Gardening Tips > March > ‘How to’? Grow your Own with a VegTrug

‘How to’? Grow your Own with a VegTrug

If you don’t have enough space but are keen to grow your own food, the VegTrug is the perfect solution!

You can grow a huge variety of crops, from carrots to sprouts, and what’s more, they are not just for vegetables. They are also ideal for herbs, some small fruit such as strawberries and even potatoes can be grown in the deeper middle section!

The VegTrug is also great for wheelchair users and the elderly as it brings the planting area up to an easily accessible height.

The VegTrug is available in a variety of sizes and comes flat packed with easy assemble instructions, once built it is simple to get started.

We also stock VegTrug accessories including spare liners, frames, and covers to protect from cold weather over the winter months and insects during the warmer seasons.

Step by Step:

  1. Fit the ready-made liner. Every VegTrug is supplied with its own ready-made liner. This needs to be fitted before filling your VegTrug with compost as it will keep the compost separate from the wood and will maintain it in the best condition.
  2. Choose your VegTrug’s final position. Once filled it will be very heavy and difficult to easily reposition. Ideally, find a nice sheltered and sunny spot, allowing for easy access to harvest your crops. A little shade isn’t a disaster, though you may need to adjust what you grow to maximise your harvest.
  3.  Fill it with your chosen compost. We recommend that you use a good quality multi-purpose or vegetable compost. We have a great selection at our Compost Drive-Thru, with plenty of peat-free choices too.
  4. Sow your seeds or plant. There is something to plant all year round. Many can be grown from seed up until June such as Radishes, Spinach and Lettuces. These are quick growing crops that can be sown in succession to maintain a harvest throughout the season. Alternatively, choose Perrywood grown young vegetable plants e.g. broccoli, cabbage, carrots, celery, chilli’s, leeks, peas, spring onions and sweetcorn.

TOP TIP: Growing companion plants amongst crops like nasturtiums and garlic offer a natural deterrent for pests such as aphids and white fly. You can grow mint alongside your onions to deter onion fly. See our ‘How to’ for more information.

  1. Regular maintenance. Your VegTrug will need regular watering, weeding, and feeding. Do not rely on rainfall as a means of watering.

VegTrug layout

Middle area

Perfect for root vegetables such as potatoes and carrots as they need deeper soil.

The edges

These can be used for crops that can grow in shallower soil such as salad leaves or radish.

TOP TIP: Remember to fill your VegTrug leaving a few inches gap from the top to allow for planting.

How far apart should plants be spaced?

The seedlings will need thinning out once they are a few cm’s tall. Spacing the plants correctly is essential to achieve the best crop, make sure plants are not too close together, they will be stronger and healthier if spaced correctly. Vegetables each need spacing differently, it is best to read the information on the seed packet or research online. Here are a few popular vegetable minimum spacing recommendations:

Carrot 5cm apart, broccoli 50cm, lettuce 10cm, potatoes 30cm, peas 8cm, tomatoes 60cm.

TIPS: When deciding, think about the food you enjoy eating as this will influence what you grow. Do not overfill your VegTrug as your crops will need room to grow and it’s best to choose dwarf varieties to allow for easy harvesting, otherwise, you may need a ladder!

GAP 0383244 web grow your own

Please ask in store for advice on getting started on growing your own.

HANDY TIP: A drip irrigation system is well worth considering when growing vegetables.

 

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