Monday, November 28, 2011

Slightly potty in 2011

Over the last couple of years I have been playing around with growing vegetables in pots. On the whole my experiments haven't been terribly successful and I have found it rather a waste of time growing dwarf vegetables such as dwarf peas, beens, carrots etc because the yield is so small. We have an excellent farmer's market in Dunedin, so it's more cost effective buying my veggies there. Needless to say, this year I've turned a lot of my pots back to flowers again.

However, I am growing cucumbers in my porch, and trying normal size carrots and beetroot in my big pots. I'm also trying out cauliflower and broccoli in pots. I think they'll be too big for pots but as I have some spare seeds that need using up, I thought I'd see how they go. I am not going to bother with tomatoes this year - they always get battered by wind this time of year in Dunedin and never do very well.

As for the flowers, I am growing dahlias as a tribute to my father's parents and their son, my Uncle Fred who died last week and is being buried today. My family used to live on a farm and I remember very clearly the large number of dahlias that my gran used to grow in the farmhouse gardens.


The highlight of my year is using my old bath for the first time for growing a mix of flowers and veggies. I have sweet peas, lettuce, fuchsia and lebelia which should be an interesting mix. I have also put the old bathroom toilet and sink in the garden and am growing flowers in them.


The other highlight is the development of my herb garden. Two years ago my husband "threw" some thyme into a damp, shaded corner that grew weeds and not a lot else. Last year I noticed that the thyme was doing really well so I added an oregano plant which I had been given. I didn't think it would survive but this spring both herbs were growing really well. So I have added parsley, coriander, chives, mint, rosemary and sage. I'm hoping they take off as well.


Have you had any success growing veggies in pots? What tips would you pass on to me and anyone else doing the same thing? What other herbs would you suggest I put in my herb garden?

2 comments:

V Yonkers said...

It is so strange to see flowers as we enter winter here!

Sarah Stewart said...

I always hate it when I hear you guys talking about spring, and we're going into winter :)