At the beginning of Spring, I embarked on a little vegetable growing experiment. I grew my usual vegetables at my allotment plot but I also started a container vegetable garden outside my kitchen at home. My aim was to see how much veg I could grow in containers vs how much veg I harvested from my allotment plot.
2022 has been a tough year for vegetable growers in the UK. The heatwave, drought and then torrential downpours have provided a rather hostile environment for our plants. My allotment plot has definitely suffered and I have found myself battling to keep things alive.
The containers have also had their fair share of issues and watering during a heatwave with a hosepipe ban in place has been difficult.
I have managed to harvest freshly grow, organic vegetables from both my container garden and from my allotment plot. But which did better, and what have I learned along the way?
CONTAINER GARDEN
Growing in pots meant that I could easily provide the exact conditions that each vegetable plant required. For example, I was able to easily add sand to my carrot pot and more manure to my pumpkin one, whilst keeping the Mediterranean herbs happily dry and devoid of too many nutrients. Brilliant.
However, growing in pots also means the soil conditions need more attention. I was feeding my pots more often than the allotment veg and having to water much more too to keep them from drying out.
Here’s a list of what did well in pots:
- Fennel
- Carrots
- Pumpkin (surprisingly!)
- Beetroot
- Courgette
- Peppers
- Herbs
- Potatoes
And a list of what didn’t do too well:
- Tomatoes
- onions
- broccoli
- cauliflower
- lettuce
The things that didn’t do well were really a result of poor planning. They weren’t watered enough, of the pots were too small or I didn’t use enough protection from pests. Overall, my courtyard vegetable garden did pretty ok.
ALLOTMENT GARDEN
My allotment garden is a 20 minute walk from my house. I can’t get there every single day, so inevitably, things slipped a little.
The heatwave meant that a lot of my crops burnt or dried out faster than I could get there to water, which was a shame. Pests were also responsible for a lot of my crops dying, the birds being the biggest menace of the year! However, once we reached August, the plot really did get going and I started to get more plants growing well.
Here are the things that did well at my allotment this year:
- Tomatoes
- Strawberries
- Parsnips
- Peas
- Pumpkins
- Brassicas
- Flowers (all of them!)
- Onion and garlic
- Potatoes
And the things that didn’t fair so well:
- Leeks
- Turnips
- Rocket
- Sweetpeas
- Beans
- Sweetcorn
- Radish
- Beetroot
What I did manage to harvest was fantastic and delicious. Overall, I think both my courtyard garden and allotment have been fairly successful this year.
Growing in containers at home has definitely made it easier for me to maintain them. I am always able to pop out and water them or shoo away a bird or squirrel when I see them. However, it has been expensive filling the pots with compost, feeding them so regularly and buying the pots and grow bags in the first place.
My allotment plot has been difficult to get to with the weather we’ve had this year. It’s not easy to access and so bringing fresh supplies to the plot such as manure and compost has been difficult. However, being able to disappear in a place of nature that is all jut there for me to enjoy alone has been priceless when living in a City. I’m so grateful for my space and it’s been amazing for my mental health.
Have you grown anything in containers this year?
