With the news full of alarming stories about fruit and vegetable shortages as intemperate climate conditions affect crops around Europe, the grow-your-own trend is likely to get even bigger in 2023, having already boomed during the lockdown years. Outdoor containers are ideal for growing fruit and vegetables at home, from large-scale planters ideal for tomatoes and small fruit trees, to smaller designs you can attach to balconies or tuck into sunny patio corners. The self-watering planter specialist, LECHUZA, has a broad range.
The Trio Cottage planter (£154.37) with optional trellis and three removable planter liners, is not just a stylish solution for patios, balconies and green houses, it is also ideal for leggy plants such as tomatoes and cucumbers which require some support. This lightweight and waterproof, wicker style planter incorporates three separate planting spaces, each with a removable liner and mineral plant substrate included.
The inbuilt self-watering system will ensure that plants remain hydrated, even throughout extended hot, dry periods, meaning you can go on holiday without worrying about your precious tomatoes dying of thirst! All you have to do for great growing is make sure you buy some seeds, as they may be in short supply if market demand is sky high.
The Trio planter is also available in an elegant Stone surface finish (RRP: £185.95) and a choice of versatile neutral colours.
Balconies
For those of us who don’t have a big garden or other outdoor space to work with but would love to try our hand at growing, the BALCONERA model is perfect for cultivating salad vegetables and herbs. Lovely lettuce plants or spring onions, beetroots or radishes, will grow beautifully in this versatile planter, which can either be attached to a balcony or fence, or placed on a table or windowsill. This is also the perfect way to grow your own easy pick herb garden filled with basil, chives or thyme.
The BALCONERA design is available in a number of different sizes, colours and surface finishes, including matte wicker-style or stone-effect for cottagecore enthusiasts, to bright and glossy colours for a contemporary look.
LECHUZA also offers an exceptional PON substrate, which delivers optimal air/water ratio for plants, reducing their vulnerability to diseases whilst offering balanced nutrient distribution and enhanced water efficiency. The specially developed VEGGIEPON (6 litres for £15.80 or 12 litres for £23.24) is a nutrient-dense, peat-free substrate enriched with vegan fertiliser and plant-based carbon for strong rooting, luxuriant leaves and abundant harvests.
Whether you have a huge garden or a tiny balcony, container growing is a delight compared to the rigours of digging over allotments and garden beds, which require constant weeding throughout spring and summer and can be difficult to maintain if you have limited time and mobility. Containers can also be moved around easily to ensure plants can be shielded from the elements in the event of a surprise storm, frost, or overly-hot sun.
This is also good news for ‘generation rent’, who would love to get in on the grow-your-own fun without investing their time and money in somebody else’s property. With LECHUZA planters, even large houseplants or citrus trees and shrubs can be moved around with ease and taken along when you move house. For larger containers, the discreet LECHUZA-coaster will help you move things around without doing yourself or the removal team an injury.
There’s nothing better than a juicy, sweet tomato in the summertime, whether it’s served in a simple fresh salad or whizzed up into your favourite sauce, and they taste even better when they’re homegrown! Plus, tomatoes are the perfect choice for ‘grow your own’ beginners, as just a couple of plants will reward with you with lots of fresh, flavoursome fruits all throughout the season.
Not only do tomatoes make a tasty addition to any summertime dish, they also provide a wealth of nutritional benefits – a single tomato can provide approximately 40% of your daily recommended Vitamin C, as well as Vitamin K and Vitamin A. Tomatoes also help improve vision, boost digestive health, protect against cancer and help keep skin looking firm and youthful, so the benefits are plentiful!
As we welcome the return of warmer days, now is the perfect time to get growing. Here, experts at plant fertiliser brand Phostrogen® share some top tips on how to grow bigger, better and tastier tomatoes in your garden, greenhouse or any sunny spot.
Choosing Your Tomatoes
Believe it or not, there are thousands of varieties of tomatoes worldwide, which come in a huge range of colours, sizes, and flavours, so it can be overwhelming to know which type to choose!
The first thing to consider is where you’ll be growing your tomatoes. Smaller varieties, like bitesize sweet cherry tomatoes, may work best in a hanging basket and don’t need much space, whereas full-flavoured, meaty beefsteaks will require much more space and a stake or trellis to grow up. If you’re new to growing tomatoes, you may want to explore disease resistant, hardy plant varieties or opt for a tomato bush variety over cordon tomatoes, as these are generally easier to maintain. Other great varieties to try include the “Red Alert” tomato, “Roma VF” tomato or “Moneymaker” tomato.
Of course, consider how you want to eat your tomatoes! Will you be tossing your tomatoes in a salad or slicing them for sandwiches? Choose a variety you love and you’ll enjoy growing them even more.
Sowing and Growing
Tomatoes are easy to grow from seeds and can be sown in containers in a greenhouse or sunny spot in March and April, and will be ready to harvest from July onwards. Try staggering the dates of when you plant your seeds to ensure you have a steady supply of tomatoes throughout the summer.
Once your seeds have germinated and are approximately 3 inches tall, seedlings can be transferred to a sunny position outside either in containers or the ground. Choose a sunny, sheltered spot – east or south-facing areas are usually best for maximum afternoon sunshine. You can also get young plants from all garden centres if you’d like a head start!
When you’re ready to transfer seedlings or young plants, gently plant the stems into soil, giving each plant plenty of space. If your tomato variety requires a stake, tie plants onto canes with a figure of 8 knot to avoid chafing, and don’t forget to mulch! Just beware of late frosts and poor weather that could kill seedlings – it’s usually best to leave potting on until May and June.
Don’t Forget to Fertilise
Aside from a good sunny spot, the secret to growing tomatoes is in the soil – you need nutrient rich compost to ensure your plant grows big, juicy tomatoes. The leaves and fruits of a tomato plant consume a lot of nutrients, so it’s essential you feed your plants using a specialist fertiliser.
Phostrogen® Organic Tomato Food is ideal for increasing your yield and producing lots of tasty tomatoes. Enriched with seaweed, it provides your plant with the perfect balance of nutrients thanks to an N-P-K of 3-2-7. Available in a handy concentrated liquid, simply mix the recommended dosage into your watering can and water weekly for best results.
When it comes to watering, try not to wet the leaves as this can encourage disease such as blight to spread, but ensure that tomato plants aren’t allowed to dry out as this increases the risk of blossom end rot. Keep soil consistently moist, as fluctuating levels can stunt growth and encourage disease, and remove side-shoots to promote a healthy, full growth.
For more gardening advice, visit www.growwithphostrogen.co.uk.
See also: Midweek Meal: Roast Pepper & Sundried Tomato Spanish Omelette
