Vale Life resident garden expert Bob Priddle on growing your own veg.

VALE GARDENS

With the deepening of the credit crunch why not save some money and produce some great tasting vegetables and herbs. A shortage of space is no excuse as growing in containers is an easy way of growing crops in the garden.

Choosing your container Vegetables can be grown in a huge variety of containers. You can use pots, troughs or grow-bags. And they needn’t be new. You can recycle old plastic bins or containers by simply drilling some holes in the base to provide drainage. Even hanging baskets can be used to grow crops such as tomatoes. Varieties such as Balconi Yellow or Gartenpearle both do well in baskets. The size of your crop will depend on the size of container that you’re going to need. Crops such as potatoes will need bigger containers than salad crops such as lettuce and carrots. Smaller containers will also need watering and feeding more often.

Compost
Using good quality compost will help you to get the best results. There are soil-based compost such as John Innes No 3, multi purpose compost or even the newer peat-free varieties. Using the compost in growing-bags can also be good value and quality.

What sort of things can I grow?
Crops that do well in containers...

Beetroot: The young leaves can be used as ‘spinach’. Follow these with quick growing crops of late summer salads.
Broad beans: Try dwarf varieties such as The Sutton. As well as the delicious beans, the tops can also be pinched out to reduce blackfly attacks and be used as ‘greens’ or in a stir fry.
Carrots: These do really well in containers. Select short or stump rooted varieties if you can’t get a bigger container.
French beans: Another subject that does well in pots and they do not require supports in the same way that taller runner beans do.
Lettuces: Mini lettuces such as ‘Little Gem’ and ‘Tom Thumb’ can be sown from March onwards for crops. Peas: They will need a largish container and may need a bit of staking but nothing beats the great taste of fresh peas.
Potatoes: You’ll need a big container, old plastic rubbish bins with holes drilled in them work well. Strong empty compost bags turned inside out so the black side attracts the warmth also work well. Salad leaves: Rocket, lettuce, chicory and spinach are tasty choices. Pick by pinching off the top few leaves leaving a stump to re-sprout for follow-on.
Spring onions: Pull when they get big enough. By late July, you should be able to re-sow with finger carrots for bunches of baby carrots in October. Garlic also does well grown in pots. Spinach: Spinach quickly runs to seed, so sow courgettes in June for late summer fruits.
Herbs: Go on and spice your cooking because nothing beats the great taste of fresh herbs.

Taking care of your crops Keep your crops well watered but avoid prolonged water logging. A feed of general-purpose liquid fertiliser can be applied every few weeks and will pay dividends. In the unlikely event that we gat a late frost, cover the plants with horticultural fleece or move pots to a warmer, sheltered spot. Keep picking or harvesting your crops as plants left to run to seed sap the energy from plants and they also don’t taste so good.

The National Gardens Scheme has for many years allowed people to visit gardens and at the same time raise money for charities. You may have seen their famous yellow signs advertising a garden that is open. These will not, in most cases, be huge stately homes but even so, will give you some real tips and insights in to what can be achieved in smaller gardens. I’ve often said that I learn more from these gardens than from visiting shows like Chelsea. So here a list of gardens opening in the surrounding area over the next few weeks. There’s generally tea and cakes and the owners are often on hand to answer your questions.

On the subject of visiting gardens I’d like to extend my thanks to everyone at the Ladybird Johnson Wildflower Centre in Austin, Texas for making me feel so welcome. If you’re visiting Texas put it on your list of places to visit - you won’t be disappointed.

GARDENS OPEN TO THE PUBLIC Llanblethian Gardens, Llanblethian Sun 7 June 2pm - 6pm. St Brides C/W Primary School, St Brides Major Sun 28 June 11am - 4pm. Wilton Road Gardens, Siginstone, Cowbridge, Sun 21 June 2pm - 6pm. Bordervale Plants, Cowbridge, Sun 31 May, Sun 30 Aug 10am - 5pm. Llantwit major & Llanmaes Gardens, Llantwit Major Sun 7 June 11am - 5pm. Newton Village Gardens, Porthcawl, Sun 7 June 1pm - 6pm. Penmark Village Gardens, Sat 20 June 11am - 5pm. Twyn yr Hydd House and Gardens, Margam Sun 28 June 11am - 3.30pm. Pentyrch Gardens, Pentyrch, Sun 14 June 11am - 6pm. Hen Felin & Swallow Barns, Dyffryn, Sun 28 June 12pm - 7pm. For further details of these gardens please check the NGS website www.ngs.org.uk