You can grow a surprising variety of vegetables, herbs and fruit in pots, from potatoes in a big bag to climbing squashes and beans. This year, I grew carrots, parsley, garlic, apples, blueberries, oranges and lemons, nectarines, strawberries, mint, lemon verbena, tomatoes, basil, chillies, aubergines and melons in pots – and all did well. But some crops are better suited to containers than others. Cut-and-come-again crops like rocket, oak-leaf lettuces, spinach and corn salad can be harvested by the leaf, and will regrow to provide further cuttings.
As long as the container will hold compost, you can use anything, but the most important factor is adequate drainage: waterlogging causes more harm than drying out.
Choose a quality, peat-free compost and add sieved garden compost, along with extra grit, vermiculite or…
