Page 67 - Simply Veg 4 2022

Pots of potential
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What are the limits of pot-based growing? One might think such a question would fail to set an article alight. But bear with us before you, yourself, engage with this page pyrotechnically! One way or another, the issue of a pot’s potential is a pertinent one for experienced and novice growers both young and old.
A pot-based, self-contained, indoor or semi-indoor garden is a horticultural lifeline for those with minimal outdoor space. Similarly, those growing varieties that require close attention and those looking for easy, low maintenance access to plants can be liberated by a container-based approach. But do pots really have the scope to satisfy the full ambitions of fruit and veg gardeners?
Always eager to please, we at AutoPot have set about trying to prove that pots and trays really can produce first class crops
of all varieties in absolutely any growing space. Recent experiments have involved papayas and potatoes in an exciting new high capacity pot and tray module that we’ve been developing. That module, the XXL, seeks to provide indoor and outdoor growers with a container-based solution to meet their wildest ambitions.
One way of maximising the scope for plants in pots is to carefully consider the material from which the pots are made. For example, we’ve found that fabric pots can often deliver far more than their plastic equivalents. Air-pruning, facilitated by porous fabric pot sidewalls, helps eliminate root circling and creates a root structure
which is vastly superior in feeding and supporting your plants. The pot porosity also increases oxygen exchange in the rhizosphere - supercharging growth. All these outcomes can help your plant attain and sustain a much greater size in a shorter time. Hence we opted for a fabric approach with XXL.
Feeding and watering are other areas
in which simple improvements can really elevate growth potential when using pots. Hand watering is of course the ‘natural’ go- to. However, hand watering can be tricky for busy, novice fruit and veg gardeners, hard to gauge in erratic climatic conditions, and unpredictable for those experimenting with new varieties.
With your pot placed in a watering system all of that changes. We at AutoPot are always keen to stress the power-free, zero-waste virtues of our own watering systems. However, it’s the unique element of plant control over irrigation and feeding that can really liberate AutoPot growers to produce whatever they want in containers.
This responsiveness to growth requirements is made possible by the AQUAvalve water control device. AutoPot Watering Systems can take many forms, but in essence they all involve a pot
in a tray together with an AQUAvalve connected to your water supply. The AQUAvalve meters out a supply of water and/or nutrient solution into the tray. Only once a plant has exhausted the supply will the AQUAvalve reopen to admit a fresh fill. No electricity or running water are required whatsoever, meaning the system is entirely
Potatoes in a 50L XXL module
guided by plant consumption.
In just four weeks the potatoes in our
XXL modules have sprung into life, showing plenty of healthy, green vegetation above the surface to a height of around two feet. Controlling that vegetation in pots has been a simple matter of slotting in some conical plant supports. These have allowed the plants to develop unhindered whilst keeping the growing space nice and tidy. Situated outdoors, the XXL modules have had their overflow plugs removed, meaning that the plants won’t get overwatered whatever the weather. We’re excited to
see just how many potatoes each module produces, check in on our instagram account @autopot_global to follow the progress of these plants and many, many more.
Towering at around 9ft tall, the papaya has been an equally satisfying, longer-term project. The tree now bearing abundant fruit was started from seed in July 2021. Today green, shapely leaves create an impressive but not overly expansive canopy on the fully grown plant. Below that neat, tidy canopy the papaya fruit appear on a regular basis, providing a tasty ingredient for asian cuisine in its semi-ripe state, or as a mildly sweet, silky treat when grown to finish. Having a clear seven feet of height beneath the canopy is another huge bonus - who wouldn’t enjoy a quickly grown tree providing exotic shade in or around the home?
Modesty be damned, our potatoes and papaya are quite a testament to what can be achieved in relatively little space with relatively little input using a watering system. What are the limits of pot based growing? If we ever find out we’ll let you know!
Papaya grown in an XXL50 at Plantasia Oxfordshire