Draine: Dig into the fine art of container gardening
By Cathie Draine
For many people, the best answer to “How do I garden on rocks?” or “What can I grow on the deck?” is to learn the fine art of container vegetable gardening.
These cone-shaped, thick-walled 3- to 4-inch peppers really earn their name “Pizza My Heart.” They have a crunchy texture, delicious flavor and produce early, prolific harvests. (Courtesy of Renee’s Garden)
Let’s be clear from the beginning: growing vegetables in containers is not the same as putting a pot of geraniums in the sun. Successful vegetable culture is desirable, fun and rewarding.
It takes careful initial planning. So many families are doing this that, thankfully, there is a growing amount of excellent information in print and on the Internet about how to do it successfully.
Part of the fun, especially with children, is to understand that almost anything that will hold soil can be a container of veggies. Thus, almost any container can be retrofitted to be a plantable container: a work boot can host a salad of several cutting herbs or lettuce or radishes; an old wheelbarrow can hold peppers, perhaps a cucumber, perhaps some bunching onions; a five-gallon bucket is a dandy home for a bush tomato. A large burlap bag slightly more than half filled with soil is a good home for a small squash or a tomato or several herbs. The list, limited only by imagination, goes on.
Containers must have adequate drainage — several small, pencil-sized holes on the sides right at ground level. They usually profit from having some clay pot chips or clean, small rocks in the bottom drainage area.
Additionally, they need special soils. People who want to buy commercial planting preparations should be aware of the difference between soil mixes and soiless mix. Most of these commercial products are also sterile, which means they have no nutrients.
There is an expanding selection of additives for potting soils that ameliorate the commercial mixes’ deficiencies; hence slow-release plant food prills (the little pellets) that are supposed to feed the plants for 60 to 90 days; water-absorbing gels that are supposed to release water for the plants’ roots. The other option is to make your own soil mix and fertilize regularly and wisely according to the various plants’ needs.
Stu Steele, a long-time vegetable gardener, offers some advice on the topic of homemade potting soils. He mixes one part screened, good quality (that’s hard to find) topsoil or well composted (humus) mulch, one part of combined equal portions of vermiculite (to provide bulk and air pores) and perlite (as a water retention agent) and one part fine peat moss.
Steele said gardeners also could substitute the Rapid City yardwaste compost for some of the peat moss.
Bill Keck of the Pennington County Extension office agreed. He said the city compost can be added into the potting mix. That would make a slightly heavier mix than normal, but it should be an economical, acceptable product. Perlite and vermiculite are available at garden stores. Well-rotted mulches and manures are often shared amongst gardeners.
Container (vegetable) gardens often need more watering than they would in a traditional setting; good drainage in the potting mixture is vital. They also must be fertilized regularly according to their specific needs.
Last summer, I had a large barrel with several tomatoes as well as half a dozen pots of herbs. The tomato received diluted fish and seaweed solutions throughout the summer; the herbs got only regular watering. All were happy and produced well.
Remember that the description of a pot as “6-inch or 8-inch” or whatever refers to the diameter of the top of the pot. When in doubt, give your plants more room than you feel they may need; crowding plants kills them.
Remember that a pot of spinach, lettuce or radishes will produce and be done early in the summer. Then, the pot can be replanted with bedding flowers.
Most sources recommend the use of wooden planter boxes or barrels or large heavyweight plastic pots for vegetable gardening
Clay pots are heavy, breakable and dry out very quickly. Additionally many of us “double pot,” putting the planted pot inside a slightly larger pot and filling the space between the two with packing peanuts or bubble wrap to help keep the roots cool. Put empty soda pop cans in the bottom third of a large deep pot, cover with a thick pad of newspaper or several layers of burlap (or even the dreaded weed cloth) then add the planting soil. This is plenty of soil and lightens the potential weight of the pot.
Finally, if the thought of mixing soil and figuring out the fertilizing and watering schedule is more agony than ecstasy, consider learning about the EarthBox. This is a well-researched, highly practical and successful answer to having homegrown vegetables without a garden.
Learn more
Perhaps the most helpful Web sites about container gardening discuss growing conditions similar to ours. Cooperative extension sites are worthwhile. These Web sites have good information about container gardening:
- www.hort.purdue.edu/ext/HO-200.pdf
- www.extension.iastate.edu
- www.all-about-planters.com/articles/potting_soil.html
- http://aggie-horticulture.tamu. edu/extension/container/container.html
A number of seed catalogs are promoting varieties especially developed for container culture. Two reputable ones are:
- www.reneesgarden.com — Renee’s Seeds
- www.landrethseeds.com — D. Landreth Seed Company which has a very large selection described as The Patio Gardener.
For information about EarthBox, go to www.earthbox.com or call 1-888-917-3908.
