This time last week I was preparing my Six on Saturday when we lost our telephone line. We had a wildfire start quite close to us but thank God the wind sent the smoke, fire and ash in the other direction and across into the next valley. Thanks to the swift response of the Bombeiros (fire brigade) from all over Portugal with the help of six planes, two helicopters the fire was under control within 24 hours.
So here I am a week later. New pictures but same SoS (Six on Saturday).
1. The Ginger Experiment
Apparently, if you leave a stem of ginger to sprout then plant it in dry soil it will grow. Watch this space
I eat quite a lot of ginger as it is claimed to be a great anti-inflammatory, so if I can master the art of growing ginger it will save money.
2.Salad Days
My aim to maintain a constant supply of salad throughout the summer…so far so good…except, the snails have their own agenda.
I grow all my lettuce in containers. I will plant some more lettuce plugs this week and again in a month’s time.
Spinach, I love baby spinach leaves in salad.
I had hoped to include Nasturtiums in the above list, but apart from two tiny little plants they have all died.
3. Cabbage and Coleslaw
I am not fond of cooked cabbage but I love coleslaw.
4. Melon
The melon plants have produced lots of flowers but only three melons have matured so far. Which is fine. I like melon but I don’t want ten at once.
5. Yellow Peppers
While I love the sweet taste of yellow peppers I am not prepared to pay the exorbitant prices in the supermarkets so this year I have grown my own pepper plants in a pot.
6. Onions- Who knew they grew so well in pots?
Although they are quite small they are perfect for pickling and salads
That’s my six for this week, folks. For more gardening highlights from around the world, check out Mr P’s blog
Piglet in Portugal 
Hello Piglet, I’m a newbie gardener over the border in western Andalucia. I’ve only ever stuck a plant in a pot with some compost, but this year my daughter and I have tried growing some veg and herbs from seed – lettuce, tomatoes, thyme and parsley. We have them in an old aquarium, and they’ve all sprouted well, especially the lettuce and thyme. As I am totally clueless on what, when, how etc, your blog is proving a mine of information. Thank you!
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Never saw someone to grow onion in pots : D And it looks like a good idea
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Hi Tony, I really don’t like growing veg in pots but we don’t have much land. The raised garden i try to rest some areas as it is more difficult to replace the soil. Pots are far easier.
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How nice for potted vegetable plants. I really dislike growing much of anything in pots (even though I am a career nurseryman). I want my vegetables to enjoy the soil and disperse their roots. Is your ginger the culinary sort? I do not grow that. It is supposedly more sensitive to frost. I suppose I should try it to find out. The ornamental types are not as ornamental as they are in the Los Angeles region, but I grow them because they remind of my little bit of time there in the late 1980s and early 1990s.
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You are very good at growing the edibles! I have some ginger that has rooted and now sending up leaves. I am interested to see whether it flowers as I love the ginger lily flowers.
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Please post photos. I have ginger in a pot and it is just sitting there looking very gingerless.
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Mine has only just started to shoot, but I will include it in a post when it is looking more presentable 😀 (Actually it is sharing with a chilli plant as I just stuck a bit of ginger root in the pot on a whim, never expecting it to actually start growing.)
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Me too, I just stuck a bit in a pot but so far, zip.
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First time I tried it the piece just rotted away.
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I found a really neat video from an Australian bloke that looks the business.
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That is probably the best idea! I will be interested to see how your ginger plant evolves
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This is awesome, Carole. I’m with you on the ginger – so healing. And, your creativity on growing your own bell peppers is smart!
I’m wondering, how is your knee feeling?
Wishing you and your husband all the best.
Blessings,
Debbie
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Thanks, Debbie. Knees… both are not good. The situation has gone from bad to worse. I am now trying an anti-inflammatory diet to see if that helps at all.
Thank you for your kind wishes.
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Oh Carole, I am sorry to hear that! I used to practice Holistic Health counseling. Would you like to talk? Perhaps I could give advise that would be helpful.
Either way, sending you more kind wishes Carole. 🙂
Blessings,
Debbie
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I may give onions in a pot a go next year! Look forward to seeing how the ginger does.
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Go for it 🙂 I grow them in pots and in my raised vegetable area and there is not that much difference in the results.
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Gosh, you do have a lovely selection of edibles!! I have grown ginger from a rhizome successfully in pots more as an ornamental than a crop. Do you grow your melons in pots? I had not thought of doing that and not attempted to grow any here as the soil has a high clay content. I believe melons need a more sandy soil.
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YEs, I grew the melons in a large pot. So far i’ve had 4 good melons but I don’t think the plants will last much longer as they are going over. I get blight here so once the leaves start to fall away or the flowers don’t set that’s it. I will grow some more in the little greenhouse for winter. We will see.
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Thanks for the info.
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How deep are the pots for you lettuce and spinach?
Did you start them off in seed trays?
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Pots are either old plastic vegetable transport containers which I line with plastic so as little as 6 inches deep but with good quality compost and plenty of water or standard tubs about 12″ deep. I found lettuce, spinach and rocket do no have deep roots so they survive well in shallow containers providing you don’t let dry out.
Spinach and rocket i planted as seeds directly in containers. LEttuc I buy as established plugs.
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With all that you can almost have a good meal!
I tried to grow ginger, I had plenty of stems and leaves but the rhizome didn’t grow enough and rotted in winter. I will start again in a very sandy and well drained soil
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If you like cabbage we seem to have plenty 🙂 As for the ginger I am still at the ‘sprouting’ stage so further research still needed. Good luck with your next attempt 🙂 I will follow your progress.
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I’ve been tempted to try the ginger. It gets recommended as a cheap houseplant quite regularly.
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Hi 30, I looked up ginger as houseplants and indeed if you have the right variety they have beautiful flowers.
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