Pot It, Grow It, Eat It

Kathryn Hawkins

• Publisher: IMM Lifestyle Books
• Year: 2016
• ISBN:
  9781607653707
• Topic: Biological Sciences
• Subtopic: Horticulture
• Index: Biological Sciences

What could be more satisfying than growing your own fruit and vegetables and then eating them, freshly picked? There's no need to have lots of land: it can be done anywhere—in windowsill containers, balconies, and small backyards. This combination growing guide and cookbook explains how anyone, anywhere can go straight from pot to pan. It offers:

- A how-to of cultivation: tools and materials, containers, and siting

- An illustrated A–Z vegetable, herb and fruit directory, with each entry listing planting, siting, maintenance and harvesting details, plus storing and freezing instructions

- A cookbook chapter, with 25 fresh, simple recipes for appetizers, entrees, and desserts

This is the perfect book for a holistic, healthy lifestyle!

Vegetable, herb and fruit directory

Over the following pages I’ve concentrated on the most popular and rewarding crops to grow in containers. I hope you enjoy planning your space.

VEGETABLES

Alliums

Roots

Leaves (or greens)

Peas and beans (legumes)

Fruits and shoots

HERBS AND SALAD VEGETABLES

Herbs and edible flowers

Roots

Leaves (or greens)

Fruits and shoots

FRUIT

Orchard fruit

Soft fruit

Stem fruit

Citrus fruit

Garlic

(Allium sativum)

Garlic has been used as a unique flavouring for centuries, especially in Mediterranean countries. It makes an ideal crop for container gardening because a little goes a long way. Life in the kitchen without garlic would be very dull; it is the key flavouring to many dishes. There’s a great variety to choose from: mild and sweet tasting to strong and powerful, small to gigantic-sized bulbs, and white, pink and purple varieties too. Garlic can be eaten fresh (green) or it can be dried and stored for several weeks. Another reason to grow garlic is that its distinct aroma is said to ward off many pests, so growing it will act as a natural deterrent for other crops. Buy ‘seed’ garlic from a nursery or garden centre and not the greengrocer’s to insure it is disease-free and suited to your growing climate.

Planting and siting

■ In early spring, choose bulbs with plump cloves. Strip the papery skin from the bulb and split up into cloves. Discard any small cloves.

■ Using a dibber or trowel, make shallow holes about 2.5 cm (1 in) deep and 10 cm (4 in) apart in the container for each clove.

■ Plant the cloves, flat base-side down, and just cover with compost to the tip of the clove.

■ Place the container in a sunny position.

■ As the bulbs develop, tie the leaves together with string if they start to bend and droop untidily.

Maintenance

■ Keep the container well weeded.

■ Water during dry spells.

Possible problems

Garlic is usually trouble-free, but can attract general fungal or viral diseases of the Allium family (see pages 18–9).

Harvesting, storing and freezing

Lift garlic when the foliage turns yellow and starts to die down in late summer – leaving it too long will result in the bulbs drying out. Ease the bulbs from the container by carefully digging round them with a small garden hand fork to avoid damage. For drying, dry the bulbs thoroughly in the sun, preferably covered with straw or garden fleece – a sunny window ledge is ideal. When dry, remove any compost and long roots. Either plait the dried leaves together in bunches, or if you prefer to remove the leaves, put the bulbs in net bags or in trays and discard the leaves. Store in a cool, dry place (the kitchen will be too warm and damp). Stored correctly, dried garlic will keep for several months. Put aside a few good-quality bulbs for replanting the next year. Otherwise, enjoy a milder garlic taste and use it whilst it’s still fresh and green.

The flavour of garlic deteriorates with prolonged freezing, so it is best used fresh. If you do freeze a garlicky dish, make sure it is well-wrapped to avoid flavour transfer between food items.

Quick potted guide

CONTAINER Suitable for large containers with a minimum depth of 20 cm (8 in).

PLANT From specially prepared ‘cloves’ in late February to early spring.

POSITION Sunny position.

SOIL Light, non-acid compost.

HARVEST Late summer.

PRODUCE USED ON PAGES 106–137

Leek

(Allium porrum)

Like other members of the Allium family, leeks have been a popular vegetable for hundreds of years, especially in winter months when other home-grown vegetables are scarce. They are an easy-to-grow, robust crop with hardy varieties for winter and early types for late summer, the latter being tall and slim, whilst hardy leek varieties are usually more stocky in size or have bluer-green foliage; there are also mid-season varieties available. Leeks require a long growing season in order to enable them to mature sufficiently, yet young, pencil-slim leeks can be enjoyed as a delicious late spring vegetable in their own right if space is more restricted. Leeks can be raised from seed or from ready-grown seedlings.

Quick potted guide

CONTAINER Suitable for all containers with a minimum depth of 18 cm (6 in).

PLANT From seed in early to mid spring. Buy seedlings for plan...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Title
• Copyright
• Introduction
• Practicalities of container gardening
• Getting started
• Vegetable, herb and fruit directory
• Recipes
• Useful addresses, bibliography and acknowledgements
• Index