Container Gardening
It’s too cold to grow outside here in our zone, but it’s the perfect time to start planning for the next growing season. There really is nothing like walking outside and having the ingredients to make a nutritious meal right there in your own back yard. Too hot to cook? No problem. So many veggies are fantastic raw.
Even though I have a large footprint to grow and I primarily grow my edibles in raised beds, I also use containers to grow. “Why?”, you might be asking. Well, because they’re so easy to maintain, versatile, and they’re mobile. If you’ve been thinking that you could never grow edibles because you don’t have any room, I hope that I’ve piqued your interest. If you’re someone who keeps running out of room in the garden, worry no more! You’ve got options.
I often hear “I would love to grow my own food but I don’t have any space”, or “I live in a condo and my balcony is too small to grow anything”. Well, guess what? You don’t need much room and you don’t need land to grow edibles! <and the crowd goes wild>
Good news!! Container gardening is a super duper, easy peasy way to grow vegetables. If you have a windowsill, deck, balcony, patio, rooftop, or even a front stoop, you can delve into the wonderful world of edible plants.
Pot Selection Tips
Plants such as herbs, peas, beans, and greens will do fine in smaller pots. A good rule of thumb is to consider the size of the plant. The bigger the plant most often means that the roots will need more room to grow.
Plants such as tomatoes, and peppers will need larger pots. These plants get bigger and need more water, so if you use a small pot, they can’t store enough water to make it through hot days without drying out. If you have the space to use a larger pot than the plant needs, you can add smaller plants like herbs around the main plant.
Once you decide what you want to grow, you can select the right “home” to plant them in. There are Pots of all sizes, windowsill containers, railing baskets or hanging boxes, galvanized tubs, grow bags, barrels, 5-gallon buckets, baskets, even bath tubs or troughs.
Ensure that your container has drainage holes in the bottom. If you are not able to have water run off where the pot will be (such as a windowsill or in housing units that prevent it), select a pot with a water tray, or put something underneath it to catch the water run-off. If you’re keeping a few pots on your deck, consider elevating them with a plant caddie. This will prevent paint or stain damage on the wood as well as potential rotting of wood. Some plant caddies even have wheels, which makes your pot garden mobile. Woohoo!
Things to consider
Ideally, the location should get 6 to 8 hours of direct sun for your veggies to produce well. However, herbs, salad greens, peas, Bok Choi, carrots, radish, beets, spinach and chard will produce in partial shade.
Short on ground space? Try a hanging basket. They’re great for herbs, strawberries, and some tomatoes such as Tomato Tumbler, Window Box Roma, and Basket Boy Yellow or Red.
When selecting vining plants, go for the varieties bred for containers. For cucumbers, check out Patio Snacker, Pot Luck, or Spacemaster. The darker the color of the pot, the more heat it will absorb in the sun, so keep an eye on watering.
Un-glazed clay pots will dry out quicker than plastic pots. If you want the look of clay, but want to improve water retention, use a plastic pot inside a larger clay pot.
To improve drainage use about an inch of coarse gravel to the bottom of the container when potting.
Don’t use regular soil, it’s far too dense. You’ll need a lighter potting mix with compost. You can also add worm castings.
In the heat of summer, potted plants need to be watered daily, sometimes as often as twice a day. This can be a great way to start the day or wrap up a day. A few minutes of quiet time while you water can help you clear your head and relax. However, you can double-pot as mentioned above if you don’t have time to water this much. Fill the space between the posts with crumpled leaves, newspaper, or coconut coir. When you water, soak both the soil and whatever you filled that space between the pots with.
Fertilize twice a month during the growing season using an organic liquid fertilizer, like King Neptune. Just follow the instructions on the label.
If you’re growing peas, indeterminate tomatoes, or anything that vines, use a trellis that will fit with the pot. Anything from a homemade stick teepee tied with twine to a metal obelisk trellis can be used.
To maximize harvest and minimize weeds, you can plant multiples in one pot. To do this, mix plants that are low growing or get to harvest sooner than longer growing plants. For example, plant basil and oregano around tomatoes. Things like lettuce, scallions, radish and herbs are all good to plant around larger plants that take longer to mature and harvest.
There are so many options when it comes to container gardening. Wouldn’t it be great to grow fresh salads all summer? Imagine, fresh veggies for cooking or snacking, and herbs to cook with or use as tea. Just walk out your door and decide what’s for dinner! The feeling is amazing. Personally, I love to have a pot of snow peas, cherry tomatoes, and green beans right on the deck. They never really make it into the house because I’m always snacking on them when I’m sitting outside.
Container gardens are also great for the beginner gardener or one with not much time because they are so low maintenance. I’ve included a link to shop a wide range of planters, from galvanized to wood. Use my special code for 10% off through 12/31/20: AFHOL2020
If you’re interested in getting started but need a little help, I’d love to partner with you and make those garden dreams a reality.
Until next time…
Dream Big, Plant Love, and Grow Where You’re Planted
XOXO - Laurie
