Salad vegetable in containers

Hi can I grow salad vegetables in my large containers and would I use a multi purpose compost in my containers to grow the salad vegetables.

 

Hi,

Yes you can and mpc should be fine.

How big are your containers ? Do you have any garden area for veg as well ?

If you have a greenhouse you could even start things off now/soon or April onwards if its outside only, unless you could put a simple cloche /cover over them.

Usually find the pick and come again lettuce like Salad Leaves or the "red" Lollo Rosso types are better than waiting for the traditional big bodied Iceberg types.

Radish and Beetroot picked young also very easy and Tumbling Tom types of Tomato all good for containers.

Needless to say, Strawberries ideal for tubs and containers.

 

Ricky101 thanks for the reply to my question. My container is rectangular in shape 4’x2’ and will be made from decking boards and will be lined to stop the compost rotting the wood.

 

Hi,

Generally use the cheaper 150mm fencing gravel boards to raise the edges of the veg plot a little, though decking boards would look a bit more ornamental.

Find using one of these DPM as cheap as anything and very strong.
Damp Proof Membrane 3m x 4m

If its 4x2 then I would be temped to put some corner posts in and make a little opening top so its like a cold frame, the lid could be bubble wrapped in winter to keep out the cold and a fine mesh or fleece the rest of the time to keep out the birds and bugs.
Alway find the tops of the young beetroot nibbled off, supect Sparrows but yet the see the culprits !

Lots of pics on the web on how to use your frame, a popular way is the square foot method, just depends on how fancy you need to make it.

Plenty of good veg growing tips on the TV series Beechgrove when it returns.

 

Thanks ricky101 for the comments, most useful. I was thinking of adding a lid which I can open and close whenever I need to.

 

Hi, I looked into using decking boards to make raised veg beds some time ago. I decided not to, because it is hard not to buy wood that is treated with preservative chemicals which although safe to walk on, aren't the kind of chemicals I would want to ingest . Over time the chemicals may leach into the soil inside as the soil is damp.

just wanted to mention in case it sways your towards flowers or a different material for your containers.

 

Think we are all in the dark as to if thats really possible with the modern preservatives and whats really in them.

It needs to travel horizontally towards the plants and then are they able to take up such compounds ?

Who knows ...?

However lining the inside of any wooden frame with a plastic/polythene sheet should help avoid any such leaching or at least direct in downwards away from the plants.

One simple observation, we see next doors little dog often eating off or licking their decking where food has fallen or been placed there for it, yet it seem to suffer no ill effects.
Think the same will be true of some small children, but never heard of any ill effects caused by it.

 

I use lots of pallets wood, which is tipically treated, and other recycled materials, so I line mine cheaply with a few layers of either black bin bags or compost bags. That should be safe enough.