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Many
of us grapple with the problem of not having enough room to
grow our own vegetables at home. Luckily there is an excellent
way that gardeners with limited space can produce enough delicious
vegetables to feed the whole family - by growing them in pots.
Firstly, you will need a large pot, at least
30 cm (12 in) in diameter, bearing in mind that the bigger
pot the better the results will be. Vegetables require more
than half a day of full sun to produce good crops, so find
a sunny position for your pot away from strong winds.
Secondly, select a range of good quality
vegetable seedlings from your local garden centre or nursery.
Vegetables that grow well in containers include beetroot,
broccoli, capsicums, carrots, celery, chillies, dwarf French
beans, eggplants, lettuce, radishes, silverbeet, squash, tomatoes
and zucchini. Companion plant them with basil, chives and
parsley for extra flavour in your salads and cooked dishes.
Vegetables develop foliage, flowers and fruits featuring many
different types of textures and hues which combine into a
visually appealing display on their own. But if you want to
add an extra splash of colour to your container, plant a few
marigolds in among the vegetables, or sow a couple of nasturtium
seeds to trail over the sides of the pots.
Thirdly, plant your seedlings into a good quality
mix such as Searles® Herb & Vegetable Potting Mix.
This is a specially formulated potting mix, which is ideal
for growing brilliant vegetables in pots. Group your plants
so that the tallest are in the middle or at the back of the
container, and the small ones are placed around the edge or
at the front, so each plant receives the same amount of sun.
Large plants, such as eggplants and tomatoes may need staking
to support their heavy growth. Fast growers such as basil
can be regularly tip pruned to keep them compact and bushy.
Water your freshly-planted seedlings well and continue to
do so throughout their growing season - particularly in summer
- taking care to never let the mix dry out completely.
Vegetable seedlings develop at a rapid rate and to ensure
they do so healthily, it is important to implement a regular
feeding regime. Fertilise fortnightly with Searles® Flourish
Soluble Plant Food to produce a continuous supply of bumper
crops. |
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The
main pests of vegetables and herbs are aphids, caterpillars
and white fly. If these appear, spray with pyrethrum according
to the manufacturer's instructions.
So, here's your checklist for vegetables in pots:
• Choose a large pot over 30 cm (12 in) in diameter and
place it in a sunny position
• Use Searles® Herb & Vegetable Potting Mix
• Fertilise fortnightly with Searles Flourish® Soluble
Plant Food. |
So
even if you have got a tiny terrace, petite patio or baby
balcony you can now grow vegetables at home, all year round,
with minimum ease and maximum results.
Happy Gardening with Searles from the Searle family.
© Copyright 2002 JC & AT
Searle Pty Ltd
You may make a copy of this Fact Sheet for your personal,
non-commercial use only. Please do not make any other use
of this Fact Sheet without first obtaining our permission. |
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