This grow table is the perfect small-space vegetable patch

I just got my hands on an elho Green Basics Grow Table, and despite its compact size, it’s proving to be a really productive space in my garden.

At a modest width of 75cm and a price of £36.99, it’s a brilliant small garden idea if you’re short on space and budget. I’m using mine to grow fruit, vegetables and flowers (yes, all three!) – and so far, I’ve got five different varieties on the go.

The elho Green Basics range is designed to ‘make gardening nice and affordable,’ and that’s exactly what this product does. Here’s what I love about the elho Green Basics Grow Table.

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The elho Green Basics Grow Table is as simple as it sounds: it’s a trough planter that stands on four legs.

That means it’s a lot more comfortable to garden with than raised beds on the ground – and although you’ll still have to bend a little, you’ll at least save your knees. It’s also incredibly lightweight on arrival – I could carry it into the garden alone – so it’ll go easy on your back, too.

The elho Green Basics Grow Table is just 75cm wide by 36.5cm deep, so it easily fits into small spaces in the garden. That might not seem like much growing space, but so far, I’ve been stunned by how much I’ve managed to squeeze in. I’ve got peas along the back, carrots, beetroot and marigolds down the middle (companion planting for the win!), and even a strawberry plant nestled into the corner.

All of them have germinated successfully, save for the beetroot, which I only sowed a few days ago. I filled the grow table with two bags of Dalefoot Peat-Free Woold Compost for Vegetables and Salads, which you can order from Crocus, which saves up to 50% of watering and feeds the plants throughout the season.

The grow table is deep enough to give long-rooted vegetables like carrots, mooli radishes and parsnips space to grow in full, which you don’t always get with small-space vegetable troughs. In fact, the importance of leaving root crops enough room to grow was one of the things I learned when I first started a raised vegetable bed.

There’s also the option to buy the elho Green Basics Grow House lid from Amazon, if you want to offer your crops extra protection from pests and the elements. It’s vented for air circulation, with handy clips at the sides to secure the two parts together. It’s a bit like a mini greenhouse idea.

The elho Green Basics Grow Table is made from 100% recycled plastic and can be recycled, too, so it’s a much more sustainable garden idea than other plastic planters on the market.

Reviewers agree that the elho Green Basics Grow Table is ideal for growing your own food. One reviewer notes that it’s grown their ‘best ever’ crops of lettuce, and with another praising its ‘convenient height’ and ‘generally well made’ build.

There’s some discussion around the lack of drainage holes, which I wondered about when I first saw the planter, too – but the holes are actually located at the base of the legs. Some reviewers recommend filling the bottom of the legs with gravel for added drainage.

The only downside is that the compost-infused water draining from the holes has been staining my patio – but that would be the case with most pots and containers, and an adequately-sized tray base (or a solid pressure washer) could solve that.

Other small space planters

Overall, the elho Green Basics Grow Table is a compact, affordable solution for growing a myriad of fruits, vegetables and flowers in a small garden. I couldn’t recommend it enough – and I’m very tempted to buy another one!