even a patio, then believe me you have even more scope for growing fresh and tasty edible items on your very own doorstep!

Containers
In order to grow your own produce on your patio/balcony you will first of all need to obtain some suitable containers. There are many kinds of containers available that are suitable for such purposes.  Some have been developed especially for this purpose such as strawberry planters, potato barrels, plastic tubs, window boxes and hanging baskets. These items can be rather expensive to purchase, but can be obtained from most garden centres. However, if possible, try to use recycled containers in order to reduce waste and keep costs low.  When adapting containers for growing purposes you may need to drill some drainage holes, if the container doesn't have these already. 

Compost
Obtaining vegan compost can still be somewhat difficult.  The best vegan compost available at the moment seems to be the peat-free organic compost produced by B & Q, which can be improved by adding a little sharp sand and seaweed meal.

Planting Up Containers
Now comes the interesting bit – planting up your containers! Most mail order catalogues now offer a good selection of seeds that are suitable for container growing. For example salad crops often grow well in containers, especially varieties of cut-and-come again salad leaves. Sow a variety of salad leaves to add interest and colour to your salads, cutting the leaves off with scissors just before use for peak freshness.  Beats supermarket-bought salad any day!

There are also quite a few varieties of small-sized tomatoes that do well in containers and hanging baskets (see table). Peppers are best grown indoors on a sunny windowsill, but plants could be put outside on a balcony/patio in the summer months. Strawberries usually do well in containers too and of course it's harder for the slugs to attack your plants, if you have a first floor balcony crop!  By selecting your crop varieties carefully it is also possible to grow cabbage, radishes, carrots, spinach, aubergines and beetroot without having a garden.

Be aware that crops grown in containers do tend to dry out much faster than those planted directly into the soil, so you will need to be more conscientious about watering.  If your container plants need some additional feeding try watering them with SM3 Seaweed Extract.  Comfrey liquid is also animal free and ideal for feeding tomatoes and peppers. (Both available from the Organic Gardening Catalogue.) Container grown plants are easily protected from extremes of weather.  Save any large plastic bags for use as early or late season covers. Alternatively invest in some fleece. The Organic Gardening Catalogue also offers a selection of pop-up greenhouses that could be used on a patio or balcony, as well as plant cosies to cover individual plants.


Key to Suppliers:
OGC – Organic Gardening Catalogue
T & M – Thompson and Morgan
SH - Suffolk Herbs
CS – Chiltern Seeds
TO – Tamar Organics

SOME VARIETIES SUITABLE FOR CONTAINER GROWING
PLANT NAME  PLANT TYPE 
 SUPPLIER(S)  
  GROWING INSTRUCTIONS
Red Egg Aubergine (red) T & M Good patio container plant
Mohican
Aubergine (white)     
T & M
Container, sunny position
Summer Medley       Runner bean   T & M     Container
Hestia          Dwarf Runner Bean  T & M
/SH/TO/CS   		Container (has very decorative flowers)
Carrot Mini Finger      
Carrot 
T & M  
Container
Parmex        
Carrot
T & M  
Windowboxes, containers
Firecracker        
Hot pepper
T & M  
Windowsill
Hungarian Wax        
Semi-hot pepper
 SH/TO 
Container
Prairie Fire      
Hot pepper 
T & M   
Windowsill
Ziata         
Mustard
OGC
Tissue-lined container, indoors e.g. punnet
Sprint        
Summer salad
TO
Tissue-lined container, indoors
Hot stuff       
Cress  
T & M 
Tissue-lined container, indoors
Niche leaves         
Salad leaves 
T & M 
Container
Corn Salad Vit     
Salad leaves  
SH/OGC/TO  
Container
Texel Greens       
Salad leaves
SH  
Pots/windowboxes
Land Cress (American Cress)        
Salad leaves 
SH/CS
Pots/containers
Water Cress     
Salad leaves  
SH/OGC/TO
/CS  
Large pot, containers (keep very moist)
Mizuna        
Salad leaves 
OGC/CS
Pots, containers
Claytonia (Winter Purslane)        
Salad leaves  
OGC/TO/CS Pots, containers
Oriental Saladini       
Salad leaves  
SH
Pots, containers
Saladisi       
Salad leaves
T & M   
Containers
Garlic Chives       
Salad leaves
CS
Pot on windowsill
Chives         
Salad leaves
CS
Pot on windowsill
Baby Leaf Mix          
 Cut & come again leaves 
TO Containers. Sow indoors to crop in winter.
Catalogna       
Cut & come again leaves  
OGC
Containers
Mini Green    
Tennis ball-sized lettuce    T & M   
Containers
Tom Thumb          
Small lettuce
TO Pots/windowboxes
Blush     
Small red-tinged lettuce  
T & M   
Containers
Rocket (Roquette)     
Salad leaves  
T & M/SH  
Pots, containers
Balconi Red      
Tomato 
T & M  
Container
Balconi Yellow       
Tomato 
T & M  
Container
Tiny Tim          
Tomato
SH Pots, windowboxes
Tornado         
Tomato
TO
Pots/hanging baskets
Minibel      
Tomato 
CS 
Hanging baskets/windowboxes
Totem F1          
Tomato
OGC and T &M 
Pots, windowboxes
Gardenperle          Tomato T & M/SH    Pots, containers, hanging baskets
Tumbler        Tomato   T & M/OGC/TO/CS    Hanging Baskets, containers
Maxim          Strawberry (Giant!)  T & M     Baskets, strawberry planters
Mignonette          Alpine strawberry  T & M    Hanging Basket/Containers
Temptation           Strawberry  CS  Hanging baskets
Golden Alexandria         Strawberry    CS/SH  Patio
Sarian F1           Strawberry T & M     Baskets/Containers
Champion Moss Curled       Parsley    OGC    Pot/Containers
Mitsuba         Japanese Parsley SH    Pot/containers
Beetroot Wodan           
Beetroot T & M Container (leaves can also be eaten like spinach)
Detroit 2-Tardel       
Beetroot
T & M /CS  
Windowboxes/Pots
Chinese Celery      
Wild Celery 
SH/ OGC  
Suitable for indoor growing
Erbette         Spinach  CS    Container
Perpetual Spinach         Spinach   OGC   Container
Radish Rougette       
Radish
T & M   
Containers & windowboxes
Bush Champion         
Cucumber 
TO Ideal for container growing
Shelta       
Cabbage
T & M  
Container, growbag
Aubergine Baby Rosanna
 Aubergine
 T & M
 Container on patio
Beetroot Pablo
 Beetroot
 T & M
 Grow in container on patio
Cauliflower Avalanche
 Cauliflower
 T & M
 Container on patio
Cabbage Redcap F1
 Mini red cabbage
 T & M
 Container on patio

Flowers

If possible try to grow a few flowers in containers too. Pots of poached egg plant, nasturtiums, French marigolds, pot marigolds, lavender and night scented stocks will make an attractive display, attracting bees and other pollinating insects to your patio.


This article was originally published in Growing Green International, No. 15,  in Summer 2005. The four vegetables listed at the end of the table did not appear in the original article as they are new seeds, now being offered in the Thompson & Morgan 2006 catalogue. Please check availability of seeds carefully before purchasing as this may well change in years to come. However, one of the purposes of the plants listed above is to show the gardenless gardener the vast variety of plants that are suitable for container growing. No doubt in years to come many more suitable varieties will be on offer too.



Further Information:
Seed Suppliers: Top
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