hi all - i'm just starting out, and am wondering about what's best to plant vege-wise at this time of year. i'm doing my vege gardening exclusively in containers. any tips for plant care would be greatly appreciated too. thanks :O)
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my vegie patch is mostly oriental or root veg at the min. chinese cabage and broccoli are quick growing and i have just found japanise turnips but every thing else is helped big time by using closhes.just like little green house you could probably make some to fit your containers out of old milk cartons.
brilliant, thanks paul. i love doing that too, had a great lettuce crop last winter but i grew them from seedlings from the garden centre. i'd love to grow my own from seed.
Paul Spooner said:
Hi Rebecca One of my favourite container crops is Mesclun salad mix. Kings seeds sell the pre-mixed seed which produces the same varieties of greens as you can buy in the supermarket. (Kings plant barn in Glenfield has the seed in stock). I love being able to just pick what I need freshly at the moment I want to use it.
I'll add a photo of my mesclun container patch to my page when I remember to take a pic.
Hi Rebecca
One of my favourite container crops is Mesclun salad mix. Kings seeds sell the pre-mixed seed which produces the same varieties of greens as you can buy in the supermarket. (Kings plant barn in Glenfield has the seed in stock).
I love being able to just pick what I need freshly at the moment I want to use it.
I'll add a photo of my mesclun container patch to my page when I remember to take a pic.
thanks for the encouragement hester. i am going to plant lettuces, spinach, maybe garlic and spring onions, carrots and maybe some peas and beans. so exciting! my little boy is interested too so it'll be fun for us to do together.
I'm sure it is worth planting now.Even if it doesn't grow much now you wil stilll have a head start for later. One year I started planting in July and I had the best broccoli ever that spring. If you are keen to plant go ahead, because you will enjoy it .
thanks hester. lol@snail patrol!! my little boy would love that! do you reckon it's worth planting anything at this late stage? i've read doom and gloomers saying anything planted at this time will just not grow very much then go to seed in the spring ......
but i'd like to do something, cause i've got all this motivation!!!
In Auckland you can grow beetroot, romanesco type broccoli,mini varieties of cabbage, shorter growing carrots,celery,garlic,lettuce,spring onions,baby pak choy varieties, peas(climbing varieties will need some stakes to climb), shallots, silverbeet, spinach and parsley.
The most important things about growing vegetables in containers are-
Make sure the container is large enough and deep for the plant or plants you will grow in it.Check the width spacing on the plant labels.
Make sure they will get enough sunlight in the place where you will grow them.
Plant them in a good quality potting mix and water regularly but don't overwater in winter.
Some plants such as cabbages may need extra feeding to grow well.
Watch out for slugs and snails.
Tui make pet and bird safe snail pellets called Quash, or you can go on snail patrol at night with a torch,or try laying a deterrent barrier around the base of your plants such as crushed eggshells or catlitter.
The easiest plants, to start with, are silverbeet, bok choy, spring onions,beetroot and parsley.
You could visit your local library.There should be some books there on container vege gardening with more info and ideas.
Happy gardening.
Replies
Paul Spooner said:
One of my favourite container crops is Mesclun salad mix. Kings seeds sell the pre-mixed seed which produces the same varieties of greens as you can buy in the supermarket. (Kings plant barn in Glenfield has the seed in stock).
I love being able to just pick what I need freshly at the moment I want to use it.
I'll add a photo of my mesclun container patch to my page when I remember to take a pic.
but i'd like to do something, cause i've got all this motivation!!!
The most important things about growing vegetables in containers are-
Make sure the container is large enough and deep for the plant or plants you will grow in it.Check the width spacing on the plant labels.
Make sure they will get enough sunlight in the place where you will grow them.
Plant them in a good quality potting mix and water regularly but don't overwater in winter.
Some plants such as cabbages may need extra feeding to grow well.
Watch out for slugs and snails.
Tui make pet and bird safe snail pellets called Quash, or you can go on snail patrol at night with a torch,or try laying a deterrent barrier around the base of your plants such as crushed eggshells or catlitter.
The easiest plants, to start with, are silverbeet, bok choy, spring onions,beetroot and parsley.
You could visit your local library.There should be some books there on container vege gardening with more info and ideas.
Happy gardening.