Container Veggies thread

[westwiltspatio]

For those of you growing beans and peas in containers - do you find that it makes a difference to add pea and bean booster? (The rhizobium bacteria that they use to fix nitrogen in the little nodules on their roots).

I grew dwarf beans in a pot last year and got very disappointing results - this year I have had much better results with the same batch of bean seeds, but I don't know if it's just the better weather or the result of adding the bean booster this year. I figured that it couldn't hurt to add it, as growing beans/peas in new compost every year meant they wouldn't get much chance to build up levels of the bacteria like they do planted into the soil, but I'm curious about whether other container gardeners actually bother with this or whether people generally get ok yields without?

[tamsin]

I planted mine with rabbit poop added as fertilizer. They seem to be growing/flowering/growing peas well though I don't have anything to compare to as it's my first year.

[Rabidbun]

For those of you growing beans and peas in containers - do you find that it makes a difference to add pea and bean booster? (The rhizobium bacteria that they use to fix nitrogen in the little nodules on their roots).
I grew dwarf beans in a pot last year and got very disappointing results - this year I have had much better results with the same batch of bean seeds, but I don't know if it's just the better weather or the result of adding the bean booster this year... I'm curious about whether other container gardeners actually bother with this or whether people generally get ok yields without?

I added the pea and bean booster to one type of peas - they do seem to have started off a lot quicker than the other pots of peas (though lots of different factors in this as they were all planted slightly differently). Could also be weather, or the chicken manure pellets that I added this year I figure...

I think next year I will probably do a test with a "control" pot with no bacteria in, as my gut feeling is that it isn't just the weather/chicken poo that have made them nearly double (!) the height of last year's peas!

...but the squash plants, each in a 3" pot, look a bit pale - has anyone else had this happening?

Mine did exactly the same (not helped by scorching sun that hit the seed leaves I think). Once I planted them out into their huge pots they recovered after a week or two. I put it down to the nutrients that they managed to get from the compost as well as the scorching - they are hungry wee things from all accounts so could well have been missing something important I figure.

[Bren In Pots]

I'm growing runner beans in containers filled with home made compost, leaf mould mixed with some shop bought compost then after about a month they get fed with comfrey tea. I seem to get plenty of beans.
Just wish I had the same luck with parsnips.

[ginger ninger]

Hi Fellow Yorkshire Man, I grew potatoes in a large 70 ltr yellow bucket last year, worked really well. This year i'm growing runner bean's (white lady, summer medley T&M and enorma) in 2 large containers at ether side of an old rose arch, mixture of different flowers should look brill. Also 3 sort's of broad bean's, one has a red flower, smell's really nice. Radish, round carrots(Pamax), in plant pot's for the kid's...... Experiment, it's all part of the fun.

[carolinej1234]

Rhubarb!!!

I am growing rhubarb in a largish container (about 3ft x 1ft), it is positioned in a sunny area and I regularly keep it watered. However it's looking a little sad and I wondered if anyone has any ideas?

I am a very member to gardening so Im always looking for helpful tips ... just introducing myself to the group!

Caroline

[Bren In Pots]

Caroline sorry I can't help with your rhubarb I've never grown it, but thought I'd say welcome to the forum.
Hope someone soon answers your question.

[ginger ninger]

Hi caroline,
I have my rhubarb in a large, deep container, with lot's of horse poo mixed in to home made compost (rhubarb's very greedy) i've placed mine so it gets sun in the morning, but not in the afternoon, it's growing really well, so it must like it. Good Luck with yours

[solway cropper]

My broad beans in tubs are doing better than they did outside....12 to 15 pods per plant and filling out nicely. I started them off in the greenhouse and put them outside when they were about 9 inches high. Rhubarb is a very hungry crop and needs loads of manure/compost to do well. Not sure how it would cope in a container.

[maytreefrannie]

I am growing rhubarb in a largish container (about 3ft x 1ft), it is positioned in a sunny area and I regularly keep it watered. However it's looking a little sad and I wondered if anyone has any ideas?

I am a very member to gardening so Im always looking for helpful tips ... just introducing myself to the group!

Caroline

I know very little about growing rhubarb - I used to have it in the garden ages ago, but haven't grown it now for years.

I find the stuff in pots is doing fine for me, but I make sure to feed them (about every week or two) and to keep them watered but not flooded. This would apply to your rhubarb too, but I'm sure you're looking after all that already.

I think the question is - how big are rhubarb roots? This would give you an idea if the pot is big enough or what size pot you'd need. Some knowledgeable grapes will probably be able to give the answer to that one.

[lyndap]

My rhubarb is in a container approx 2x2foot and cropping well.Its a plant I've had for years.Every few years we lift it and put fresh compost mixed with chicken poo back into the container,thin the plant if it needs it then replace back into the container.Make sure to leave a few sticks of rhubarb to each bud to die down otherwise you wont get a good crop next year.

[solway cropper]

I've now got 45 assorted containers with a variety of crops growing and i think that's about it for this year. They're all doing better than most of the garden plants but they were all started off in the greenhouse so they have an advantage. Something i've noticed with container gardening which is great for oldies like me is the lack of weeding and the ease with which crops can be picked...like having raised beds in miniature I suppose.

[thatshallot]

I'm glad to hear of your rhubarb Lyndap - I've got one for the first year and didn't know if it would be happy in a container.

[annacruachan]

My rhubarb is in a container approx 2x2foot and cropping well.Its a plant I've had for years.Every few years we lift it and put fresh compost mixed with chicken poo back into the container,thin the plant if it needs it then replace back into the container.Make sure to leave a few sticks of rhubarb to each bud to die down otherwise you wont get a good crop next year.

Thanks lyndap. It's good to know that it will grow in containers. My three plants are doing very poorly in what passes for soil in a slate quarry. I shall move them to pots this autumn.

[westwiltspatio]

Anyone growing kale or chard in containers for the winter? Most of my large pots are rather occupied with summer veg at the moment, so I'm wondering how long I can leave my kale and chard in smaller pots and still have it be healthy and vigorous enough to survive the winter (and have produced enough leaves to eat). Am assuming that it'll be a bit less hardy with restricted root space in a container than it would be in the ground.

How late can I plant some more? And does it grow much after October or so if I wait that long to transplant into a bigger space? This is the first year I've tried growing it, and most of the advice I've found is about growing it in the ground, not in pots. I'm a bit reluctant to turf out any tomatoes/courgettes early for the chard/kale (esp as the slugs might well get there first anyway), but I do really like my leafy veg so would like to get some crop.