Growing your own produce is, without doubt, one of the great pleasures of gardening.

For many people, a window box of kitchen herbs or a potted tomato is their introduction to this great pastime. Today many people are choosing to grow their vegies in pots and tubs for a variety of reasons, such as limited space, renting and concerns about soil quality. And there are distinct advantages to growing in pots and tubs – you have greater control over watering and fertilising, levels of sunlight can be adjusted by simply moving pots around and weeds and pests are much easier to deal with. The container trend has become so much easier due to the brilliant range of products available for the keen potted producer. So come with us as we explore a few of the techniques and products available for today’s home-harvest container gardener.

1. Plant strawberries in a large trough as they appreciate space to spread. If you only have room for pots, they’ll still trail beautifully over the edges.

2. The traditional, large ceramic and terracotta pots can be very heavy. But now there’s a growing selection of pots made from composite materials, including fibreglass and clay blends, that are lightweight, durable and very funky. So you can grow a garden that looks and tastes terrific, without risking your back.

3. Miniature varieties of vegies, like Gold Bullion zucchini, are perfect for potted gardens. You’ll find them in 100mm pots at your local garden centre.

4. Look for vegies that can be ornamental, too. Red cabbage is a great choice for its colour and texture.

5. Many plants are available in advanced pots ready to fruit. If immature plants are fruiting when purchased, it’s best to remove the fruit and let the plant establish well before fruit is allowed to set.

6. Mushrooms are simple to grow and are brilliantly nutritious. Ready-to-grow kits can be purchased from garden centres and hardware stores and they’re so simple – open the box, add water, keep misted and start harvesting in a few weeks. Choose from regular white-capped or tastier Swiss brown varieties. Just pop the kit in a dark place with a stable temperature that’s within the range marked on the box.

7. Silverbeet is the perfect warm-climate substitute for true spinach. Look out for Rainbow varieties with bright yellow, orange and even crimson stalks.

8. Tomatoes trained on towers can be a beautiful feature in themselves. A tower-grown plant will also receive better exposure to sunlight.

9. Want real fruit and think it can’t be done in a small space? Think again. Using a technique called espaliering you can train a variety of citrus, such as this lemon, with pruning and wires to grow flat against a wall or on a screen. Espaliered fruit trees will even provide privacy when trained on lattice.

10. You’ve probably heard of hydroponics, systems that use nutrient-rich water instead of soil, but now there’s ‘aeroponics’. The compact and high-tech AeroGarden is a totally self-contained indoor garden that uses this new technique. The roots develop in a chamber containing air that is kept at 100 per cent humidity, saturated with vaporised nutrient-rich water. Inbuilt grow-lights provide artificial daylight for a set period every day. All you need to do is top it up with water. It’s a breeze to set up and maintain – the kits contain seeds in special pre-seeded bio-dome pods. Pop these in the top, add water and the supplied organic nutrient tablets, then plug in and set the controls for your plant types. You can select from a range of salad greens, herbs, chillies, tomatoes and even flowers!

11. Plan your potted vegie patch just as you would a regular garden. Sketch out a rough idea of pot sizes and positions. Then, with the information from the plant labels about height and width, work out where the various plants fit into your design.

12. Now you can grow organically in pots, too. You’ll find a number of certified organic potting mixes in nurseries and garden centres.
 
13. Pot feet are a must under your tubs and pots. They stop drainage holes clogging and reduce the risk of rotting deck timber, or staining your deck or tiles. Floor Saver is a dead-easy version – it’s just one piece. The size can be reduced to fit your pots by simply snapping segments off. And it comes in varied colours to suit your decor.