Hello everyone,

So nice to read about your favourites, does everyone grow them by chance?

So far I have grown them all except for eggplant and not tried squash, cauli or broccoli in containers - to my mind they need space, mainly 'cos I don't only want to grow one, eat it for a couple of meals and that's it! And I just do not talk Cabbage. I don't know, but I swear that plant has it in for me ... it just will not grow for me no matter what I say!

Some people have, I have just never been lucky from seed so some I buy from the farmer's markets and others I grow when I can. Tomatoes are really easy and great to eat off the vine! And as for all the good recipes out there for veges - it just makes me want to go into market gardening!

Anyway, I am going to carry on writing up articles on slightly different foods and containers so maybe a few people will try something different sometime soon.

Cheers now

I have only grown tomatoes and herbs in pots.

I am good at houseplants but tend to kill herbs and veggies in pots. Probably because of the aridity here in the southwest.

Hi Jill and Debbie and all,

What particular veges or herbs do you think you would like to grow Jill?

Which have you tried?

Are you interested in trying again or are you kinda cabbaged out?

Must say, that watering for vegetables is vital but so is too much or too little sun, compacted soils, not enough of the right fertiliser AND to repeat, watering is really important. Not everyone has the time for the fuss in a way.

Still if you think I can help with advice with a particular edible, I will certainly chatter about what you can try.

Cheers

To Lestie,

my favorite vegetable is..... mashed potatoes.Not a joke.

loong

Loong, that's a good one. I think you can do those in pots, if it's a big one. Like using a trashcan, i think. Add holes to the bottom.

Lestie, When I tried the hanging tomatoes the wind blew the pot down and killed the plant. We get random big winds here regularly so i gave up on that. I just grow them in my plot now.

Potted rosemary always dies on me - they dry out once and then it's all over. I can't get thyme to stay alive in a pot either, or basil, or mint, or oregano or marjoram. None of these are forgiving enough for the dryness here. I do well with these in the ground, though. Things dry out too fast for me in pots.

I do well with potted geraniums, but that's not a food!

Hi Loong,

I have grown mashed potato with much success so can see why it would be one of your favourites.

It's is just that you need different gardening tools (like boiling water; a source of high heat - either gas or electricity or even open coals/fire; a peeler and your hands) and not everyone has these on tap.

Anyway, that plant is an exotic in many places in the world and for sensible use is often not mixed with pasta or sweet fruits like apricots and mangoes. Combining it with the right other fruit and vegetables is a must for health reasons I hear.

And then of course the lumpy varietal is not as popular as the smooth one even though they grow under the same circumstances. I believe that the lumpy one is okay served with runner bean bits go figure! I read too that you can get an instant type as well but have I not tried to grow this one, it looked sloppy and grey to me the one time I saw it in the nursery.

Good luck with your next crop, I am sure you will enjoy the fruits of your labours.

Cheers

Hi Jill and all,

I can guess how the constant watering of your containers is too much especially where the alternative option is for plants to draw water from the ground once the vegetable patch has been planted out and watered deeply and well.

I grow a lot of herbs both in containers and an herb patch so enjoy it all. Want to experiment this year with new ones for me like curry leaves/herb St John's Wort and such so will report back another time.

I find too that mint is one of those thug garden plants that when happy, spread too easily and tend to suffocate and want to takeover the whole patch like a naughty kid needing any type of attention, even if negative! So, for that reason I grow mint in a container to contain its spread - BUT having said that, I also grow mint around my garden taps.

Mint particularly likes water and it does so well there oh thirsty one that it is ... it just laps up the extra H20. Have you got a dripping tap? Plant mint then maybe your favourite favourite vegetable will become mint sauce to go with Loong's mashed potato. And roast lamb/chops I guess. And green peas say.

Jill, Geraniums are edible - see this week's Container Gardening article coming up soon. Tra la.

Cheers now.

P S Do you bake cakes or scones etc? Simple stuff like sponge cakes and muffins and scones etc. Hmmm, use geranium leaves for that indefineable something that will drive your taste-testers crazy with guesses as to what you've done!

I don't actually cook. I am kind of a no-cook gal. I don't even have a stove or a counter top. Maybe i will in a few years, but there is simply no room in my studio.

People have all kinds of warnings about how invasive mint it. THose people do not live in the desert! lol. Our wild mint grows only around permanent water sources, which are infrequently found. I can barely keep it alive in the garden, actually. It certainly likes water.

I do have some i deliberately planted by my outdoor tap, but of course in the desert you never allow anything to drip and waste water. It costs too much! So when i use the outdoor tap i have to remind myself to sprinkle some extra water over the mint.

I want to know how to eat geranium!

I am growing tomatoes and peppers in pots. I don't have a greenhouse, so being able to move the plants as the temperatures get chilly during our short growing season helps.
It is dry where I live in the summers - probably not as dry as Jilly's area, but I can relate. I have used those soil crystals before with some success. I am wondering about putting some sort of paper crown or collar or cover over the pot with a hole in it for the plant to stick out of. The idea being that the water would be in the container for the plant to use, and would not evaporate from the soil that is covered rather than exposed. Has anyone tried this?