With garden space shrinking, or being confined to a balcony or patio, finding a place for veggies requires some creative thinking .
Tiny spaces like converted gutters, vertical gardens, loffel stones, hanging baskets, and containers can accommodate vegetables with small or shallow roots like lettuce, baby spinach, radishes. spring onions, baby carrots and even beetroot . Microgreens and baby salad leaves are another options.
Hanging baskets can accommodate vining cherry tomatoes like Kirchhoffs ‘Red Cherry Sweetie’ or ‘Yellow Pear’ cherry tomato. They are strong growers that can be trimmed to keep in shape as long as you don’t sacrifice the flowers.
Other veggies suitable for hanging baskets are lettuce (provide more shade) spring onions, and herbs like parsley and rocket.
Where there is a little more space, introduce colourful veggies like baby red cabbage, multicoloured Swiss chard and a border of frilly multicoloured lettuce into flower beds or mixed containers.
Whatever option you explore, remember that vegetables need at least five to six hours of sun per day although lettuce can get away with less. Also remember that shallow containers in various forms dry out quicker and will need daily watering. Even good quality potting soil does not contain enough nutrients for vegetables that have high nutrient requirements. Supplement with a liquid fertiliser like Margaret Roberts Organic Supercharger that contains macro and micronutrients. Use at half strength once a week.
Sowing tip
Start seed in seed trays and transplant when the seedling have two true leaves. Thin out when the plants can be handled, keeping the strongest seeding. The other seedlings can be transplanted or used as a garnish for salads.
Best veggies for small spaces
Baby salad leaves: ‘Gourmet Salad Blend’ (RAW) that contains five loose leaf varieties. ‘Mesclun Mix’ and ‘Spicy Mesclun Mix’ are blends of lettuce and herbs in. The secret is to keep the soil consistently moist during germination and while they are growing.
Leafy greens: Kirchhoffs baby spinach is good for baby leaf salads. Harvest early by snipping leaves with scissors. Although plants will grow again it is easier to sow in succession to ensure a constant crop.
Brassicas: Baby cabbages are better to grow in containers than the large varieties. Another plus is that baby cabbages can be used up quickly so they are always crunchy and sweet. Some varieties to try are Baby Red and Baby Green from Kirchhoffs.
Root veggies: ‘Carrots Parisienne’ are sweet and round, ideal for lunch boxes. They grow faster than normal carrots because of their shallow root system. Grow beetroot ‘Detroit’ as a baby beet.
Edible flowers: nasturtiums, violas, and pansies.
www.kirchhoffs.co.za or www.rawliving.co.za
Written by Alice Spenser-Higgs
