Growing Veg in Containers and Out on The Plot

This year I have grown carrots, tiger nuts, cucumbers and cucamelon in troughs and old belfast sinks, with mixed results.  Here are the cucamelon, growing with pansies and looking lovely but producing minute fruit!  They needed more space, warmth and water...



Tiger nuts are tubers, grow like grass and the nuts are harvested on or below the soil...You can eat them straight away, but the longer you leave them to dry, the sweeter they get. They are rich in nutrients.

Out on the plot, the cucumbers ran wild and produced double the number of cucumbers in the sink, but it is still worth it if you are short of space.


Last year, my carrots grew better in a tub (away from garden pests and cocooned under fleece). See my post: Growing Carrots in a Box! My carrots out on the plot were a disaster.  This year, armed with a smaller mesh poly-tunnel, I planted carrots and shallots together. Shallots have deterred the carrot fly and the carrots are amazing! The container-grown carrots have been successful again this year, so I definitely recommend it for carrots... Maybe potatoes next?


I grow tomatoes in containers and they produced sturdier plants than my grow-bags . However, I grow outdoors, so they are at the mercy of the elements and I have a glut of green tomatoes. They made a delicious soup (see recipes below). To grow decent tomatoes you need a more temperate climate or a greenhouse in the UK. I'm not sure I will grow them next year.

Let's end on lettuce, always a great addition to a sandwich.  It is easy to grow in a container and great for using as a 'cut and come again' salad crop.  With rabbits and pigeons in the garden, this is my favourite method for growing the kid's salad to go into their pack-lunches.

Enjoy your gardening, keep experimenting and share your experiences of container-growing!

Links
Growing Carrots in a Box! Link to an older post.
Sarah's Green Tomato Soup Recipe - from Penny's Recipes
What to do With Green Tomatoes Try these cake, pie and stew recipes!
Green Tomato Chutney Recipe  by Riverford Organic Farmers.
7 Reasons that Tiger Nuts are a Superfood
Can I Grow Tiger Nuts in the UK?

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