An edible garden in pots

Join Lucy Bellamy in creating an edible container garden for all seasons, as she harvests what's ripe now and starts later-season crops

- Lucy Bellamy

The three best things in life are fresh air, sunshine and food - and the good news is, you don't need a big garden or even a patch of soil to enjoy them.

In part two of this series I'll explain how to keep an edible garden in pots growing happily, including the jobs to do this month to keep your pots going, how to get the most out of your space and what to pick, when and how, as summer progresses. While some edible containers produce more to pick the more that you pick them, others will be finishing for this year and ready to be swapped out for something else.

If you were inspired to start a small space edible garden by the first part of this series, you'll already have some of the plants ready to go. If not, it's not too late to get going now.

Midsummer sowing and growing

Keep the harvests coming by getting the next wave of crops up and running

If you started your edible garden in pots with the first part of this series back in April, you'll have the apple tree, blackcurrant and fresh herbs in pots and on the go. If not, plant them now using containers large enough for their roots. Peat-free multi-purpose compost is fine for most herbs, but for woody plants you'll need a soil-based mix to support their long-term growing needs.

Chillies and aubergines are classic late-summer harvests and both grow brilliantly in pots. They do need to be sown much earlier than June, though, so if you haven't already got them on the go, look out for young plants at garden centres - by this time of year they will be available in small pots. Wait until after the last frost then harden them off by putting them outside in the daytime for a few days before planting them in your pots.