Carrots in containers – not potty

HARVEST CARROTS

I couldn’t believe my eyes when I unearthed these treasures on the weekend. What had been a longforgotten pot overflowing with weeds, turned out to be filled with a heap of ‘Mini Sweet’ carrots. These were sown back in October 2016 and I assumed they’d be rotten when I dug my hands into the soil – but I was wrong. These little beauties are still perfectly crunchy and blemish-free. It really goes to show how well root crops keep in the soil should you happen to forget about them.

If you’ve never tried growing carrots in pots, it’s definitely worth giving it a shot and is just so satisfying when it’s successful. All you need is container

at least 30cm deep, some fine potting mix (not the sort with big clumps of bark which can cause the roots to fork) and seed of a preferably small-growing variety to make the most of the limited space. Keep them in a sunny spot, thin once established and water regularly. Avoid using terracotta pots as they dry out very quickly. Plastic pots work the best.

SOW CORN SALAD OR LAMB’S LETTUCE

I’m forever on the lookout for new-to-me salad greens so was excited to give corn salad – aka lamb’s lettuce or Valerianella locusta a try in my small raised bed. It has grown well, despite being very overcrowded after I was a little heavy-handed and accidentally dumped the whole pack of seed upside-down in the soil!

This vegetable has absolutely nothing to do with sweetcorn, neither is it related to lettuce so the names are quite misleading. But whatever it’s called, this hardy little annual laughs in the face of winter temperatures.

It has a delightfully nutty taste and soft leaves reminiscent of bok choy. It’s handy to have something like this coming on in the garden for when it’s still a bit too cold for lettuce. Corn salad is packed full of nutrients too and also contains loads of vitamins A, C and B6 as which makes it comparable with spinach – as far

as goodness goes. You can sow corn salad any time from now on and it will mature in around 60 days. Buy seeds from Kings

Seeds or Yates.

GIVE YOUR VEGE PLOT A TOP-UP

This time of year can mean slim pickings in the garden. To get a jumpstart on spring, grab punnets of seedlings from garden centres or nurseries and get them in the ground. To get an idea of what you can plant, just take a look around your local garden centre. They rarely stock anything that won’t survive. My local Kings Plant Barn has a sign above its tomato seedlings saying it’s still too early for growing them outdoors so they will need to be kept under cover (helpful advice!). Garden centres are a great source of information so don’t be afraid to ask questions if you’re unsure about what will grow well. They are there to help!

PLANT OR SOW BROAD BEANS

If you haven’t got broad beans in the ground yet, do it now! I’ve just planted ‘Cole’s Prolific’ seedlings into wooden planters filled with fresh vegetable mix in a sunny spot along the side of the house. I usually go for the shorter variety ‘Dwarf Early Green‘ but thought I’d give the big boys a go this season. These grow to well over 1.5m tall so the plants are going to need lots of support once they get established. Broad beans can be sown now too and will germinate in frosty soil. Space seeds 15cm apart at a depth of 5cm. Plant in free-draining soil in full sun and maintain a regular watering regime, particularly if growing in pots.

PLANT THOSE STRAWBERRIES

After not growing strawberries last year, I vowed to get some in early – which I’ve now done. In my opinion, there are very few things that can beat the taste of a freshly-picked strawberry still warm from the sun. In fact, they’re so tasty and sweet eaten fresh, I rarely have any left for jam-making or cooking. Strawberry plants are available now at garden centres around the country. Many are already in flower, which means, This column is adapted from the weekly e-zine, get growing, from New Zealand Gardener magazine. For gardening advice delivered to your inbox every Friday, sign up for Get Growing at: getgrowing.co.nz if you plant them now, you’ll have even less time to wait until they’re ready to harvest.

Grow strawberries on mounds in fertile soil in full sun, spacing plants 20-30cm apart. Be careful not to completely bury the crown or it could rot. Strawberries also grow very well in containers, troughs and hanging baskets. Use good quality strawberry growing mix which has everything they need to get them off to a strong start. Whether planted in the ground or in pots, feed your plants fortnightly with liquid fertiliser and water regularly to maintain moisture levels – this is particularly important once fruit starts to set!