Instead of trawling the supermarkets for fresh fruit and vegetables, ensure a steady supply of produce at home by growing your own.
For new gardeners, the scale and scope of planting vegetables can seem daunting. Thankfully there’s an easy way to start a vegetable patch without digging up your lawn and you can even get involved if you live in the city without a garden. Produce can be grown in the smallest spaces - take a window sill for example - and you can still get growing your five-a-day.
Before shopping for vegetable planters think about the types of produce you’re most likely to eat as growing your own is most effective when you enjoy eating the vegetables that you’ve lovingly planted. More experienced gardeners can test and try different vegetable varieties but if you’re just starting out, you may want to stick to the likes of lettuce or salad leaves, tomatoes, peas and carrots, which are among the easiest to grow.
Most veg prefer a sheltered spot with natural sunlight (although there are exceptions to the rule), be sure to space out the seeds to give them room to sprout and pay close attention to the season in which is best to plant. There are few things as satisfying as biting into a home-grown green. Plus there’s the bonus of spending the weekend in the garden in the great outdoors, tending to plants and enjoying the fruits of your labour.
Whether you’re planning to start small with a few seeds, or have a whole tomato harvest in mind, choose a planter to suit your gardening needs from our selection. From wooden planters that sit within reach of your back door, to window boxes that are perfect for growing herbs and salad leaves, we’ve found the best selection of planters and pots that will help you grow and eat more vegetables and add greater interest to your meals throughout the seasons.
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Elho Green Basics Tomato Pot
When supermarket supplies are limited, growing your own is the answer. It’s the perfect time to try growing tomatoes, cucumbers or peppers in your back garden. With so many varieties to choose from, tomatoes are a great option for new gardeners. Choose a planter that can support a tall plant, fill it with potting compost and water regularly.
This Green Basics Tomato Pot comes with a rack that supports tall stems as they grow and a built-in water reservoir to keep plants hydrated throughout the summer months. Even better, this planter is made from recycled plastic and is 100 per cent recyclable.
Plant tomato seeds in February or March or speed up the process with tomato plants and keep them in a greenhouse or on a sunny window ledge until mid-spring. Your tomatoes should be ready to eat from early summer. Gently pull the fresh red tomatoes from the plant and enjoy them in salads, sauces and pasta dishes throughout the warmer months.
Buy now £29.95, Amazon
Wickes Kitchen Garden Planter
When we tested this wooden planter, it felt sturdy and required minimal assembly. This tub can be used for planting just about anything, but we think it’s the ideal size for growing herbs and salad leaves. It works well when placed at a back door within easy reach, so you can grab a bundle of homegrown herbs when cooking an evening meal. The planter raises the plants up to a convenient height making it easy to crop and tend to them. It has been pressure treated to protect against rot and has a 15 year anti-rot guarantee. Don’t forget to add a porous membrane liner before adding soil. This protects the planter, allows water to drain from the container and stops soil and plant roots from escaping through any cracks in the wood.
Holding approximately 140 litres of compost, this small planter has plenty space for a collection of leaves, vegetables and herbs. Even if your back garden space is limited, this planter could easily sit outside a front door, or in a communal garden, without taking up too much space. The Wickes Kitchen Garden Planter is an ideal starting point for beginners who want to grow their own food, without digging up a large vegetable patch. It gives the option to plant in small batches or try and test different combinations of plants.
Buy now £100.00, Wickes
Clever Pots Potato / Root Veg Growing Pot
If you’ve been thinking about growing potatoes but don’t want to dig up large areas of your garden then this planter is the ideal solution. It’s a 15 litre growing pot specifically designed for root vegetables. This planter has a clever feature which gives it an edge over others on the market. The container consists of two pots, an inner pot that easily lifts out of the outer pot to allow access for harvesting the potatoes without disturbing the whole plant. Plants are housed in the inner pot and the outer pot acts as a protective layer, until the potatoes are ready for collecting. The pot has the capacity for 2-3 potato plants and there are drainage holes on both pots.
It offers a simple and practical way to grow your own vegetables, even in the smallest spaces, with a pot that sits comfortably on any patio or balcony. Choose to grow carrots, onions or parsnips, or create a small vegetable garden with several pots together.
Buy now £16.00, Amazon
B&Q Verve Grey Rectangular Planter
This grey vegetable box provides a cosy growing space for fruit and vegetables, and is attractive enough to live on your garden patio. It has an easy-to-assemble growing frame that supports tall plants including tomatoes. This planter is also kinder to your back, plants are within easy reach rather than at ground level.
We’ve noted that soil can dry out very quickly and needs monitored, especially in hotter months so the integrated water reservoir in this planter is a bonus. Simply open the cap on the planter and fill using a watering can to keep plants hydrated. A handy cover can be used in the colder months to protect plants from frost and wind.
With this planter you can keep all your vegetables from courgettes to cabbages in one place. Try out peas, runner beans, tomatoes, cucumbers and peppers, for a bumper crop of fresh produce.
Buy now £75.00, B&Q
Elho Green Basics Grow Tray All in 1
If you’re new to gardening and large planters feel daunting, then this All in 1 Grow Tray is a great option for beginners. The rectangular tray is ideal for small plants and will sit comfortably on a window sill if you don’t have any outdoor space. It has an integrated water reservoir, making it simple to help plants thrive, even for those who aren’t green fingered.
Plants are protected from the elements by an integrated lid that is easily clicked on and off. This planter makes the prospect of growing-your-own seem easy and accessible. Simply add soil to the grow tray, sprinkle a few seeds and you’ve started the process. We can see this being a winner with new gardeners who are taking their first steps into the world of home-grown fruit and vegetables.
Elho uses recycled materials and focusses on sustainability with planters made from 100 per cent recycled plastics, produced using wind energy and fully recyclable.
Buy now £17.99, Amazon
Lechuza TRIO Cottage 30 mocha
These large self-watering planters are ideal for growing your own vegetables and include several clever additions. This trough planter has interchangeable planter liners with integrated carry handles that mean each plant can be lifted individually. Water level indicators show if plants need a top up and a drainage plug keeps soil moisture under control.
Fill the planter with compost and add a collection of tomato plants, spacing around two feet between plants. As they grow, tie the plants to the supporting trellis. The trellis can act as a patio divider or privacy screen but also is the ideal addition for growing fruits and vegetables. These planters come with a three year warranty and are suitable for new or experienced gardeners with larger outdoor spaces.
Buy now £116.43, Amazon
Garden Trading Foxmore Raised Planter
The perfect size for small spaces, this attractive pine planter is well-suited for growing a collection of salad leaves or herbs. With a handy lower shelf for storing spare plant pots and other gardening tools, this planter has both functionality and aesthetic appeal. The inner tub is already lined and the wood has been treated, dipped and stained. Self assembly is required but it is very easy to navigate. Once put together the planter box itself can hold 40 litres of compost.
This is an ideal low maintenance grow-your-own option for beginner gardeners but might not suit those who are keen to grow a large variety of vegetables. It’s a solid choice if you’d like a small collection of herbs or leaves sitting at your back door, ready to add extra flavour to your cooking with ease.
Buy now £130.00, Garden Trading
VegTrug Classic Vegetable Trug
The curved design of this vegetable planter makes it stand out from others on offer. Whether you have a large garden or a small balcony, the VegTrug offers a simple grow-your-own space for a variety of fruit and vegetables. The VegTrug ethos is focussed on sustainability and reducing the carbon footprint of the food we consume by promoting a pesticide free “plant to plate” approach.
This wooden planter includes a biodegradable liner and a breathable winter cover is available (for an extra cost) to keep the planter dry during the wetter months. Designed for accessibility, this planter sits at a comfortable height to prevent back pain and is suitable for wheelchair users. Choose from a classic wood colour, or a grey wash to co-ordinate with other garden planters and furniture.
Buy now £159.99, Robert Dyas
Verdict
Elho’s Green Basics Tomato Pot was our favourite choice for high quality, sustainability and attention to detail. We liked the height of the included trellis, particularly for Cordon tomato plants that grow quickly and need extra support. The pot pairs an attractive design aesthetic with practical functionality that is easy for beginner gardeners to use.
