New potatoes, tomatoes, aubergines, courgettes, peppers and chillies all are ready to harvest in summer.
Don’t compare your crop of peppers to those you find in shops. Their uniform shape and unblemished appearance reflect the unnatural conditions in which they are grown. Your organic, slightly small, possibly misshapen peppers are probably more ‘natural’ than any peppers you can buy. Peppers are adaptable plants and thrive in the most unusual containers as long as they have enough rich compost and plenty of moisture. Place peppers indoors on a sunny windowsill if the weather is unfriendly, but remember to keep them well watered and fed.
It is possible to grow a whole year’s supply of fiery chillies from just a few plants. They can be eaten fresh or strung together and hung up to dry above the stove or in the sun for later use. As a long season from sowing to harvest is necessary to allow them to ripen fully, I recommend buying young plants of named varieties – these will have been started off by a professional grower early in the year in optimum conditions. Like peppers, chillies need heat and humidity, and benefit from a fine-mist water spray morning and evening. Bring them inside when the nights get cold.
Courgettes are also easy to grow. They need good rich compost and plenty of space. There are several varieties of courgette, from dark green to pale green striped; there are even golden courgettes (slightly less productive than other varieties) and curious round ones. Pick them young to encourage the plant to continue producing. The large golden flowers are a delicacy in Italian cooking, but pick them only after the tiny courgette is visible behind (which means that the flower has been pollinated). One option at the end of the season is to allow a couple of courgettes to remain longer on the plant and grow into marrows. These are not as sweet as young courgettes but can be very good when stuffed, and economical too – a single stuffed marrow will feed a whole family.
Is there any reason for growing your own when potatoes are so readily available and cheap? It’s not that you can’t buy organic potatoes, nor that you can’t find the variety you want. It is for the pure pleasure of the experience – the satisfying process that begins with the early chitting of the seed potatoes and moves on to the planting in rich compost, the earthing up, the anticipation of the harvest. If you cook them within minutes of the harvest, you will be in no doubt about the value of the exercise. Shop-bought potatoes taste utterly different from those that are sweet, fresh, organic and home grown.
Not much space is required to grow a few potatoes since they are easy to cultivate in all sorts of containers. Builders’ sand bags or plastic dustbins are commonly used. This project uses purpose-made woven polypropylene sacks; the loose style of weave provides good drainage. Potatoes are packed for transport in sacks made from a lighter version of the same material – you could ask your local greengrocer to save some for you.
you will need
polypropylene potato-growing sack or similar
seed potatoes: Charlotte second earlies and Pink Fir Apple maincrop
good mixed compost combined with some well-rotted manure
egg boxes or tray
Potato varieties
Potatoes are from the same family as aubergines and tomatoes, as is obvious from the similarities between the plants’ flowers. There are hundreds of varieties of potato to choose from, so consult a seed catalogue to see which tastes and textures appeal to you. A potato variety will often be described as ‘floury’ or ‘waxy’ – I think the waxy types are superior and more adaptable in the kitchen.
Potatoes are divided into three types: first earlies, second earlies and maincrops. First and second earlies are also called new potatoes; they are small and sweet and have thin skins that can be rubbed off. First earlies are planted in mid spring for cropping in early summer and midsummer. Second earlies are planted about a month later for cropping from mid to late summer. Both these types can be harvested when the plants flower. Leaving the plants in the soil a little longer means that you will harvest bigger potatoes.
Maincrops are planted up to a month later than second earlies. These are the big potatoes that store well and are eaten through the winter. They are harvested in autumn after the stems (known as haulm) have died down.
Potatoes grow happily in big plastic woven sacks and produce huge numbers of leaves. These help to keep the compost weed free and moist, encouraging a bigger crop of potatoes.
1 Lay the seed potatoes in the egg boxes or tray and place in a cool, light and frost-free place to encourage the tubers to chit, or sprout. They are ready when the sprouts are short and dark green or purple, which usually takes about four to six weeks. A shortage of light will result in weak, etiolated shoots, which will affect the growth of the potato plant. Chitting gives the potatoes a head start and helps to produce a larger harvest.
2 Roll down the sides of the sack so that you can easily reach the base. Add compost to a height of about 10–15cm (4–6in) above the base. Choose five or six seed potatoes and from each rub off all but two or three sprouts at one end. Place the potatoes, sprouted end up, on top of the compost.
3 Bury the seed potatoes 15cm (6in) deep under more compost and wait for the sprouts to grow and break through the earth. This could take a couple of weeks – or longer, if the weather is very cold.
4 As the plant grows and the leaves emerge, cover them again. This is called earthing up – it is partly a precaution against frost for early planted varieties and partly to encourage lots of tubers to form along the stems, giving a bigger crop. As the crop grows, continue earthing up, unrolling the sack as necessary. In dry periods make sure you give the plants plenty of water.
5 When the Charlottes begin to flower, you know it won’t be long before you can harvest them.
6 Dig out a sample potato to see what size they have reached, and leave the rest a little longer if you want larger tubers. Either tip out the compost and potato crop from the sack or dig out a few as required. The Pink Fir Apples are a maincrop variety, which should be harvested when the foliage dies back.
chitting
Chitting means leaving seed potatoes in a cool, light place to encourage sprouting. Chitted potatoes produce a quicker, heavier crop – in effect, it means that the early part of the growing process is speeded up. Put the seed potatoes in egg boxes and place them in a porch or on a windowsill in a cool room. During the next few weeks, stout green or purple shoots will appear at the top of each potato. Only three or four of these are needed, so you can rub off the rest at the time of planting.
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Potatoes need regular watering to produce healthy tubers. Plant them in a rich soil, mixing some well-rotted manure into the planting compost.
Potato blight, which is a serious disease, can be largely avoided by growing the early varieties. If the leaves look burnt, to avoid damage to the tubers, cut off the top growth The tubers can then be dug up normally.
To preserve optimum flavour, harvest your early potatoes minutes before you are ready to cook them.
Vine tomatoes, also known as cordon tomatoes, need a deep spacious container, especially if you grow more than one variety together. A rich, well-balanced compost is essential. To ensure a healthy crop, when the fruits mature give the plants a weekly liquid feed; an organic tomato or seaweed feed is ideal.
Pinch out the side shoots as they appear between the stem and the leaves. Allow about five sets of flowers, then pinch out the growing tip, known as the leader. This stops the tomato plant growing taller and producing more flowers, and ensures that all the plant’s energy goes into ripening the fruit.
Tomatoes are easy to grow from seed, and make a great plant for novice gardeners to try. Start them off early in the year in small pots sited in a warm place to encourage growth, then transfer the seedlings into larger pots so that the young plants can become sturdy enough to grow outside when all risk of frost has passed. It is important to get them going early so that you have a long cropping season during the warmest weather.
The large blue plastic trug with rope handles used here is just the sort of container that’s discarded every day in skips and town dumps. Trugs of this kind are common on building sites, so keep your eyes open – you never know where you might come across containers that have great potential for your garden.
you will need
large plastic trug
gravel or crocks for drainage
three varieties of young tomato plants
mixture of organic peat-free multipurpose compost and a loam-based compost
fresh comfrey leaves (optional)
tray of tagetes (French marigolds)
Tomato varieties
Home-grown tomato plants seem to produce tomatoes that are much more delicious than those on offer in supermarkets – and the fruit has that wonderful just-picked smell. Another great advantage of growing your own is that it allows you to try out wonderful varieties that will never be available commercially. Reading the tomato section of a seed catalogue is a mouthwatering experience and it can be hard to narrow down the list of varieties that interest you.
The appearance of the mature fruit may be a factor in your choice. Tomato colours range from deep orange to vermilion to clear yellow. Some varieties have stripes or blushes. There is also a pretty pink variety as well as a number of curious black versions.
Even more fascinating is the choice of shapes, from the huge beefsteak to the tiny cherry tomato. The elegant plum tomato, commonly used in Italian sauces, is particularly rewarding to grow.
Growing tagetes underneath tomatoes is a well-tried and effective form of companion planting. The pungent smell of tagetes repels aphids, so organic gardeners plant them all around the vegetable beds. The vibrant orange of the flower heads makes a striking partner for the tomato trusses above.
The worst enemy of the tomato is blight, which is a nasty disease that the tomato shares with its close relative the potato.
Blight is particularly prevalent during damp, humid summers. Plants that have been infected look as if their leaves have been burnt, while the fruits have blackened areas and become inedible.
The best way to avoid blight is to grow your plants under cover. This may not always be possible, but growing tomatoes in a container, away from other blight-affected plants, will help. In order to prevent an attack, you can try spraying plants with a copper fungicide (Bordeaux mixture).
Planting vividly coloured tagetes at the base of the tomato plants makes an exotic display as well as protecting the tomatoes against an unwelcome aphid attack.
1 Make a series of drainage holes in the base of the trug. Add a layer of gravel or crocks and fill the trug with the mixed compost.
2 Add the young tomato plants, spacing them evenly in the compost. Take care not to damage their roots when removing them from pots.
3 Leave the plant labels beside the plants so that you can identify your crop later on and compare its taste with other tomatoes.
4 Plant the tagetes all around the tomatoes. As the tomatoes grow tall, the tagetes will bush out and remain low, covering the compost. Cordon or vine tomatoes need staking. Use sturdy canes pushed into the compost beside the plant. Tie the stems to the canes regularly as they grow.
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As the tomato fruits begin to ripen, remove a few of the lower leaves to allow the sun to reach the fruits, which will encourage the ripening process.
Bush tomatoes in a wire basket
Tomatoes, although strictly fruit, are probably the most popular ‘vegetables’ to grow and, as is evident from any seed catalogue, there is an unbelievable variety to choose from.
Tomatoes come in three different types: the bush, the cordon (or vine) and the tumbler. The bush is probably the easiest to grow because it doesn’t need pinching out or pruning. The cordon tomato, which produces the heaviest crop, will grow and grow until you pinch out the top shoot; it needs tying in to a sturdy stake and should have all the side shoots removed (see page 82). The tumbler is small, bushy and ideal for growing in pots, particularly in hanging baskets (see page 88).
Window boxes or troughs are good for the more compact varieties of tomato; larger pots or trugs are suitable for the vine types; and the bush tomato will thrive in a variety of containers, including, as shown here, an old wire basket. Wire containers must be lined to conserve moisture. In this case, the lining consists of a roll of pressed felt specially designed for hanging baskets; it has a perforated plastic film on the inside and can be cut to fit any container with an unusual shape.
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Tomatoes need a good rich compost. Use a multipurpose potting compost and add some John Innes No. 3 or a good loam-based growing medium. This aids moisture retention, which is one of the most important requirements when growing any crop in a container of any kind.
The plants also need a good soaking of water every day during hot weather and will benefit from a special tomato feed once a week when the fruit has set.
Most importantly, they need sun; in a cool summer it will be difficult to get all your tomatoes to ripen, but the unripe green ones make the most wonderful chutney.
Plenty of plump tomatoes ripening on the vine makes one of the most magical sights of summer.
The tomato has been planted in an old potato harvesting basket and has been underplanted with some bush basil plants. This is a small-leaved compact basil, often referred to as Greek basil, a perfect and traditional herb to accompany lovely ripe tomatoes.
Tumbling toms in a hanging basket
Tumbling Tom is a small, prolific tomato plant that’s ideal when you don’t have much space. It will grow happily in any sort of container as long as it is planted in a rich compost and fed from the time when the fruits begin to mature. Two or three plants in a window box will give you a heavy crop of sweet cherry tomatoes all summer.
Cherry tomatoes are perhaps the easiest tomatoes to grow. Being compact bushes, they don’t need any pinching out. For tomatoes to thrive outside, they need to be in a warm place – against a sunny wall, for example, where the stone or brick will retain warmth after the sun has disappeared at the end of the day.
If you grow this variety of tomatoes in a hanging basket, you must be vigilant about watering and feeding. It may help to add a small quantity of water-retaining granules to the loam-based compost to ensure that the compost stays moist. In hot weather, water twice a day. Purpose-made hanging baskets of all kinds are available at garden centres. The one used in this project is a vintage wire basket that is extremely decorative. Hang the basket from an old cast-iron bracket, if you can find one.
you will need
wire hanging basket of your choice (plus chain and hanging bracket if necessary)
moss for lining basket
John Innes No. 3 or similar loam-based compost
water-retaining granules
tomato plant (Tumbling Tom, red)
spare bucket (to rest basket in)
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Sow the seed from late winter until early spring in individual pots and cover with compost to exclude the light. If you keep the pots in a warm place, the seeds should germinate in a week. Choose the sturdiest seedling in each pot and discard the rest. Allow it to grow, only putting the young plant outside to harden off when the weather warms up. Bring the plants in at night until early summer, when you can plant them in their permanent growing positions without fear of frost.
Tomatoes like an even temperature, and cold nights make their leaves curl. In fact, the leaves of all outdoor-grown tomatoes can look a bit sorry for themselves as the season develops. Rain, wind and variations in temperature all take their toll. Luckily, the tomato fruits are usually unaffected. You will notice that the hotter the weather the sweeter the fruit.
Little cherry tomatoes are a real treat to eat straight from the plant.
Even one small plant grown in a hanging basket or window box will provide you with a respectable crop of tomatoes during the summer.
1 Line the hanging basket with the moss, creating a thick, even layer around the sides and base, and filling any gaps.
2 Rest the lined basket in the spare bucket. Put some compost in the base and add a small amount of water-retaining granules (follow the manufacturer’s instructions).
3 Fill the basket to the top with compost and make a hole in the centre large enough to take the tomato plant.
4 Place the tomato plant in the hole and secure it by firming it in with your fingers. Water well.
Fruit-producing plants such as tomatoes need a high-potash feed, that is one containing potassium, to encourage the plant’s development and stamina. Specially formulated organic feeds are available, but you may like to make your own comfrey liquid if you have access to comfrey plants (see page 16). Comfrey is rich in minerals, and particularly high in potash.
Fill a suitable container, such as a rubber bucket, as here, or an old enamel bucket, with freshly cut comfrey leaves – pack them in tightly, cover with water and weight them down with a large stone, or something similar. Cover the bucket and stand it in a shady out of the way place. The reason for this is that the smell is truly awful.
After three or so weeks, decant the liquid into plastic milk bottles. (This is a really good way to reuse plastic bottles.) Be careful to label them clearly.
When you come to use the liquid, first dilute it 1-to-5 in water. Once the flowers have set on your tomato plants, give them a good feed of this liquid every week.
Freshly cut comfrey leaves make a brilliant mulch around the base of tomato plants. You could even chop some up and mix into the planting compost.
Aubergines have amazing purple black fruits with skin as shiny as a mirror. The downy stem and leaves are unlike any other plant, although they are related to the tomato family. The plants may appear to be soft all over but take care when handling because there are some rather sharp spines, especially on the calyx at the top of the ripening fruit.
Aubergines need a warm summer to thrive and, although varieties have been bred to suit a northerly climate, the plants do not appreciate great fluctuations in temperature. Cold nights are not helpful. If you grow aubergines in a container, place it against a warm wall or similar outside space. The heat absorbed from the sun during the day will radiate at night, helping to create good aubergine-growing conditions. The tub used in this project is made from recycled tyres.
If the plant grows well, it may need staking to prevent wind damage, especially if it is bearing several heavy fruits. If the flowers don’t set fruit – which sometimes happens – it is usually because the weather is too cold and there are too few pollinating insects. One way to alleviate this problem is to spread the pollen from flower to flower with a small paintbrush. You can tell if pollination has been successful because a tiny swelling, which will eventually become the fruit, appears in the centre of the flower.
you will need
recycled rubber bucket
craft knife
multi-purpose compost mixed with loam-based compost and a couple of handfuls of wellrotted manure
young aubergine plant
6 tagete plants
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Underplanting with tagetes, or French marigolds, helps to deter aphids and keeps the aubergine plants healthy. The tagete flowers will not discourage slugs, however.
I recommend buying in young plants – a nursery will have started them early in the year in large heated greenhouses. It is becoming much easier to buy healthy organic plants for very reasonable prices.
Exquisite lilac flowers, which are particularly inviting to bees, precede the distinctive, deep purple fruit.
You can’t help feeling proud when your aubergine plant produces a beautiful dark shiny fruit. The rubber tub makes a deep and roomy container for this lovely vegetable.
A bright green can, which once contained olives, makes a useful and unusual container for this beautiful aubergine plant. I didn’t even have to cut away the top since it had a large circular lid that, when removed, left a perfect planting hole. Although they appear to be soft all over, take care when handling aubergine plants because there are some rather sharp spines, especially on the calyx at the top of the ripening fruit.
1 Cut some drainage holes in the tub base. It is simplest to cut a triangle with each side 1cm (½in) long. Fill the tub with the mixed compost to within 2cm (1in) of the rim.
2 Make a hole in the centre. Remove the aubergine plant from its pot and place in the hole. Firm the compost gently around the plant.
3 Plant the tagetes equidistantly around the aubergine. To make the tagetes bushier, pinch out the central growing tip – this will encourage the plant to produce more sideshoots with more potential for flowers. As the aubergine grows, add a stake and tie the stem to it with garden twine at regular intervals.
The skin of a ripe aubergine is tight and shiny – like a curved mirror, it reflects the dazzling orange flowers of the companion tagetes.
Chillies can be really prolific plants and it is quite possible to grow enough to last you all year. You can use some of the fresh chillies as they ripen and then dry the remainder for storage and use throughout the winter – simply lay them out on a tray covered with a clean cloth and leave in a warm place to dessicate slowly. Alternatively, thread them together in bunches on a long piece of string and hang them in a warm, dry place.
Chillies will thrive in warm weather outside but they generally prefer quite humid conditions. When growing chillies inside on a sunny windowsill, keep them damp by watering with a fine spray. If the plants or soil dry out, they are liable to drop their buds.
These colourful and exotic plants deserve to be grown in equally decorative containers. Empty olive-oil cans printed with interesting text and images are ideal. You can ask your local restaurant or health-food store to save them for you – in this way, you could build up quite a collection, enough to contain a whole family of assorted chilli plants. These metal planters will last for a few years outside before rust penetrates and they begin to fall apart.
you will need
olive-oil can
can opener
hammer
thick, long nail
terracotta crocks or gravel
multipurpose compost mixed with loam-based compost
young chili plant
Chillies grow quite happily in containers. A number of different cans with a few varieties of chilli makes a decorative display – and these plants are a useful crop to grow. Dry your chillies at the end of the season when they are ripe and you will have enough to last until the next growing season.
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The seeds germinate rapidly and can be sown in early spring inside. Sow in small pots and prick out the seedlings, leaving the strongest one in each pot. When the weather warms up, transfer the young plant into your chosen container. Use a rich compost and, as the small chillies start to form, feed with a high-potash liquid feed.
If you don’t have time to grow chillies from seed, it is easy to find named varieties in a good plant nursery. They will be raised and sold alongside their close relatives, peppers, tomatoes and aubergines.
Only you will know how hot you like your chillies – some are sweet and only slightly fiery, while others are unbearably hot. Seed catalogues indicate the intensity of different varieties, and young commercially grown plants will often be labelled with the level of heat.
I recommend growing a variety of types of chilli, from mild to hot, and a variety of shapes and colours, from red, green and yellow to the more unusual black.
1 Remove the top of the can using a can opener. Smooth any sharp burrs on the metal rim by banging a hammer around the rim. Make four holes in the base with the nail.
2 Turn the can the right way up and put a 5cm (2in) layer of broken crocks or gravel in the base. This will encourage good drainage.
3 Fill the can to the rim with the mixed compost. Shake it down and then add some more. Break up any large lumps of compost.
4 Make a hollow in the compost. Tap the chilli plant out of its pot and plant in the can. Firm in the plant with your hands. Water well.
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As the plant grows, you may need to use a small stake to support it because the chillies can become quite heavy. If you keep picking the chillies, the plant will continue to produce more. To prolong the harvest, bring the plant inside at the end of the summer.
These fiery red chillies have been planted in a small galvanized bucket. They are ripe when the skin begins to wrinkle slightly; pick and use immediately, or dry and store for future use.
Red and yellow peppers in a plastic basket
I love the intense colours and intricate patterns of woven plastic baskets. They are also very light and extremely durable – both desirable qualities in a planter – and many have handles, making them easy to move around.
This basket is lined with a green refuse sack; the top of the sack is rolled down and hidden behind the rim of the basket after the compost has been added. Don’t forget to cut a few slits in the base of the sack and add a few crocks of broken polystyrene to promote good drainage.
It is advisable to buy in peppers as young plants. To raise them from seed, you need to sow very early in order for the plants to be advanced enough to grow and ripen during the summer. The hotter the temperature the quicker the peppers will mature, of course. In a cool summer, you could grow this plant on a sunny windowsill to make the most of the heat of the sun.
Peppers come in many shapes, colours and sizes. Don’t be surprised if yours don’t look like the ones you can buy. Shop-bought peppers are always grown in controlled conditions with little fluctuation in temperature, and any misshapen fruit will be discarded rather than being put on sale.
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As with most container-grown produce, peppers should be watered often and, especially during hot weather, in the evening. This deters the roots from rising to find the water and getting scorched near the heated surface of the compost. Give a weekly liquid feed once the fruit has matured.
Pick the fruit as the colour deepens, as this will encourage more peppers to form
A couple of pepper plants will thrive in this colourful woven bicycle basket. They need a warm summer and moist conditions.
Courgettes in a galvanized bath
Vintage galvanized domestic and agricultural items, such as baths, buckets, trays, watering cans and grain bins, are becoming sought after as practical planters. There is something about the gentle grey of the metal and the pleasing shapes and proportions of these objects that makes them ideal containers for plants. They are lightweight and good at retaining moisture – none evaporates through the non-porous sides.
Courgettes are large, thirsty, hungry plants that need a large container – a bath is an ideal size. They are easy to grow and, given the right conditions, they romp away, creating a virtual jungle of stems and leaves. Courgettes become slightly bitter if they are not eaten immediately after harvest. Pick them often – if they are allowed to grow too large, the plant will be less productive.
If you don’t have enough space to start them inside, you can sow courgettes direct into their permanent position, but wait until late spring. You could make a mini cloche from a plastic water bottle for added protection. Alternatively, buy young plants from a garden centre or nursery or plant sale; many varieties are available and, since you will need only two or three plants, this is a sensible option.
you will need
old galvanized metal bath
hammer and large nail
bucket of gravel (for drainage)
peat-free compost
John Innes No. 3
well-rotted horse manure
bucket of comfrey leaves (if available)
two or three zucchini plants
The beautiful golden flowers of the courgette are edible and delicious. Pick them after the courgette has formed. The flowers are usually dipped in a light batter and fried in olive oil. In Italy they are a delicacy and are often served stuffed with anchovy or mozzarella cheese.
Although a plant carries both male and female flowers, the courgette fruit forms behind female flowers only.
Courgette varieties
There are many varieties of courgette, ranging in colour and shape from golden yellow (a less vigorous plant) to dark shiny green, striped or pale-skinned, and from long to globe-shaped. Grow two or three varieties and see which you like. Start them off in spring under cover or inside. Push the flat seeds down into a seed compost in individual pots – you can sow two seeds together and remove the weaker seedling as they grow.
1 With the bath the right way up and resting on soft ground, make a number of drainage holes evenly in the base with the hammer and nail.
2 Empty the bucket of gravel into the bath and spread evenly across the base. This layer will encourage good drainage.
3 Mix together the two composts in equal quantities and empty into the bath, covering the gravel to a depth of about 10cm (4in).
4 Collect the comfrey leaves and chop them roughly Cover the compost with a thick layer of chopped leaves This will provide a rich nutritional boost to the growing plants as the roots reach down.
5 Fill up the bath to the rim with the mixed composts, this time adding one part well-rotted manure to four parts compost.
6 Sprinkle the blood, fish and bone fertilizer on the surface of the compost. (First read the manufacturer’s instructions and don’t use too much.) Lightly dig it in.
7 Plant the young courgettes equidistantly and firm down the soil around them. Water well. Keep the compost moist and never let the soil dry out.
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If you can’t find fresh comfrey leaves to mix in with the compost, you could feed the courgettes weekly with a diluted tomato or seaweed extract instead.
Courgettes love warm weather and will soon produce a canopy of large leaves on sturdy hollow stems. The leaves shelter the growing vegetables from the direct heat of the sun and reduce evaporation of moisture from the soil.
The vibrantly coloured flowers and strange circular leaves of nasturtiums are edible as well as good-looking. They have a peppery, mustard-like flavour and make a brilliant addition to summer salads. There are many kinds of nasturtium, from compact bushy plants to trailing or climbing versions, and they come in a rich variety of warm colours, from brilliant orange to rich mahogany. Sow the large seeds once and you will have them forever, since they are prodigious self-sowers. They germinate quickly and can be sown until midsummer. Nasturtiums do best in poor soil; too much goodness encourages leaves at the expense of flowers.
Later in the season, you could grow a climbing nasturtium as a partner to a squash or a decorative gourd, allowing it to scramble up and over an arch, obelisk or loose structure of canes or sticks. Don’t plant too many nasturtiums, though, or their vigorous habit will overwhelm everything else.
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Nasturtiums are often grown as companion plants to tomatoes because their pungent smell repels whitefly. They can also be grown as a sacrificial plant around broad beans; the pest blackfly, which can attack the tips of beans, much prefers the buds and leaves of nasturtiums.
The rich vermilion of the bush variety of nasturtiums contrasts well with the chalky-blue painted galvanized mop bucket.
Use the open young flowers and small leaves as a colourful and peppery addition to a fresh summer salad.
