Container Gardening

greenspun.com : LUSENET : Countryside : One Thread

Hello My name is Jennifer. This year is going to be my second garden.but my first one was such a disaster I will deny it was ever mine! I have thought it over and found out what I did wrong. I overwhelmed myself. This year I am going to start small with a container garden. Any suggestions on how I can get started. What veggies and what to put them in. Also are there any fruits that I can grow in containers? Can anyone tell me what are the big NO NO's. thanks guys

-- jennifer (jenniferthf@aol.com), February 04, 2002

Answers

Have you given any thought to Square Foot Gardening? I used 10 4x4 foot squares last season to provide a full array of vegetables for table and pantry and spent only 15 hours per week tending it.

-- Jay Blair in N. AL (jayblair678@yahoo.com), February 04, 2002.

Find a local bakery and get the 5 gal. white pails from them. Drill holes in the bottoms and sides about 3" from the bottom and fill with soil. You can plant tomatoes, cukes, greenbean,just about any veg. but you will need more water as any container will dry out easier than the gound! Also, talk with others who garden in your area--I have found that varieties that do well in one area don't always do well in another! good luck

-- Debbie T in N.C. (rdtyner@mindspring.com), February 04, 2002.

I'll second Jay's recommendation for Square Foot Gardening - you can do a google search and get tons of info on it. If you are certain that you want to do container gardening; gardenweb.com has a forum dedicated to container growing. Lots of nice folks there to help you get started!

-- Polly >^..^< (tigger@moultrie.com), February 04, 2002.

what do you want to do in this garden? do you want to can? or just eat what you grow? Start small so you won't get overwhelmed. Tomatoes are great, very little work and yield is high. if you plan to can, than tomatoes are the best for your buck. if you like squash, zucs and yellow squash yields are high and keep producing. mulch mulch mulch. pole green beans are great for dinners. a little row on a fence will give you alot of fresh beans. you have to keep picking them. start small or july and august will overwhelm you. if you have questions, just ask, most of us luv gardening. i forget to say lettuce is great also. a one foot by one foot square will give you lots of lettuce. or in a big pot. just cut the tops and they will grow back, move to the shade as it gets hotter.

-- randy wybrant (rwybrant@coin.org), February 04, 2002.

As for fruits nothing wrong with fresh strawberries at all. I don't remember which catalog I saw it in but they have a plastic envelope with slits in you hang and grow 25 plants in I would guess about one square foot. Am not sure but would think you could also grow huckelberries to in a container.

-- gail missouri ozarks (gef@getgoin.net), February 04, 2002.


Square foot gardening is really great. However, if you have decided on container gardening, remember that your garden(s) have to be treated just like a baby. They are totally dependent on you for food and water. They will dry out much quicker than a regular garden. Also, the roots are totally confined to the container, so when they have used up all the nutrition in the container, you have to add more. Top dress with compost, or composted manure and as you water through it, the nutrients will travel down to the roots. Have fun!

-- Bernie from Northern Ontario (bernadette_kerr@hotmail.com), February 04, 2002.

Container gardening is a great way to get a ton of production from a small area. One of the biggest advantages is that your "garden" is not confined to the same area and if need be can even be moved around during the growing season. Besides 5 gal. buckets you may want to visit a local nursery or landscape contractor to see if they have any used 7 or 10 gal. plastic plant containers. These usually pile up. The growers give the nursery a credit for returning them but it's a pretty small amount so most don't bother. These larger containers are great for things that want a little more leg room. These are always black and should be painted a light color but the black ones are good for getting a jump start in the spring as they will absorb more heat from the sun. With container plants you are creating a micro soil environment. Drainage is important but so is water retention, you want the best of both. Nursery pots have drain holes but the 5 gal. pails will need them also. I recommend putting a 1 inch layer of clean gravel in the bottom and then laying a piece of porous weed barrier or burlap on top. Fill the container with a soil mix instead of straight garden soil. We've had fantastic results using a mix of 3 parts soil, 2 parts sand, 2 parts compost and 1 part peat. If your soil is high in clay or sand reduce the amount of sand added and increase the amount of compost proportionally. Any fertilizers you plan to use should be blended into the soil mix also. Afterwards a weekly drink of manure tea will keep things going great. If the weather turns cold move your containers along a south facing wall. If it gets to hot Get them into an area the gets a little afternoon shade. By reducing stress you'll increase production. An old hand truck is ideal for shuffling things around as need be. Good luck.

-- JJ Grandits (JJG@aol.com), February 05, 2002.

Moderation questions? read the FAQ