Potted crops

Containers dry out quickly in the warmer months. STEVE FALCIONI offers 10 ways to minimise heat stress in your potted patch

1 GATHER YOUR POTS

Group your containers together to help create a more favourable microclimate where neighbouring plants shade each other and their pots.

2 SWAP YOUR CROPS

Pull out lingering cool-season crops, and replace them with heat-tolerant ones, such as tomato, eggplant, cucumber and chilli. These will give you more joy than say, coriander or heart-forming lettuces, which bolt to seed in warm weather.

3 GO BIG

The smaller the pot, the faster the potting mix will dry out. Where possible, upgrade your small containers to larger ones that can hold more mix and, therefore, more moisture.

4 SWAP THE TERRACOTTA

Terracotta pots are super porous, allowing moisture to escape fast. Switch to plastic or glazed pots. If you really love terracotta, then paint the inside surfaces with a pot sealant before planting.

5 USE SELF WATERING POTS OR MINI WICKING TROUGHS

These have a reservoir of water in the base and are a godsend for edible plants during the hot months. Get some now!

6 MAKE FRIENDS WITH SEAWEED

Apply a seaweed solution every fortnight to help strengthen plant cells and reduce the impact of heat stress.

7 GRAB SOME SHADE

If possible, move pots to a spot that offers some shade in the middle of the day or the afternoon. Alternatively, erect some shadecloth to give your potted edibles some respite.

8 UP THE WATERING

It’s obvious, I know, but as the temperature increases so does the need to water more frequently. For potted edibles, this often means daily top-ups.

9 USE WETTING AGENTS

As potting mix ages, it often becomes water repellent, so even if you water frequently, it may never truly wet the mix. To resolve this issue, apply an organic wetting agent.

10 MULCH AWAY

Many gardeners mulch garden beds but forget about pots. Sugarcane mulch is ideal for potted produce, but if wind is an issue, consider using chunky bark mulch or a layer of pebbles instead.