VEGETABLES IN CONTAINERS MASTERCLASS

Great Dixter vegetable gardener and chef Aaron Bertelsen explains how to create a kitchen garden in pots

BEST CROPS TO CHOOSE Leafy herbs, root veg, even fruit trees – you can create a varied, productive container garden, whatever the space or conditions. A couple of pots of cut-and-come again leaves will give you fresh salads for months. Other stars of the kitchen container garden include chard and kale, structural plants such as globe artichokes, and showstoppers like peas and gloriously varied sea kale.

MAXIMISING THE SPACE An enclosed area offers great scope for gardening vertically as well as horizontally. Arches and pergolas can support climbing plants, such as beans and even pumpkins, freeing up more space for crops at ground level. Limitations can lead to creativity: attach planters and shelves to a wall, and put pots on ladders or steps. You can double the growing space in a window box by hanging pots from it.

TYPES OF COMPOST Typically there are three types of soil-based compost available from nurseries and garden centres: No 1 for sowing seed; No 2 for potting on small plants; and No 3 for long-term and permanent planting. There are multipurpose composts that contain added nutrients, but soil-based mixes are a better bet.

FEED YOUR VEG Most compost mixes contain a slow-release plant food, which lasts from four to six weeks; then feed containers once a week. I use liquid seaweed, an excellent feed for all crops – simply add it to the watering can. Despite its name, tomato food is a great all-round fertiliser. Plants also benefit from a few handfuls of a fertiliser like blood, fish and bonemeal. Then add a layer of fresh compost or leaf mould.

“IF I COULD GROW ONLY ONE THING IN MY CONTAINER GARDEN IT WOULD BE

SALAD LEAVES”

AARON BERTELSEN, author of

Grow Fruit & Vegetables in Pots: Planting Advice & Recipes from Great Dixter

Arranging pots at different levels offers myriad possibilities in a small space

Jamie Innes of Artisan Landscapes mixes varieties for visual appeal (above left). Cavolo nero is among his favourite leafy veg Lack of space is no barrier to enjoying the pleasure of growing your own as proved by this densely planted container of salad leaves and herbs (left) Incorporating arches and obelisks for climbing plants such as beans, peas and squashes makes the most of the growing space, as shown at Yeo Valley Organic Garden (above)