My Strawberry bin.... and a question

[GlentoranMark]

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I'm wondering could I plant something in the top of this?

I'm thinking Rhubarb or a fruit bush?

Any recommendations or should I just leave it as it is.

[GlentoranMark]

[hippydave]

Why dont you put strawberry's in the top of it ;) and a bit of drain pipe with holes drilled in it placed into the soil so that the water gets to the bottom of the tub and all then all the depth gets water to it.

[GlentoranMark]

Thought about the drain pipe which I may just do. I'm thinking of making a couple of bins but I'm more inclined to put something different on the top like raspberry canes etc.

Thanks for your input though.

[Toadspawn]

I think planting anything other than strawberries on the top would not be a good idea because of competition, particularly rhubarb which is deep rooted and requires a lot of water and nutrients and raspberries which can also require a lot of water and a high fertility. What about a small fruiting shrub such as cranberry but you will need to consider soil acidity to grow some of these successfully.
Be warned stawberries in pots/containers are potentially very susceptible to vine weevil. I lost 50% of plants in growbags because of the pest.

[jennym]

I'd leave things as they are, maybe put a strawberry plant in the top but nothing else. It's quite a small bin, and you may find that even the strawbs struggle in there.

[GlentoranMark]

Many thanks, one side of the bin won't be used as it will be up against a fence. Will take advice and keep it to strawberries.

I've been thinking though, would a bin this size be any good for other plants like a Rhubarb, raspberry canes or Blueberry plants etc?

Traditional pots are wider and shallower but the size and shape of these bins would fit well for me in between the gaps on my allotment.

Any thoughts?

[jennym]

Blueberry may be ok (you'd need to use ericaceous compost), but I think raspberry or rhubarb would struggle.
Herbs would be fine. Sage, thyme etc. You could maybe use one for a clean (slug-free) crop of lettuce or suchlike. I often grow lettuce and radishes in pots now to avoid the slug problem here.

[nilly71]

You could make a Comfrey press out of two, fill the first with leaves about half way and place the second bin inside then fill that with plastic bottles filled with water/sand, then a black bag over the top to stop it filling with rain water/bugs.

If it was raised of the ground, you could fit a cheap tap on the bottom.

Neil

[GlentoranMark]

Many thanks for the replies - I've 18 raised beds on a small site, I want to use every square inch on it :)

The bins in between each raised bed would fill extra space.

Would Rhubarb fit well in these?

BTW did you notice this (will put it up on another thread)

http://www.thompson-morgan.com/fruit1/product/cww3515/1.html?source=aw&awc=2283_1282992600_7f8ceb8f0e30117d0ee6cd6a5bf40af4