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Plants for a raised flower planter

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  • 17-04-2023 9:54pm
    #1
    Reece Strong Karate
    Posts: 0 ✭ Reece Strong Karate


    I've this small raised flower planter from Lidl

    Untitled Image

    It will be on my balcony which gets plenty of sunshine throughout the day.

    What would be good plants to grow? I'm either thinking of maybe planting some fruit or veg or else something colourful that will ideally live throughout the year.



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    #2
    looksee
    Registered Users Posts: 28,430 ✭✭✭✭looksee


    Strawberries? Or alpine strawberries which are almost evergreen, have flowers and fruit at the same time from spring right through to October/November and are very pretty.

    Grow veg (not a lot of fruit will grow in a small container like that) for the summer then put in some bulbs for the spring -small daffodils, dwarf tulips, dwarf irises, crocuses, and some violas and cyclamen for the winter. French beans have nice flowers then lovely green beans, peas are easy and would tumble around that container happily, little bit of support with a few twiggy sticks. Remember you can eat the new curly shoots and new leaves as well as the peas. Peas are lovely fresh and raw from the pod, but don't eat beans like that.



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    #3
    Reece Strong Karate
    Posts: 0 ✭ Reece Strong Karate


    You've sold me on peas. I love buying the pods and eating the peas raw out of them so would be good to try grow some myself.

    Are there any particular types of peas I should look for?



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    #4
    looksee
    Registered Users Posts: 28,430 ✭✭✭✭looksee


    I've never been too fussy about pea types, experiment and see what you like! Early Onward and Meteor are two popular ones and don't grow too tall - in the garden growing tall is sometimes an advantage, but in your tub two feet high would be better.



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    #5
    HeidiHeidi
    Registered Users Posts: 29,331 ✭✭✭✭HeidiHeidi


    Definitely, whatever you grow through the seasons, put some dwarf narcissi bulbs (mini daffodils) in the bottom - I have some in my window boxes and I just plant seasonal bedding on top of the throughout the year (pansies, trailing petunias, cyclamen at Christmas etc) - but the daffs are a gorgeous burst of colour in Feb/March after the long dark winter, and signal the coming of Spring - I absolutely love them!

    Mine are in the boxes at least 10 years, and probably nearer 15 and I've never touched them, I just leave a thin layer of soil over them when I'm planting whatever on top.

    I would also leave space for a cut-and-come-again lettuce plant at one end, and a rocket plant at the other - there is no greater luxury IMO than being able to pick a few fresh lettuce or rocket leaves for your salad/burger/sandwich! You can get baby plants at a garden centre, or do it from seeds (but you wind up with loads of plants with seeds, they're practically microscopic!)



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