Courgettes in containers question

I am beginning to realise ( or rather be reminded) why I prefer growing flowers over veggies. I have only one bed which gets day long sun and frankly I don't think I can sacrifice this spot to vegetables exclusively so that begs the question.

What size container is adequate for courgettes and sweetcorn so I can use them to fill any gaps I may have between the flowers in said bed. That's one plant per container.

I am a cottage gardener so a "jumble" is fine, and I can be flexible too-ie I can plant some say in between the flowers.


I just want it all I suppose.

 

"What size container is adequate for courgettes and sweetcorn"

Can you ask me about a different crop please? I don't think either of those are going to like containers :(

You could probably plant your courgettes in an old muck heap, or compost heap, if you've got one spare?

 

I do, but it's the plants need for sunlight that I am thinking of.


Damn that I have only good bed for this sort of thing. In fact I can put them anywhere-I could if I was a coldhearted person sacrifice this bed, but I'll be blown if I can't figure something out.

 

Roof garden? :hehe:

 

Come on Kristen you can do maths-work it out for me, I can spell and use the correct grammatical form, but I can't do long division.




Do I really like courgettes??????????????????? Sweetcorn?????????????


Yes I do damn it.



But I like Marguerites and leucanthemums too.

 

"you can do maths-work it out for me"

Sorry, yes I can do that bit, but they both need lots of root run, and I don't think either will be successful in containers.

The sweetcorn want to be in a block at least 4 plants square. So minimum 16 plants, 18" apart, so that's 6 feet square - more like a raised bed really :(

To plant my Courgettes in the ground I make a hole at least 2 foot in diameter, and fill it with old muck / compost etc. So realistically I think you would need at least that much :(

Lettuces, Radishes, Carrots, Beans ... all great choices for containers.

You are as bad as me making a rod for you back with gardening projects !

You could look at the "Three Sisters" method. That's Sweetcorn, Squash (but I think Courgettes would do) and Climbing beans. The idea is that they compliment each other, trouble is in USA where they subscribe to this technique I think they only do it in large areas where plants are put at low densities [poor quality soil I guess]

Any other land you can use? Somebody else's land for example? Channel 4's LandShare perhaps?

 

I suppose that's the problem with wanting it all.

I don't have a small garden, one thing that makes up for the fact that everything needs fixing in an old cottage is the amount of garden you get, but I hate to say it-it isn't enough.


It is northeast facing, which gives me plenty of scope-for decorative planting, I think I need an allotment-that or a kind tree guy to come and shift my monster leyllandii in exchange for runner beans or foxgloves which I have plenty of.

 

Stick with them Claire - much nicer looking:thumb:

I'm in a similar position. I prefer herbaceous-y plants and flowers and the space I have where I could grow a few veg doesn't get enough sun. Last Spring I thought about dedicating part of the border to cottage style, with a few veg interpersed. Well....the purple podded peas got swamped by sweetpeas, the corn on the cob was a washout and the squash eaten by slugs. Added to that I filled any available space with more perennials and in the end decided to give up!:hehe:

Someone has given me a courgette plant, which i want to try in a pot, but hearing it won't do well saves me having to worry about it now...

 

Ho9w about undere a leyllandii then? It is baking hot there and I can suypplement it with water and good poo. What do you reckon??

 

I grow my courgettes in small growbags-no problems at all!
John

 

Thanks Guys,

I have grown too many anyway I think-I am told three plants would be enough and I have ten-although I was banking on a germination failure rate they all germinated and are in the pink of health. So I will do just that-give it a go, it can't hurt.

 

Courgettes do fine in a big container, just get a nice big pot (as large as you can comfortably manage) and plant one per pot. I went for courgettes after reading an article on growing them in pots is "Grow your own" magazine (about 8 weeks back, I might be able to scan it in for you?) They need lots of water, and they crop extremely heavily. I did manage to kill my first plant after planting out too early (it got frost nip) but the second attempt is doing just fine now.
I agree that corn is a no-goer, you need several plants together, and they need to be planted in a square pattern as they wind pollinate. They do need a lot of room.

 

I concur with growing courgettes in containers. They do need lots of frequent watering but they crop heavily and the fruits don't rot from lying on wet soil. The drawback is, like most container grown plants, they can dry out very quickly and die if not looked after assiduously.