Fantastic Containers & Compost that will Fulfil your Gardening Dreams on Patios & Balconies!

Nothing beats growing plants in the soil. Plants are usually happiest growing in the ground, which makes us happier too, as watering is so much easier and our soil-grown plants tend to be stronger and healthier. We’re not all fortunate enough to have access to the soil, but thankfully, patio and balcony gardeners’ dreams can be successfully fulfilled with the right choice of containers, growing media, and vegetable varieties.

The Vegepod on its stand is the ideal height to access while seated or in a wheelchair.

A look inside my Vegepod, as pictured on the 12th July 2018, inside you can see: dwarf peas, Florence fennel, radishes, lettuce, carrots, and kohlrabi plants growing in Dalefoot Compost.

The Vegepod (a container raised bed) is ideal for growing vegetables and salads and works perfectly for patio and balcony gardeners. In spring 2024, I filled my Vegepod up with 14 bags of Dalefoot Wool Compost for Vegetables & Salads. This was quite an investment, but I’ve grown so many tasty salads, vegetables, and herbs in my Vegepod over the past two years and I’ve not used any additional fertiliser, so it was a successful and lasting purchase. I’m looking forward to growing more vegetables in the same compost this year; although I may add half a bag of Dalefoot Double Strength Wool Compost to provide extra nutrients, as my Vegepod has been washed through countless times, thanks to the monotonous, heavy rain we endured over winter.

I grew these ‘Speedo’ carrots in two year old Dalefoot Wool Compost for Vegetables & Salads, in my Vegepod. I sowed seeds of ‘Speedo’ on 9th March 2025 and I harvested these carrots on the 15th June 2025. I could have left the carrots to grow on and get larger, but I enjoy eating them when they are this size.

The Vegepod’s clever design helps to make the best use of every ounce of compost inside. The planter is not the same depth throughout – my large-sized Vegepod has four deeper rows, which I use for growing carrots and vegetables that have longer roots. I’ve grown some superb carrots in my Vegepod! I’m not talking about tiny, bite-sized, rounded carrots, like ‘Paris Market’ that are usually recommended for containers. I mean regular-sized, delicious and delightfully colourful carrots, like ‘Romance’, ‘Atomic Red’, ‘Cosmic Purple’, ‘Black Nebula’, ‘Gold Nugget’, ‘Blanche a Collet Vert’, ‘Speedo’, ‘Ruby Prince’, ‘Katrin’, and ‘Gniff’.

I’ve had my Vegepod since spring 2018. I’ve grown so many vegetables, herbs, and salads in my Vegepod over the past eight years. The Vegepod model I have is called a ‘Large Vegepod’, it has four deeper sections designed for growing carrots and plants that have longer roots. When I’m sowing carrot seeds in my Vegepod, I sow each row of seeds directly above these deeper sections.

These ‘Romance’ carrots are growing in amongst salads in my Vegepod. My Vegepod is filled with Dalefoot Wool Compost for Vegetables & Salads.

I grew these ‘Gold Nugget’ carrots in two year old Dalefoot Wool Compost for Vegetables & Salads, in my Vegepod. I sowed seeds of ‘Gold Nugget’ on 9th March 2025 and I harvested these carrots on the 15th June 2025. I could have left the carrots to grow on and get larger, but I enjoy eating them when they are this size.

These ‘Speedo’, ‘Gold Nugget’, and ‘Ruby Prince’ carrots were all grown in my Vegepod. Carrots come in many colours, I grow carrots in every shade of white, yellow, orange, red, and purple.

Carrots are very susceptible to damage from the larvae of carrot flies that feast upon carrot roots, therefore it’s vital to shield your crop from these insects with a protective cover. Whenever I grow carrots in tall pots, I cut a section of Enviromesh, taking care to ensure the material is large enough to be sufficiently puffed up in the middle to allow for the carrots’ bushy foliage, whilst leaving more than enough mesh to be tied around the top section of the pot. The Vegepod comes complete with a protective cover which lifts up to access the plants inside. There is a tiny gap around the base when closed, but I’ve never experienced any problems with Carrot Fly. My Vegepod is 8 years old, and I’ve grown a great many carrots inside this container raised bed.

This picture show vegetable chaos inside my Vegepod! The Vegepod has a fantastic canopy that’s easy to lift on and off and protects against carrot fly.

I grew these ‘Ruby Prince’ carrots in two year old Dalefoot Wool Compost for Vegetables & Salads, in my Vegepod. I sowed seeds of ‘Ruby Prince’ on 9th March 2025 and I harvested these carrots on the 15th June 2025. I could have left the carrots to grow on and get larger, but I enjoy eating them when they are this size.

These ‘Purple Haze’ carrots are growing in amongst salads in my Vegepod. My Vegepod is filled with Dalefoot Wool Compost for Vegetables & Salads.

I grew these ‘Katrin’ carrots in Dalefoot Wool Compost for Vegetables & Salads, in my Vegepod. I sowed seeds of ‘Katrin’ on the 27th May and I harvested these carrots in September. May is very late to sow carrots, March and April is the ideal time to sow carrot seeds.

I grew these ‘Deep Purple’, ‘Purple Dragon’, and ‘Ruby Prince’ carrots in my Vegepod.

Sow tomato seeds within the protection of a greenhouse, polytunnel, conservatory, porch, or windowsill this month. Select seeds of truly delicious tasting tomato varieties; see the results of my Tomato Trials and find more of my advice and information on vegetable growing.

For more gardening advice for March, please click here.

To see more articles I’ve written about my Vegepod, please click here.

To see more articles I’ve written about Dalefoot Compost, please click here.

To see my vegetable plant pages and find advice for growing a wide range of vegetables, please click here.

For more articles on edible gardening, please click here.

Pin21

21 Shares