BIG HARVEST IN A LITTLE SPACE
Ruth sings the praises of her productive patio veg pots
Ruth sings the praises of her patio veg pots
EVEN though I have been gardening for several years, I still get a thrill from seeing all the crops we can grow in a relatively small space.
We grow all our vegetables in raised beds or patio containers and are usually left with a surplus to be frozen or pickled.
This year’s haul included broad beans, onions, tomatoes, shallots and Swiss chard. The latest harvest was of beetroot and potatoes grown in sacks on the patio.
I lifted the beets before they grew to full size because I love their sweet succulence when they are just the size of golf balls. The best way of storing them is in boxes of lightly dampened sand or leafmould. If the box is deep, you will be able to get several layers of beets. Remove the foliage first and don’t store any that are damaged as they will contaminate the rest of the crop. Stow them in a frost-free shed or garage and they will keep for weeks. Alternatively, boil or roast the beets until they are just tender and pickle them in vinegar and spices.
I also lifted our third crop of potatoes – ‘Cara’ and ‘Desiree’ – which had been sitting in their compost for several weeks. Like the beetroot, I grew them in bags on the patio and was rewarded with a large and healthy crop. Potatoes are ready to dig up when their foliage has yellowed and died back. However, if you remove the stalks and leaves, the tubers will sit happily in their soil or compost until they are needed in the kitchen.