Container growing for a novice with toddler

[TheABC]

DS (2.5 yrs) loves our garden and generally being outside and getting muddy. As I start maternity leave next week I thought it would be a good idea to plant out some of our favorite fruits and veg, as
a) I can start teaching DS where food actually comes from and
b) it's a good way to play in the mud and productive.

As we are the -slaves- owners of two lunatic cats, everything edible needs to go into pots or containers.

Please could you give me your tips and advice for containers? In particular:

• The best system for growing strawberries (and your recommended varieties). I was thinking about a stacking pot system - we are strawberry addicts in my household, so I really do want to grow a lot and keep a regular supply going. So, ideally a June variety combined with a double-harvest (everlasting) type?

• What success have you had with companion planting e.g basil + tomatoes.

• What fruit and veg would you start off with? I will not have a lot of time
  once the new baby is born, so they have to be fairly self-sufficient outside of a bit of feeding/weeding/daily watering.

I love the idea of fresh strawberries, tomatoes and sweet peppers, together with some cut & grow again lettuce (we have a very sunny conservatory). I am also playing around with the idea of an A-frame "pea-tent".

TIA for any help you can give. :-)

Thanks, Hesterton - good tips! Definitely interested in the three sisters grouping with the pumpkins. Hmm...added microbrewery to the list.

I am also the owner of a lunatic cat! There are ways of protecting things that are grown in the ground from their ravages, e.g. using cloches until the plants are large enough, or sticking bits of twig in the ground at regular intervals to stop them digging up the loose soil. This is worth doing as things like pole beans (easy, pretty, fun, high-yielding) and strawberries really like it in the ground. It's hard to get them enough fertiliser and water in pots. Also, you can then grow pumpkins, which is great for little ones!

Salad is great in containers, and doesn't take long to reach a point where it can be eaten! Loads of people grow a few potatoes in bags these days too, but an even funner thing would be to get a Tomtato, which is a graft of a tomato onto a potato. It means you get potatoes underground and tomatoes above. Grafting is a bit of a skill, but you can buy them from places like Thompson and Morgan.

Sounds good, shovetheholly. I just don't want to bite off more than I can chew!

I think that's very wise! Start small and build up. Happy gardening!