Going potty
Country Smallholding|August 2020
With the Covid-19 lockdown, growing your own veg is all the rage, but what if you have limited space? Leslie Bliss discovers a whole new world of container crop growing
Leslie Bliss
Going potty

Months of stay-safestay-home lockdown has made everyone appreciate more than ever how precious it is to have your own outdoor space. With gaps suddenly appearing on supermarket shelves, it isn’t surprising that Britain, as a nation of gardeners, has turned to growing its own veg en masse.

I am one of them, an amateur gardener and lapsed veg grower of 10 years. With garden centres shut and a long wait for online orders, it became a challenge of resourcefulness to start again from scratch. The other issue was where to put the plants. As I wanted to keep the lawn and flower borders intact, every corner of the garden and house was scoured for potential planters. A rusty old cast iron wok had a hole drilled in the bottom to grow cut-and-come again salad, while the lid of a broken plastic water butt was also put to use — and it had a hole in the right place. Tomato grow bags were snapped up at Tesco, a set of five large felt bags was bought on eBay and, hey presto, the patio has come alive with greenery that includes runner beans, French beans, various lettuces, curly kale, chard, chilli peppers, tomatoes, cucumber, courgettes, spinach, sprouting broccoli and butternut squash.

It’s been interesting to watch their progress and compare how they’ve fared in different containers and positions. So that begs the question, what are the best containers? After all, the options seem endless: felt, grow bags, plastic, concrete, stone, terracotta, glazed, hanging baskets, Air-Pot containers, guttering, old dustbins, animal feed troughs, wooden crates, barrels, cast iron, hessian sacks and wicker baskets, to name but a few.

THINK SIZE AND DEPTH

Diese Geschichte stammt aus der August 2020-Ausgabe von Country Smallholding.

Starten Sie Ihre 7-tägige kostenlose Testversion von Magzter GOLD, um auf Tausende kuratierte Premium-Storys sowie über 8.000 Zeitschriften und Zeitungen zuzugreifen.

Diese Geschichte stammt aus der August 2020-Ausgabe von Country Smallholding.

Starten Sie Ihre 7-tägige kostenlose Testversion von Magzter GOLD, um auf Tausende kuratierte Premium-Storys sowie über 8.000 Zeitschriften und Zeitungen zuzugreifen.

WEITERE ARTIKEL AUS COUNTRY SMALLHOLDINGAlle anzeigen
The Secret World Of The Honey Bee
Country Smallholding

The Secret World Of The Honey Bee

Who knew that honey bees are the best builders? Nicola Bradbear from Bees for Development reveals how they build their parallel wax combs with extraordinary accuracy

time-read
6 Minuten  |
November 2020
Tip the light fantastic
Country Smallholding

Tip the light fantastic

The latest offering from Ifor Williams Trailers is the Single Axle Tipper, which is simply perfect for small-scale farmers

time-read
2 Minuten  |
November 2020
The legacy of The Good Life
Country Smallholding

The legacy of The Good Life

The Good Life captured the public’s imagination when it first aired in 1975. On Country Smallholding’s 45th birthday, Jeremy Hobson looks at this and other programmes with a self-sufficiency slant that have captivated urban and rural dwellers alike over nearly half a century

time-read
10 Minuten  |
November 2020
‘The hens took shelter under the pig trailer in the paddock'
Country Smallholding

‘The hens took shelter under the pig trailer in the paddock'

A tree Armageddon frightens poultry diarist Julian Hammer’s flock and leaves him with a mammoth clear-up job

time-read
5 Minuten  |
November 2020
Tools of the trade
Country Smallholding

Tools of the trade

In the second part of his mini-series on tools that are useful around the holding, Kevin Alviti takes an in-depth look at the iconic scythe, a thistle paddle and forks that were once virtually indispensable to small-scale farmers

time-read
6 Minuten  |
November 2020
The nightclub bouncer of the sheep world
Country Smallholding

The nightclub bouncer of the sheep world

Adam Henson waxes lyrical about the Texel, which boasts such a stocky body that it resembles a box of muscle on four legs

time-read
2 Minuten  |
November 2020
Buying on a tight budget
Country Smallholding

Buying on a tight budget

As demand for smallholdings increases and prices continue to rise, is there a way to achieve your dream without forking out a fortune? In the first part of a new mini-series, Liz Shankland explores the possibilities

time-read
8 Minuten  |
November 2020
Crazy for crafts
Country Smallholding

Crazy for crafts

In an ordinary back garden and single paddock near Kidderminster, Kay Dalloway has created both a thriving smallholding and a successful fibre business — all while working full time for the NHS. Helen Babbs drops by to find out about her ventures

time-read
8 Minuten  |
November 2020
Game on
Country Smallholding

Game on

A little preparation in the autumn months will help to make the transition into winter smoother and put your garden and tools on a better footing come the spring, says Stephanie Bateman

time-read
5 Minuten  |
November 2020
1975 And All That
Country Smallholding

1975 And All That

Country Smallholding is 45 this month. To celebrate, Jeremy Hobson takes a look at some of the changes — both good and bad — to small-scale farming over that near half-century

time-read
9 Minuten  |
November 2020