Pots of plenty
Grow some goodness on your doorstep with containers that look as good as they taste
You can have potted goodness on your doorstep, windowsill or patio in just a few easy steps with these recipes. Well-being is much talked about these days and while there are the obvious nutritional benefits to eating more veg, it can be harder to quantify the chuffed satisfaction of growing your own.
All these mini veg plots are designed to give pleasure to both your eyes and your taste buds. By including flowers for pollinating insects, the benefits spread beyond the patio and dinner table, and your fruiting plants are sure to be pollinated.
If your budget is limited, buy small plug plants or grow from seed. If sowing seeds directly into the container, add the plug plants first. Sow the seeds about 0.5cm deep and 2cm apart in the spaces inbetween. Thin out crowded seedlings. It’s also great to use recycled containers, as long as they’re large and deep, and have drainage holes.
Orange alert
Companion planting is a great way to keep unwanted insects at bay. It’s thought that the scent of onions will distract carrot flies, and the carrots will see off the onion fly! The orange violas have a triple role of looking gorgeous, attracting bees and having edible petals that can be sprinkled over salads. Onion leaves can be eaten too, but wait until the bulb is harvested or you might stunt the growth.
1 x packet of carrot ‘Royal Chantenay 3’ seeds (discover how to grow your free carrot seeds on p26-27)
1 x packet of onion ‘Long Red Florence’ seeds
2 x Viola ‘Matrix Orange’
Picnic pickings
There can be no doubt that tomatoes and basil work well on the plate, and they make great pot companions too. It seems that growing them together enhances the tomato flavour, plus, just like French marigolds, the basil deters unwanted pests. This ginghamlined hanging basket saves patio space, allows the tomato plants to trail and looks as appetising as a summer picnic!
2 x tomato ‘Maskotka’
1 x tomato ‘Losetto’
1 x sweet basil (Ocimum basilicum) or packet of seeds 1 x bush basil (Ocimum minimum) or packet of seeds 6 x French marigold ‘Bonanza Yellow’ plug plants
Feel the heat
Even a narrow windowsill can be host to a colourful and bountiful trough. The scarlet flowers and shiny chilli peppers planted here will look sublime by late summer. Luckily this trio make good horticultural bedfellows too. It’s thought that the scent of the pelargoniums repels unwanted insects and the radishes improve the chillies’ flavour. The fast-growing radishes can be harvested before the other plants fill out.
1 x chilli pepper ‘Basket of Fire’
1 x chilli pepper ‘Cajun Belle’ (or choose your favourite type)
2 x red zonal pelargoniums 1 x packet of radish ‘French Breakfast’ seeds
Purple daze
Fancy something a bit exotic? If you have a sunny, sheltered patio, then try this unusual and vibrant combo, dripping with glossy purple aubergines and the trailing seed-rich tassels of amaranth. The purple-flowered salvia complements the rich colour palette while attracting pollinating insects. Small amounts of the amaranth leaves can be harvested without harming the plant and eaten like spinach, and the nutrient-rich seeds can be added to smoothies, soups and cereals.
1 x aubergine ‘Scorpio’
1 x packet of Amaranthus caudatus ‘Red’ seeds
2 x Salvia nemorosa ‘Caradonna’