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Vegetables will grow in all sorts of pots or plastic containers as long as they are deep enough and have drainage holes in the bottom. Disused builders’ bags make excellent small beds and plastic compost sacks make large pots, excellent for growing potatoes. Commercial growbags can be used for quick-growing vegetables but are too shallow for deep-rooted vegetables or long-term crops. They can be used for salads, dwarf French beans, stump-rooted carrots, beetroot and tomatoes.

Most multi-purpose composts will be suitable for growing vegetables and can be used for several crops over a year but will need to be replaced each season. The used compost can go on the compost heap. For longer-term crops use John Innes compost, which contains some soil.

Potato pots

A small crop of potatoes can be grown in a large pot, a tub or a special potato bag. Start with about 20 cm (8 in) of good potting compost in the bottom. Plant the potatoes and keep well watered. As they grow, top up the compost in stages, no more than 7.5 cm (3 in) at a time. At harvest time, just tip out the whole pot and separate the potatoes from the compost. Remember that potato roots must grow in the dark or they become green, so don’t try using clear plastic drums.