Pots of flavour and freshness
By Jean Vernon
For gardeners and garden owners who haven’t yet taken up the challenge and grown a crop or two for the table, there are ideas galore this year’s show.
There really is no excuse not to have a go at growing even the simplest salad - even if you haven’t got a garden you really can grow things in pots.
It might be a hard concept to grasp, but the evidence is real and all around this year’s Hampton Court Palace Flower Show. Explore the Growing Tastes Marquee and you will find a huge range of crops in pots. From potted peaches dripping in ripening fruits at the Blackmoor Stand to standard gooseberries, currants and even a Bramley apple tree, all are growing in pots that are, to be honest, surprisingly small. In effect you can have your own fruit orchard in pots on the patio, perfect for rented accommodation, small gardens and even the kids.
Fruity number
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If fruit still seems too adventurous then think about some raised beds. You don’t have to opt for railway sleepers and vast planters, glean some inspiration from the exhibit by Burgon & Ball in conjunction with Wisley Plant Centre. The 5 A Day Garden shows visitors how to grow enough fruit and vegetables to meet the five a day guidelines for two people or for two a day for a family of five, from just 10m2 of raised bed planters. It’s inspiring and what’s more it’s healthier, cuts down on food miles for your family and it is easy to do.
Top of the crops
It’s not as if all this grow your own is something new! Families have been growing their food to supplement their diet for eons. Where before it was a matter of survival, today homegrown produce is a bit of a luxury. But the tide is turning. Pennard Plants in the Growing Tastes Marquee has been reintroducing traditional garden techniques, heritage seeds and lots of interesting methods and sometimes madness from the Victorian age. Its modern interpretation of a potager has a huge variety of crops in pots. “You can grow anything, anywhere,” says Chris Smith, “even if you have a tiny, tiny space.”