Choosing containers

Almost anything can be used to grow crops in as long as it has sides to hold the soil in place and holes to allow for drainage

Choosing containers for your plants is a very personal thing. At Great Dixter, the majority of our pots are terracotta. They sit well against the brick floor and walls of the courtyard, and they age gracefully. Aesthetics aside, though, more or less anything can be used to grow crops in as long as it has sides to hold the soil in place, and holes in the bottom to allow for drainage.

The one thing that is critical about your chosen pots is size. Small pots can look very pretty clustered together and will enable you to create more variety in small spaces, such as steps and tabletops, as well as being easier to bring inside during the winter, but bear in mind that they will dry out very quickly. One large pot containing three or four different varieties of plant grown together will be much easier to maintain than multiple pots. Remember, you don’t need to fill the entire pot with compost – you can put a layer of something light and bulky, such as perlite, at the bottom, then put your soil on top of that.

The shape of pot you choose depends on what you plan to grow in it. For salad leaves or herbs, which have shallow roots, choose a broad, shallow pan. So-called ‘long Tom’ pots are best used for plants with deeper roots and/or trailing foliage, such as carrots, parsnips, nasturtiums, trailing rosemary, trailing thyme and trailing cherry tomatoes.

If you want to grow a fruit tree, choose the biggest pot you can accommodate. This will allow your tree plenty of room to expand, and you can grow other crops around the edge of the pot. Provided you are diligent about feeding and top-dressing, your tree will need repotting only once every four or five years, rather than every spring. When you are just starting out, keep things simple. A single trough with sorrel, some cut-and-come-again salad leaves, and a few of your favourite herbs will be easy to look after and give much pleasure. Add a few edible flowers to the mix and you will have something that’s really beautiful to look at.

While metal containers are relatively lightweight, they are very durable. Most metal plant pots nowadays are made of galvanised zinc, which has a timeless appearance that looks great, especially in an urban setting.

This is an extract from by Aaron Bertelsen with photography by Andrew Montgomery, which is published by Phaidon on 7 February, priced £24.95. Old tin cans or bathtubs can be used as attractive planters to enhance any small outdoor space. Grow Fruit and Vegetables in Pots: Planting Advice and Recipes from Great Dixter