Container gardener. Inspired by how urban food growing improves wellbeing, brings people together and greens cities.
Newcastle, UK
Joined May 2010
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Mark your calendars for the webinar launch of #GoodtoGrow2024 ! Join @UKGoodtoGrow Wed 6 March to hear from experts, campaigners and growers who are growing green communities & fighting for growing access 4 all @IncEdNetwork @FoodPlacesUK @Capital_Growth sustainweb.org/webinars/marc…
Want to learn to grow veg, fruits and herbs in containers? Check out my brand new online course: verticalveg.org.uk/page/3828…
Vertical Veg has a shiny new website! Still working on it but do pop over and see how it is coming on: verticalveg.org.uk/
Why grow food at home in containers?
One thing I love is that the plants are quite literally on your doorstep so you can enjoy them every day (this is my front yard that I walk through several times a day).
What is it about growing in containers at home that appeals to you?
Look at these exquisite fava bean (broad bean) flowers.
I was growing these for microgreens and potted up a few plants in a larger container to see what would happen.... The variety is Maris Bead, grown from dried beans sold by @Hodmedods.
Can't wait to try the fresh beans!
This is Emma's back yard in Newcastle. It’s a lovely example of a pretty kitchen container garden with both herbs, veg and flowers. The tulips (with edible flowers - they taste just like peas!) are in upcycled beer kegs - and will be replaced by tomatoes in the summer.
How to choose a good peat free compost for container gardening.
Check out my new blog post here: verticalveg.org.uk/how-to-ch…
#peatfree
Seeking creative and unusual ideas for recycled containers…
Here’s a fine example from Carol Wyss - a canoe trug!
2 of 2
Birds get up to different tricks in different places. So, hopefully you won't have this challenge. Maybe they have other tricks where you live?
I love having birds visiting the container garden - but I have to find a way to protect seedlings or there will be no plants!
Beware the naughty nibblers! 1 of 2
Sparrows and pigeons will eat the tips of baby seedlings, killing them. They particularly like my peas. One solution to protect them is wire mesh. Place the mesh a few inches above the seedlings - or birds will balance on the top.
This might look like an ordinary chilli seedling.... but in fact it is the legendary Mathania chilli, from Rajasthan, "highly valued for its fine culinary qualities".
The seed was tracked down by @theseeddetective. Feeling lucky to have a chance to grow the REAL THING.
Very happy to be picking decent sized salads from the containers in the front yard again. Today: rocket, lambs lettuce, mustard red frills, land cress and chives.
Having survived the hard winter, they all taste excellent at this time of year.
Lack of both growing and storage space is a common challenge. Sometimes both can be addressed by a simple structure.
Here's one I made. The top is a potting bench, and a microgreen growing area. Underneath there is storage for bags of compost and empty pots.
Happy days.. Sorting through old photos, I found this of my first balcony growing adventure, back in 2010, taken by @foodwinewriters for her book, "Food and the City".
I've since realised that there's something extra magical about creating a garden in the middle of the city.
Mark Ridsdill Smith retweeted
We are beyond delighted to hear that Mark Ridsdill Smith, the author of The @VerticalVeg Guide to Container Gardening, has won the Peter Seabrook Practical Book of the Year Award at the @GdnMediaGuild awards ceremony earlier today! 👏😍 Congratulations to all the winners!
ALT We are beyond delighted to hear that Mark Ridsdill Smith, the author of The @VerticalVeg Guide to Container Gardening, has won the Peter Seabrook Practical Book of the Year Award at the @GdnMediaGuild awards ceremony earlier today! 👏
Mark Ridsdill Smith retweeted
“The bottom line is that home compostable plastics don’t work” @markmiodownik theguardian.com/environment/…
This week's #harvestofthe week is chard - 1.1 kg from one container, an old veg crate.
I sowed this in July last year, picked bits over winter and now I'm harvesting it heavily before it goes to seed.
So now I'm looking for new chard recipes. Anyone?
After glorious sun at the weekend, heavy hail last night. Luckily, all the microgreens, violas and emerging herbs like chives and marjoram - and the rhubarb - are hanging in there - so far!
Nice feature on container growing - with extracts from my new book :) - in the weekend's Telegraph by @TeleGardening telegraph.co.uk/gardening/ho…