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    About Maman

    Maman has been a member since May 21st 2010, and has created 48 posts from scratch.

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    This Author's Website is http://vegetablesincontainers.com

    Maman's Recent Articles

    Sprouting Salads

    published Tuesday, October 11th, 2011 at 6:14 pm by

    One of the delights of cooking is the ability to add your own homegrown ingredients. Nothing more so if you think you need green fingers! Growing seeds for eating and being able to harvest them with in a few weeks is within the grasp of anyone with a windowsill! The modern need for fresh eating has made this possible.

    Watercress is one of the easy grown herbs or salad plants that can be grown this way. We pick this from a nearby flowing stream if the livestock have not beaten us to it! It grows very quickly and easily and in the wrong place a weed. The peppery flavours of the leaves are particularly nice in sandwiches. Watercress is a relative of the cabbage or Brassica family with genetic links to radish and mustard. While the cress we pick grows big, in some cases over a
    metre in length, we never pick it if its flowering as the taste is too bitter.
    The beauty of growing your own on a windowsill is any one can do it, seeds will grow in pots that just stand in water. Cut it at the size you want. Watercress is reputed to have many benefits including anti cancer properties, as well as containing calcium, iodine, and folic acid so it is well worth including in the daily diet if possible.

    Mustard is another salad leaf growing quickly and easily at any time of the year. Mustard has been around for thousands of years and is mentioned in the Bible.  Grow mustard seeds in a seed raising mix. Spread the seed out and cover with the soil mix and water gently. Keep seeds moist and the seedlings will normally appear within a week depending on conditions and warmth, earlier or later. They can be cut at any size but leaving the seedlings to
    grow for three or four weeks until they reach 10-15 cm high, will provide a better return for your efforts and bigger sandwiches! Sow mustard seeds
    successively at two to three week intervals so you have an ongoing supply.

    Rocket lettuce or herbs are another quickly grown green. Like both Mustard and Watercress has a peppery taste. It is best to eat just at few weeks from sowing as it grows so fast the leaves take on a bitter taste if they are left to grow old. Grow it quickly with plenty of water, and sow successively for a continuing supply.

    Watercress

    Watercress

    Enjoy your homegrown greens, they are worth it!

     

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    Growing Eggplants or Aubergines in Containers

    published Thursday, August 25th, 2011 at 10:37 am by
    Varieties of eggplants

    Varieties of eggplants

    Eggplants or aubergines as they are called are becoming  better known in the western world. Other names they are known by are eggfruit,  brinjal and guinea squash. Eggplants originate from the Middle East  and Asia, and are instantly recognizable by their shiny  purple skins.  Eggplants are from the  same family as the tomato and potato, as the scientific name of Solanum  melongena esculentum suggests. There are many varieties, coming loosely under  three types. The multi colored, small and the familiar egg shaped fruit. The  purple/deep red color predominates; the multicolored variety has shades of  cream through to pink.

    Growing eggplants from seed starts a few weeks before spring  arrives. Choose a variety that suits your situation, whether it is an early variety  or a main crop. The eggplants require a long warm growing season so a head  start in growing seedlings is necessary. Allow at least 14-16 weeks. The fruit  itself takes anywhere from 60-80 days to mature. Where you are in the world obviously dictates when your best  sowing dates are. Grow the seeds in trays or punnets until the seeds reach 3-4  inches in height. When transplanting them into their final position handle  carefully, avoid holding them by their stems.

    Plant the seedlingsor seedling  into a container at least 40 cm in width with reasonable depth.  The height the plants grow is dependent on  the variety used, with the taller varieties needing to be staked and protection  from the wind.

    The plants will need  manure or compost added to their pot. Do not overdo the manure as you may end  up with lots of leaves! Grow them in a sunny open area on a deck or patio where  you can water them frequently and notice their overall health. Feed your plants with a water-based fertilizer according to
    the instructions of the brand you are using. This can vary from fortnightly to  monthly, this is important from flowering onward and during the fruiting
    season.

    You may prefer to limit the number of fruit of your plant,  to maintain quality fruit but that is a personal preference. Once the fruit has  reached maturity usually in the late summer, the skins will be well colored and  shiny. This is the premium time to harvest, because once the skin starts  wrinkling, the fruit is past its best for eating. Always use secateurs for  cutting your fruit off the plants, as pulling them can damage the plant. It is  very frustrating when you do it and it breaks the plant completely! Experience is a good teacher!

    As they belong to the tomato family, eggplants are  susceptible to fruit fly infestations. There are sprays available to limit the  damage they cause, applied weekly the chemicals break down and are non-harmful  if you time your harvesting accordingly. Another is verticillium wilt;  unfortunately, the only cure for this fungal disease is removal. Do not use the  same pot or garden bed again for growing aubergines.

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    Hot Choices! Capsicum or Chillies

    published Tuesday, July 19th, 2011 at 11:07 am by
    Capsicums and Chillies

    Capsicums and Chillies

    Capsicums and Chillies are the well-known peppers. The difference is that some are sweet peppers, the other hot peppers! Some of the small hot peppers can easily be grown in containers as houseplants, the fruit taking the starring role instead of flowers. They are a heat loving plant and grow well in warm climates or cooler places in a heated environment like a glasshouse or sunny conservatory.

    Growing capsicum or Chillies is easy from seed. Choose the seeds that you require whether it is the sweet or hot peppers. The seeds chosen will respond in the same way. The windows of opportunity for growing the seeds is a small one and to get the best results, start growing your seedlings a month or six weeks before they are planted in their final place whether in a container or garden. Depending on your family’s requirements, four to six plants will supply enough peppers for an ordinary family. Capsicum plants are also available from nurseries if you cannot be bothered with growing from seeds. Just make sure they are healthy and not root bound. Once seedlings reach
    about four inches in height, transplant them into to bigger pots for growing on. Plants have a reasonably deep root system, so they need regular and good watering.

    Capsicums like most plants benefit from manure or compost worked into the soil or mix. Plant in a 35-40 cm diameter container or pot for growing on a patio or deck. Do not overdo the nitrogen-based fertilizer initially as all you will get are leaves and green growth. Once flowering and fruiting appear then is the time to sprinkle some
    high nitrogen general fertilizer around the plant. Peppers are really nice plants to have on display. Capsicum that you have planted in the spring will start to bear fruit in mid summer and continue having fruit until the onset of the colder weather.

    Peppers can be picked at any time you consider they are big enough or suitable for your purposes. When you have just a few plants, cut the fruit from the plant as pulling them may break the branches. Like beans, the more you pick them the higher the fruit production will be. The common bell shaped varieties can be left on the plant until they change color be it yellow or even longer red. Pick the Chillies once they reach 7-10 cm long. Pick these when they are young for the freshest taste, but if you choose, leave them to shrivel up and then grind for use as an ingredient for spicy cooking!

    If you have a creative side, make ornamental decorations of the peppers by threading on a string or displaying them. Capsicums are usually trouble free and easy to grow; we used to grow acres of them! The things that are likely to affect them are mostly of the insect variety. Amongst them are aphids, white fly, caterpillars and the green
    vegetable bug. Sprays suitable for the purpose control these, most of the sprays used do not have a long withholding period so the fruit can be eaten safely if you
    know how long the required time is.

    Capsicums can be frozen quickly from fresh with out prior preparation, apart from removing the seeds. This is fine for using as a casserole or added to soups. Done like this the pepper is not suitable for use as fresh in a salad.

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    Container Grown Beans are Easy!

    published Wednesday, July 13th, 2011 at 9:27 am by
    Beans

    Beans

    Beans are wonderful vegetables to have in the garden or grow bags if you choose. Easy to grow given the right conditions to grow as vegetables do.  There are four types of
    beans to choose from that will benefit your garden whether it be large or small. Beans are wonderfully easy to freeze, and as they are usually prolific providers,
    there is always more than enough and some left over for family meals.

    The four types are   Runner beans.

    These are easy to grow and do well climbing up a support for that purpose. Ideal for the smaller garden they take up very little space and are easily grown in containers. Plant the runner beans in full sun with some shelter from winds.  These beans are perennial which means after they have produced their beans in the summer they
    will die back but regrow in the next season.

    Broad beans.

    Can handle the colder weather, and grow easily in most garden soils especially if it is sunny. These beans grow to about a metre tall and may need staking to assist them to remain upright. This depends on the variety of course, as they do vary in height. Plant these beans once the summer varieties are finished and there is space in the garden.

    Dwarf French beans

    These little guys grow into small bushes and can be superb croppers depending again on the variety planted. French beans are usually stringless and taste good. Give them a well manured/fertilized soil in their container or box and a sunny spot in the garden, and you will be well rewarded.

    Climbing French beans

    These bean flowers set with out the presence of bees for pollination. In addition, it makes the appearance of beans more reliable than those of the Scarlet runners do. Great for flavour these beans continue producing after the dwarf beans have finished.

    All beans need the same soil preparation in order to produce well. They grow better on well-drained soils and containers with good drainage.They appreciate compost and fertilizer. Mulching over the hot weather, avoiding the stems, will help preserve the moisture and encourage continuing growth.

    As I mentioned previously, protect beans from winds because strong winds can seriously spoil them. Dwarf beans are generally ready to pick six or eight weeks after sowing the seed, where the climbers may take up to ten or twelve weeks.

    Grow climbing beans on a trellis, or wall that you have attached some wire or string. This allows the beans to have support while they are climbing.  A wigwam arrangement is  successful where several tall bamboo stakes or poles are tied in such a manner to look like a teepee or wigwam. Planting two or three seeds at the base of the stakes allows the beans to climb with support. This is an ideal arrangement for climbing beans grown in containers.

    Harvesting of your beans should take place every day as frequent picking encourages more beans from the plant. Freeze those that are not required by slicing, blanching in boiling water for a couple of minutes and quickly chilling down. Lay on flat trays to freeze quickly. Laying them out on trays enables them to be free flowing once bagged.Don’t leave them after they are frozen on the trays because they will get burnt by the freezer and spoil .You then take what you need when you need some home grown vegetables over the winter months.

     

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    Silver Beet aka Chard

    published Saturday, June 11th, 2011 at 10:35 am by
    Silver beet growing in big drums

    Silver beet growing in big drums

    Its name is immaterial, called silver beet here or chard there, this vegetable remains one of nature’s nutrient rich products.  A member of the beetroot family its scientific name is beta vulgaris cicla. This plant is sometimes confused with spinach but the leaves are much larger than spinach although both can be picked over a period of time if they are grown quickly.

    These are the ideal fresh vegetable to grow in pots and containers. The plants are fast growing and like lettuce are best eaten while the leaves are young and tender. The leaves are removed from the outside of the plant to allow the new leaves to grow on in the centre of the plant thus giving a continual supply of tasty, fresh and nutritious food. Siler beet is a good source of iron so an invaluable food to have on your table. It saves you money as well being able to pick your own vegetable from a pot on your balcony or deck.

    Temperature wise silver beet grows in most climates, in warmer areas the seed can be sown all year, but in the springtime for colder areas. The easiest way of growing chard is filling your container, preferably, a large well drained one with your multi purpose potting mix and planting your seed directly in the pot. The silver beet plants have a long taproot so a reasonably deep container is required.

    If you have a source of different varieties or seed packets that come with mixed varieties, use them. It gives your containers a decorative edge while the plants grow. There are white and red stemmed plants. Plant more seeds than you will need, the seedlings appear in ten to fourteen days.

    After a few weeks, you will notice which are the strongest plants, and time to thin out the weak ones. The seedlings are usually about 10 cms after this time so the small and weak plants will be obvious.  Feed them well with either liquid feeds or
    side dressings of granulated fertilizer that have an increased nitrogen
    component. Access to chicken manure also works well for silver beet but is too
    strong for using in pots. Silver beet requires little attention so bugs and
    diseases are not usually a problem. You will of course, still have to wash
    carefully before preparing for cooking because the small slugs get hidden in
    the crinkles of the leaves.

    Preparing silver beet or chard for meals requires a good washing under a tap, or soaking in a salt solution for half an hour to rid it of any small bugs.  Lightly cook in a small amount of water for a few minutes or alternatively steam until cooked
    then cover with butter.  Butter is not the right thing these days with obesity becoming a problem but it tastes good!  Another way if you like garlic, gently fry the chard with crushed garlic in a little oil, I use olive oil, until it is cooked.
    Whichever way you choose to eat it, silver beet or chard is very good for you
    and your family.

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