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TIPS FOR CONTAINER GARDENING

Plant Pots: The Bigger, the Better

Large plants need lots of space, and most roots need room to grow. Avoid small containers as they often can’t store enough water to get through hot days. Plus, the bigger your container, the more plants you can grow!

Use barrels (a wooden half-barrel can yield an amazing amount of food), buckets, baskets, boxes, bath- and other tubs, and troughs—anything that holds soil. Just be sure that it has drainage holes in the bottom.

Care Tips for Container-Gardening Vegetables

Clay pots are usually more attractive than plastic ones, but plastic pots retain moisture better and won’t dry out as fast as unglazed terra-cotta ones. To get the best of both, slip a plastic pot into a slightly larger clay pot.

Black pots absorb heat when they are sitting in the sun.

Many plants grown in pots must be watered as often as twice a day. To keep plants adequately cool and moist during hot summer days, double-pot: Place a small pot inside a larger one and fill the space between them with sphagnum moss or crumpled newspaper. When watering the plant, also soak the filler between the pots.

Hanging baskets make good use of extra space, and herbs, cherry tomatoes, and strawberries grown at eye level can be easily tended and harvested.

Add about 1 inch of coarse gravel in the bottom of containers to improve drainage.

Vegetables that can be easily transplanted are best suited for containers. Transplants can be purchased from local nurseries or started at home.

Feed container plants at least twice a month with liquid fertilizer, following the instructions on the label.

An occasional application of fish emulsion or compost will add trace elements to container soil.

Place containers where they will receive maximum sunlight and good ventilation. Watch for and control insect pests.

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Building raised beds: getting started

Although raised beds can be built at any time, most gardeners find it convenient to build them in winter, as long as the soil is not too wet or frozen. Where winter waterlogging is a problem, build raised beds in late summer. When building raised beds, the following points need to be considered:

Firstly, define how big your raised bed needs to be, and where you need it

Walking or stepping on raised beds is best avoided, so go for widths of less than 1.5m to allow access from the sides

Avoid long runs of beds so that people are not tempted to step on them to get to the other side

Pathways should be wide enough to wheel a barrow or accommodate special needs such as wheelchairs; 30cm (1ft) is the minimum width for walking and 45cm (18in) the minimum width for wheelbarrows

Consider the materials: timber is cheap, but even when treated is the least long-lasting; sleepers are long-lasting but costly, bulky and difficult to cut; masonry (for example, brick, stone or Paving slabs) is costly but permanent. Alternatives include recycled plastic ‘timber’ lookalikes

Small scale projects might be accomplished using a ready-made kit

If your garden lies within a conservation area, or is part of a listed building, local planning regulations may limit choice of materials.  Additionally, if the bed is to be situated near a boundary or roadside, height limitations may be enforced.  If in any doubt regarding these regulations contact your local planning authority.

Commonly used materials

Stone: Both natural stone and stone prepared for wall construction can be purchased. Skilled labour is required for construction and footings are nearly always required. Generally the most expensive material.

Brick: Strong and durable. Curves can easily be incorporated into the design. Skills are needed for construction, and footings are generally required. Engineering bricks are most suitable as they are weather resistant. Domestic bricks are much cheaper but porous and so much less durable.

Pre-cast units: Constructed from concrete or reconstituted stone, these materials are cheaper but less adaptable.

Timber: Very versatile. Pressure-treated (also called 'tanalised') wood is available. As a shorter-term alternative, untreated wood can be painted with a preservative. To prevent wood preservative leaching into the soil, line wood exposed to soil within the bed with black plastic sheeting. Untreated wood will have a shorter life than treated, although untreated hardwoods such as oak and western red cedar will still last many years. Gravel boards are generally sold only as pressure-treated timber.

Railway sleepers: It is no longer permitted to use railway sleepers impregnated with creosote in garden, due to the risk associated with frequent (daily) skin contact. If you already have raised beds made from old railway sleepers and have this level of contact, then protective clothing (gloves etc.) should be worn. For new beds, use sleepers treated with other preservatives, or untreated hardwood sleepers. Note that this material requires heavy lifting.

Paving slabs: Can be inserted on their side. At least 15cm (6in) of slab needs to be buried in the ground for stability, leaving only 45cm (18in) above soil level. As paving slabs often move over time, 30cm (1ft) -deep concrete haunchings can be laid for extra stability, and metal plates fixed at each vertical joint. Relatively inexpensive, but heavy to lift.

Building raised beds: construction

Clear the site of existing vegetation and level as required

Mark out the beds with stakes and string, and check the levels

For all but masonry walls, insert retaining stakes (5 x 5cm or 2 x 2in timber is suitable) at the corners and then at every 1.5m (5ft), sunk 30-45cm (12-18in) into the soil to support the sides

Attach the sides to the retaining stakes with nails or screws (screws are better for avoiding splitting)

For masonry walls, any wall higher than 20cm (8in) should be laid on concrete footings on 15cm (6in) deep hardcore foundations, and should be bonded with mortar. Footings should be approximately 15cm (6in) deep and 30cm (1ft) wide

Where a masonry bed is to be built on a hard surface such as a patio, leave gaps at 45cm intervals between the joints in the first two courses to act as drainage holes. Cover these holes inside the wall with fine wire mesh, and heap gravel against the mesh when filling to help prevent clogging

Sleepers and logs can be laid directly on level, firm soil. Fix into place by hammering metal rods into the ground through holes drilled vertically in each corner. Alternatively, use heavy-duty staples and wire

Sink sawn logs or log rolls partially into the soil, and then ram them hard to keep the logs upright

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Protect your soil from traffic, this ensures the soil doesn’t get compacted by walking on the soil. An open, oxygenated soil supports important soil life and makes it easier for plant roots to penetrate.

Choose your soil. Many gardens have shallow soil of poor quality which won’t be sufficient to feed demanding vegetable plants. A greater depth of quality soil means a larger root and a healthier plant.

Grow successful carrots and other root crops. Carrots are very difficult to grow in a heavy clay soil and will be stunted or forked in appearance. Raised beds allow you to create the soil you want depending on what you are growing. You can mix in extra compost, sand or manure when filling your beds to create the perfect growing medium.

Raised Beds are easier to manage. You’ll have less trouble with encroaching weeds from the surrounding area. The extra height makes weeding a raised garden bed much more comfortable as bending is reduced. We supply a wide range of raised planter heights including 2 tier beds and beds with a bench seat included.

Protect from garden pests. We supply mini polytunnel systems to fit our raised bed range which can be covered with a micromesh insect barrier to exclude carrot and cabbage root fly and cabbage white butterflies.

Raised Planters are Neat and Tidy. If you’re growing in your back garden you don’t want to ruin your view with an untidy plot. Raised vegetable beds create a neat, easy to manage growing area.

Warm Quicker in Spring. Raised beds will warm quicker than the surrounding soil in Springtime from the heat of the sun on the sides. This allows you to get going a little earlier as growing depends more on soil temperature than outside air temperature. We also supply mini tunnel kits that can be used with a polythene cover to make a mini growhouse for early Spring growing or cultivating warm climate crops in exposed gardens.

Raised Beds Aid Growth. The rich deep soil means you will get more vigorous growth from your vegetable plants and in many cases can plant at closer spacings making a small area more productive. Raised beds are particularly useful in an urban vegetable garden where space is at a premium.