VIDEO: Potted plants will grow in just about anything
Kitty Scully says plants will grow in anything from terracotta pots to plain plastic purpose-made planters and upcycling is also an option; See her weekly video on www.irishexaminer.com or YouTube.
NOW that the long evenings are here and temperatures are up, a patio is the perfect place to perch — and plants will love the space as much as you do.
Packing patios with pots full of productive plants makes perfect sense. Firstly they are closer to the house for easier maintenance and harvesting, and they will also soften the space and add to the ambience.
Most patios enjoy shelter and increased heat from surrounding walls or the ground in the case of paved patios, thus providing the perfect conditions for plants to thrive and even providing scope for growing some of the more tender heat loving edible plants such as tomatoes, aubergines, chillies and lemon verbena.
Plants will grow in anything from classy terracotta pots to plain plastic purpose-made planters and grow bags.
When it comes to finding the perfect planter, upcycling is also an option: Buckets, wheelbarrows, wooden boxes, halved barrels, galvanized bins, Belfast sinks, woven baskets, polystyrene boxes and hessian bags, the possibilities are endless as long as the container allows drainage and is sturdy enough to withhold the weight of damp soil and a mature crop.
Choose the look to suit your space and bear in mind that sticking to one choice of material for planters may prevent a cluttered look and add a bit more style.
Most garden soil is not ideal for use in planters as it tends to compact easily from constant watering. There are plenty of suitable composts and potting mixes on the market but it pays to make your own.
Mix soil with quality all-purpose potting compost, garden compost, worm castings, or well-composted manure and add in some horticultural grit to provide the perfect growing medium — soil that is porous but humus and nutrient rich.
Do not skimp on the quality of soil for planters, as plants will be growing in a restricted environment and need the best. Be warned, soil brings weed seeds unlike sterile shop bought mixes.
The growing medium should always suit the crops; for example, many herbs thrive in dry situations so will benefit from gritty, free draining soil, whereas most vegetables prefer a richer mix with plenty of organic matter and sufficient drainage. A tub of salads could get by on a bag of all purpose compost where as a fruit tree will be in it’s container for years thus needing a much richer soil mix.
A soil-less mix could be lighter and more suitable to hanging baskets and pots you intend to move around.
Seed companies are becoming aware of the rise in popularity of container gardening and there is a dramatic increase in the amount of patio vegetable seed varieties on the market. Dwarf, bush and compact varieties of popular plants make perfect sense such as Tomato F1‘Tumbler’ and compact dwarf beans and peas.
Others such as ‘patio salads’ may be just maximising on the name as standard varieties will only grow to the size they are allowed to and will do great in containers.
In general bush-type varieties of plants have been bred to produce vegetables on short, sturdy plants, exactly what is required in a planter. Small-fruited, early varieties are also better as in the restricted root-zone of a planter as large-fruited varieties will produce only a few fruit, even in a rich potting mix.
There are lots of edible plants that are highly decorative when grown in planters such as herbs, fruit trees, tomatoes, peppers, aubergines, lemon verbena and asparagus pea.
Edible flowers such as violas and calendula also work a treat as do mixed pots containing herbs and vegetables with trailing flowers such as nasturtiums added for colourful effect. Whatever your pot preference may be, always select plants that suit the climate and the amount of sun or shade the pot will receive.
Watering and drainage is by far the biggest balancing act when growing productive plants in planters. If water drains through pot soil like a sieve, plants dry out too quickly and have to be watered constantly just to keep them alive.
But draining too slowly is also harmful as plant roots do not like to reside in a swamp so make sure to get the drainage holes and soil mix right to start with.
Pots and containers will always require more frequent watering than plants in the ground. As the season progresses and plants mature, their root system will expand and require even more water. Check pots at least once a day, and twice on hot, dry, or windy days. Feel the soil and remember to water it — not the foliage. If you are a frequent traveller, consider setting up a drip emitter irrigation system.
A good tip is to leave about one inch of space between the soil line and the top of the pot so the soil doesn’t wash out when you water the plants and if using terracotta pots, soak them before use.
