It’s been a while since I last wrote about my efforts to grow some veg without a proper patch, so I thought it was about time for a quick progress update! Some of my veg have been more successful than others, but considering they are all being grown in containers I don’t think I’ve done too badly!
So, here’s how it’s gone so far:
Failures:
Beetroot - I grew them from seed in an old feeding trough and even went to the trouble of sowing them at 2 weekly intervals for a continuous supply. Alas, I had a few beetroot leaves but not a properly formed beetroot to be seen. I think maybe the trough wasn’t drained well enough and was also too shallow. I will definitely try these again when I have a more suitable space for them!
Runner Beans - got these plants from mother-in-law and planted then in another trough. Had a number of flowers and a few beans (about 6 so far I think!), but not exactly a bumper crop! They seem to have been rather hammered by the very wet weather with much of the compost getting washed away during the several torrential downpours we have suffered. There is a very long bean on the plant at the moment (about 10 inches) but I can’t bring myself to pick it – it won’t go far between 5 of us 
Successes:
Tomatoes – a couple of plants from mother-in-law and a couple more from a friend are doing very well and I have some green tomatoes and lots of flowers so hopefully plenty more on the way. Two are in the same trough as the beans but don’t seem to have had the same problems with the weather, and the other 2 are in a big pot (should have put them in 1 pot each as they are a bit crowded!). I may move them shortly so they get more sun and therefore ripen better. I grew several plants from seed but gave them all away so will have to find out how their new owners are getting on with them.
Carrots – planted in a deep pot, they are small but perfectly formed! I was lazy and didn’t bother to thin them out which probably hasn’t helped their size, but we’ve had a couple so far around 10cm! I will probably pull them all up at once with the kids and then we’ll have enough for a meal hopefully!
Butternut Squash – these are my own personal triumph! I planted five seeds and ended up with 4 plants. I gave one away and planted three – one in the middle of a bed and two in the redundant butler sink in the garden which I had prepared by adding manure to the compost. The one in the bed is still alive but is tiny and competitng with so many perennial weeds I’m not surprised it’s struggling! One of the ones in the sink died but the other is really healthy and promising to produce lots of fruit/squash. There are several small ones already, the largest of which is around the size of an orange at the moment. The plant itself is taking up a lot of room but I’m very excited about it as I’ve never grown squash before, and you can store them quite well once they are harvested in the Autumn.
So, I reckon that’s not bad for a container veg patch! The good news is that the redundant ditch in the garden is getting filled in this weekend and then we can start preparations for our proper kitchen garden, so hopefully next year I’ll have a lot more to write about 
Tags: Butternut Squash, Carrots, Container Gardening, Home Grown Organic Vegetables, Kitchen Garden, Runner Beans, Tomatoes
Categories: Kitchen Garden, Living the Country Life, Posts with Photos, Self Sufficiency, Vegetables