Tight on space and looking for convenient harvests? Try growing some of the best tabletop vegetables.
The RHS are predicting that tabletop veg will be big this year, and for good reason: some of the easiest vegetables to grow thrive in pots, and they can be grown on a table to save space, money and the need to crouch down to tend to your vegetables.
‘The continued rising cost of living will see even more people supplementing weekly food shops by growing their own,’ the RHS said. ‘The huge number of dwarf varieties bred to fit in any gardening space have the added benefit of providing instant decoration to rival cut flowers in the home, convenience through not having to raise and pot on seedlings, and are an attractive proposition for children, being fresh, small in size and, more often than not, naturally sweet.’
To explore the tabletop veg trend prediction further, I’ve rounded up some of the very best tabletop vegetables that are perfectly suited to pots and small spaces. Below, you’ll find expert variety recommendations and growing tips to help you get started.
1. Chillies
Okay: technically, chillies are fruits – but they’re treated like a vegetable in the kitchen, and many gardeners view them as some of the best tabletop vegetables you can grow in small spaces.
‘Chillies are top of our list,’ says gardening expert and author Sarah Raven. ‘Choose compact varieties for pots – they’re colourful and gloriously ornamental, especially the jewel-like fruits of varieties like ‘Apache’ and ‘Black Pearl’.’
The RHS cites tabletop chillies as a popular choice for gardening spaces of any size, too. You can buy Chilli Pepper ‘Apache’ seeds from Dobies for just 89p, and ‘Black Pearl’ chilli seeds for £5.09 at B&Q.
Learning how to grow chillies is pretty straightforward: the plants love warmth and light, Sarah says, so a sunny, sheltered spot is ideal.
‘Ideally, use a terracotta pot which warms the roots and keeps the compost well-drained,’ Sarah adds.
Crocus has a beautiful range of classic Italian terracotta pots, starting from £1.49.
2. Cherry tomatoes
Another fruit, botanically, but we know and love tomatoes as vegetables in the culinary sense, too. Growing tomatoes in pots is a brilliant idea if you’re tight on space – and for tabletop growing, you’ll want to go for dwarf types like cherry tomatoes.
‘The best dwarf varieties include cherry tomatoes like trailing ‘Tumbling Tom Red’,’ says Olivia Blackburn, plant buyer at British Garden Centres. ‘They’re small plants with lots of fruits, so they’re good for pots and baskets.’
If you’re keen to get started, you can start sowing tomato seeds indoors as early as this month. Thompson & Morgan sells Tomato ‘Tumbling Tom Red’ seeds for £4.99.
3. Cucumbers
I promise we’ll get onto botanically-verified vegetables next – but first, I had to give an honourable mention to cucumbers, which are some of the best tabletop ‘vegetables’ you can grow in gardens of any size.
You can grow cucumbers in pots indoors or outdoors, depending on the variety – and the RHS says hanging basket cucumbers are also seeing a rise in popularity.
‘‘Mini Petita’ cucumbers are dwarf types that fruit indoors without bees,’ says Olivia. ‘Sow them indoors in pots in mid-February.’
Cucumber ‘Mini Munch’ F1 (seeds available at Thompson & Morgan) is another popular dwarf variety that produces delicious snack-sized cucumbers.
4. Salad leaves
Nothing beats fresh salad leaves inside a sandwich or, of course, on the side of a plate – and whether you’ve got lots of room or a compact balcony, they’re some of the very best tabletop vegetables to grow at home. Learning how to grow lettuce in pots, for example, is really easy.
‘Leafy greens and herbs make the perfect cut-and-come-again crops to grow in pots,’ says Sarah.
‘Try growing loose-leaf lettuces, chard and rocket. Snip them regularly, and they’ll give you fresh greens right through the seasons. Even in winter, we keep harvesting from these same pots just outside the kitchen door.’
Try Lettuce ‘Little Gem’, seeds available for £2.99 at Suttons, for delicious lettuce heads.
5. Herbs
Herbs go hand in hand with salad leaves – they’re simple, easy to grow, and perfect for a kitchen garden.
Plenty of herb garden ideas can be applied to containers, too, which is why they’re some of the best tabletop vegetables you can grow.
‘Potted herbs also remain a stern favourite, with sales up 10% in the last year across RHS Retail,’ said the RHS.
Sarah Raven recommends chives and parsley, which thrive in pots on a tabletop. You can buy chive seeds for £1.99 from Thompson & Morgan, and Mr Fothergill’s Oh Sow Simple plain-leaved parsley seeds for £2.69 from Amazon.
6. Kale
I never saw kale as a good choice for tabletop growing, but some of the more compact varieties are actually brilliant candidates for pots. It’s a superfood you can grow at home easily, offering a barrow load of health benefits.
‘Try growing dwarf kales such as ‘Dwarf Green Curled’ or ‘Nero di Toscana Baby’,’ suggests Sarah.
‘Use a good-quality peat-free compost, add a handful of horticultural grit for drainage, feed every couple of weeks with a liquid seaweed tonic.’
Sow Thompson & Morgan’s £1 Kale ‘Nero di Toscana’ seeds and grow them as baby leaves on a tabletop. Vitax Organic Liquid Seaweed, £8.65 at Amazon, gives crops a boost.
7. Broad beans
Another crop I didn’t expect to see on a list of the best tabletop vegetables!
Surprisingly, though, smaller broad bean varieties thrive in pots – and they’re a staple in any garden.
‘Broad bean ‘The Sutton’ are short 30cm plants, perfect for starting in winter,’ says Olivia from British Garden Centres. ‘Plant them 5cm deep in 25cm pots now.’
Broad beans are really easy to grow, too. You can grab a pack of Broad Bean ‘The Sutton’ seeds for £3.49 from Suttons.
Tabletop growing essentials
B&Q
Verve Laleh Terracotta Grow Pot (9L)
A terracotta pot with drainage holes, perfect for a tabletop.
Miracle-Gro
Miracle-Gro Peat Free Premium Moisture Control Compost (40L)
Vitax Organic Liquid Seaweed
Liquid seaweed feed keeps crops healthy and productive.
There are plenty of fruits and vegetables you can grow in January, and the options above are perfect candidates for tabletop veg growing.
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