Container Growing
Planning your growing area


When considering the plan of the growing area you will need to be aware of the individual growth habits and needs of each crop you will be growing. This will affect the size of pots you will need and where you need to place them:

Carrots:

We have recommended using the round variety of carrot as they can be sown in trays and then transplanted into pots or troughs. When the carrots are grown from seeds they grow in clumps, each clump of carrots needs to be planted about 12cm apart. They don't have to be in rows so they can go into a pot or trough; they just need to be spaced 12cm apart.

Carrots need a sunny site.

Peas:

Peas can be grown in pots with the support sticks placed in the pots as well. Each pea plant needs to be planted 5cm from the next one. A pea wigwam placed in a pot for the pea plants to climb up looks very effective.

These need a lot of sun and a sheltered site if possible.

 

Tomatoes:

Tomatoes need a lot of room to grow, they need to be about 30cm apart so it would be best to either have one tomato plant per pot (minimum size of 6in diameter) or use a grow bag as these will take three tomato plants. A trough could be used as well.

Tomatoes need a lot of sun and a sheltered site if possible.

 

Spinach:

These need to be spaced 15cm apart; they don't have to be in rows so they can go into pots or troughs.

Spinach likes a little bit of shade as well as sun, so the pots could be placed to allow for this.

 

Carrot - Round carrot variety / plant each clump 12cm apart






Peas - with support sticks / pea wigwam in a pot



Tomatoes - need plenty of space / tomatoes in a grow bag




Spinach - space 15cm apart, could use troughs or pots

Examples of container growing designs/plans
(click on images for larger images)

Design 1 (Below): Against a wall, large pots at back,
smaller pots at the front