Follow Chris’s tips for mixing up veg and flowers in hanging basket
The perfect way to learn to garden is to start in miniature. The hanging basket takes the same discipline as large-scale gardening with attention to watering, feeding and plant health; but …they can be hung on balcony railings and walls, so they’re a brilliant way to make further use of vertical space.
I like to grow what I call ‘potager baskets’. These are based on the old Victorian idea of a potager garden, which is all about food, but with a little twist. I like to mix up edibles by throwing in some flowers too, which means you get beautiful baskets that are productive and pretty but also great for pollinators.
First, choose a central plant for your basket and then add trailing veg or flowers around the edges. My favourite combos include verbena, tomatoes and chives; strawberry (with their parachuting runners), lobelia and basil; rainbow chard, ivy-leaved pelargonium and tomatoes.
Choose a wire basket or trough that’s at least 25cm deep. Add sustainably sourced moss or sisal liner to hold the compost in place and provide a moist, water-absorbing base. Plant your trailing plants through the sides of the basket in a triangular formation with moss and peat-free compost to ensure the whole basket fills out. Finally, plant into the top of the basket.
Hanging basket success is not possible without some daily TLC. Pick over dead leaves and flowerheads, and thin as needed. If you’re growing edibles, you can add any thinnings to your plate!
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Question and Answer
Q. Any tips on watering?
A. Your basket may need watering once a day in hot weather. Always water at the start or end of the day for maximum absorption, and water close to the roots rather than on the leaves. I plant containers with drip trays below all my baskets, so excess water running from the basket feeds the container underneath.
Q. How often will I need to feed a basket?
A. I add slow-release organic comfrey pellets when I build the basket and then liquid feed after two months with seaweed extract, which has lots of trace elements for establishing young plants. After this, I will sprinkle a few comfrey pellets every six weeks. These are high in potassium so trigger plentiful fruit and flowers.
Q. What herbs can I grow in a basket?
A. I’ve had success with chive, coriander, basil and parsley, but mix these with mint, thyme and other herbaceous herbs and your basket will last a couple of seasons. Pinch out the dominant buds at the tip of the shoot regularly with your fingertips. This encourages side shoots and helps the plant become bushier. Thin any overcrowded leaves.
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