Plans for container gardening in 2016

I have kept well inside this weekend!

One of the things I enjoy doing the most during the dark evenings and wet weekends of winter is planning what I am going to plant and grow in the year to come. I collect and store the catalogues and magazines I receive until there is literally nothing to do out back and I pour over them, circling and adding them to a notebook with a title of the vendor as header of a new page. Then the process of adding to the Wish List begins.

I have also been looking for planters and ladder-like constructions to get some height in the backyard. I have found a website of a small company called Ladderallotments that do them at a decent price and they also look sturdy: I am strongly considering getting one or two for Christmas. This first one you can see below is an Urban Planter, which would be great for herbs and salad leaves. The other structure I have my eye on is the Urban 3 tier, which will give the courtyard height to add interest to the garden at a different level, rather than having all my pots all at ground level. I will be sure to update as and when I order them.



I am also in the market for a cold frame/mini greenhouse. I am struggling to find one that will be sturdy, classy and not exorbitantly expensive. I have had a look on a major DIY website, but what they have does not convince me. My over-the-fence neighbour has a similar sized plot and has 2 mini-greenhouses that look amazing. I might pop a note through the letterbox and ask where they are from! That's not too creepy, is it? Also, can we just take a moment to remember the amazing one we saw on the Levernshulme Open Garden Day? So inspiring. They made it themselves, I asked.

In terms of produce, I have been pouring over catalogues and books. The two books I have invested in are Patio Produce by Paul Peacock and Vegetable, Fruit and Herb Growing in Small Spaces by John Harrison. I have also been perusing the website Pomona Fruits and my trusted Suttons Seeds.

So far, this is my rather extensive list of what I would love to grow this year:

Specifically for growing in containers:

• Patio raspberry Ruby Beauty. 
• Blackberry bush Reuben.
• Blueberry bush Sunshine Blue.
• Pepper Mohawk. Apparently, it grows well in pots, so it is one to look out for. Redskin is also a dwarf variety and might be worth a shot. 
• Cucumber Baby. Another patio variety, ideal to grow in pots. 
• Courgette Patio Star. I am not a fan of courgettes really, but my mother-in-law loves them! 
• Gourmet Potato Patio Growing Kit. I grew potatoes in sacks last summer and they delivered. One variety suffered from under-watering, I think, so it was my fault. I am going to try a different variety as soon as the small option is available. 

Not specific for growing in containers but I would like to grow them nonetheless:

• Rainbow Mix Carrots. It is not indicate it's suitable for growing in pots, I successfully grew some in deep pots last summer, so I might try my hand at these as well.  
• Mangeout Multicoloured. Following the line of colourful carrots, I love the look of these purple mangeout! I grew some green snap peas last summer and they were really tasty, so I think I will also grow these to sling into the stir fry. 
• Chard Bright Lights. Can you see a pattern developing here? I have never grown chard, but I am fairly certain I have eaten before, potentially in a salad...? I think I could grow them in the Ladderallotment :)

For scent as much as for culinary purposes:

• Dill. 
• Lemon Grass. 
• Basil Summer Surprise. Can you tell I like purple...?

Moving... Pots Everywhere

I am digging up plants that I want to take with me to our new home. Recently I went to The Vintage Emporium in Stockport and picked up some old buckets and such to use as containers for my plants and veg. Speaking of which, it seems like I'll only be getting 3 peppers this year. I think, like the courgettes, I will have to make sure I pollinate the flowers next year.

I am loving my rudbeckias, their colour is so intense at the moment.

I have trimmed the lavender, it's looking rather sorry for itself but I have made a point of finding and cutting above new growth.

I have repotted one of my heather plants.

My rosemary has died. I guess moving it stressed it and the poor thing has dried up completely. I think I'll put some sage in there instead. I have thyme in that bread bin as well. I repotted the Aster into the galvanised bucket and have taken some "offspring" to give to friends.

I have pruned the geraniums. They did OK this year, but I kept neglecting them and forgot to water them. They threatened to dry out a couple of times but I have managed to keep them going.

I was going to leave these 2 heathers behind, but I bought them after a long day at my previous work and they have me great joy. So I decided to bring them along for the ride.

All in all a nice little family is coming together. A bit mismatched, but when we move and I put everything in its place I can then arrange and plan to my heart's content. I actually have a couple of ferns I was going to leave behind, but after the seminar I attended on Sunday I might just take them with me for that shady spot in the garden!

Weekend project: veg planter and herb box

Can you be in love with a wash tub? Because I think I might be. With the help of the Open Gardens last week, I bit the bullet and put the items I bought at the Vintage Emporium into use.

First, I thought about the box as it is smaller. A herb box is what I went for. I'm sure I could fit a little basil in there as well, but so far this is what it looks like. I put some gravel at the bottom of the box to help with drainage, and then I simply filled it with compost and popped the plants in. If  I were serious about it, I probably should have lined the box, or coated it with something. However, for now, I'm going to leave it as it is. 

I have some peppermint, parsley, purple sage and lavender in there. 

I have put it in a corner very near to the back door. It is a corner where there isn't much, plus it's handy to just pop out and pinch what I need. I would like to add to this little corner with a furher pot or two. It has made it more interesting.

I also planted out my two courgette and cucumber plant. I still don't have any flower, but I can see the buds! Hopefully now they have more room they will flower to their hearts' content. 

The reason why I chose this weekend to plant the out - a part from the fact that Monty told me to last week- is that I made the mistake to leave the greenhouse door shut for a day or two this week. Consequently, some of the leaves have suffered from the kale, lettuce and courgettes I had in there. They will survive, but some are looking a little sorry for themselves. 

The tub was rather clean when I bought. I filled the bottom with gravel until the rust was covered.

Then I added the compost and played with the composition of the plants until I was satisfied and planted them. I will look into any companion plants I can add as I do. not. want. slugs or snails nomming on them. The courgette leaves smell really appetising, even if I am not a fan of courgettes myself. This might be the year I am converted!

A quick an easy project for a cloudy afternoon :)