Joseph
by Jane Rising
Container gardening is ideal for those who have little or no garden space. Even if you live in an apartment or condo and are limited to your own yard, you can still produce Many different vegetables.
Anything that can be grown in the ground can be grown in a container garden. This writer has grown potatoes, pumpkins, vegetables, herbs, squash, cucumbers, and even tomatoes in containers. In this article, I will discuss the different types of containers I have used, what I like and dislike about each, and what is best suited to growing in each type.
cloth bags
Canvas bags for garden containers come in different sizes, from 10 to 45 gallons. They are marketed as potato sacks, smart pots, and some garden walls.
smart pots They are often made of hard felt and used to give trees a home until conditions are right for their cultivation, i.e. warmer weather and soil temperatures.
Potato bags It can be made of plastic or medium fabric. I use both to grow potatoes, although larger bags are suitable for many things. Potato bags drain well, yielding potatoes. But plastic bags don’t last more than one or two seasons. Also, bags are more suitable for indeterminate potatoes than limiters, but we work with what we have.
garden walls These are hanging pockets made of thick felt. Felt can hold water better and release it more slowly to achieve ideal soil conditions.
self watering containers
self watering containers, or SWCs, have a reservoir at the bottom that contains water. Water seeps through the soil, which prevents plants from drying out and avoids the gardener having to water every day. The tank is filled with a small tube on the side. There is usually an overflow option, allowing the container to drain. Most of what I’ve seen is made of heavy duty plastic, which I love. I have had earth squares For more than five years, they have survived the Wisconsin winter abroad. That’s strong!
While I like the size and navigation of Earth Boxes, I’m not a huge fan in general. If I had a rainy summer, the soil would never have a chance to dry out, leaving my plants wet. This, of course, leads to root rot, stunted growth, and reduced productivity. gardeners in drier climates It may have a greater use for these when container gardening. I drilled holes in the bottom for better drainage. As of this writing, this is an experiment in progress.
stackable containers
Stackable containers tend to be smaller and allow more vertical space to be used. They are more suitable for vegetables and herbs in my experience. However they are a very viable option for container gardening in small spaces. There are so many great options available – like this one Happy Place Products Garden tower or this self-watering from Mr. Stucky.
tall containers
This type of container has legs and tends to have a high waist. It can be made of wood, metal, or a combination of both. They also come in many sizes; vegetable drug Its length varies from one to two meters and has a triangular bottom for planting root crops. Wooden containers may need to be treated with a food-grade sealant. Metals should be kept off the soil or non-reactive to avoid heavy metal poisoning.
The big advantage here is that you don’t have to bend over. I’ve grown different plants in my raised bed, from potatoes, carrots, and radishes to broccoli and cauliflower.
green walls
Garden walls are made from a variety of materials and allow the gardener to grow vertically. I’ve seen everything from a pocketed sheet reminiscent of a shoe rack to stacked window boxes. You can reuse pallets and 2-liter soda bottles to make them. Several single pots that fit into a wire frame on the wall work great. There are many DIY lessons There you can check. The only limit is your imagination!
Soil is best suited for container gardening
Containers have different needs than high bedsSo they need the right soil. I find that a potting mix or a combination of that with garden soil works well. Containers tend to dry out faster than raised beds or ground gardens, but the medium shouldn’t be too heavy for the plant’s roots to grow through. Plants in containers will also use up nutrients more quickly. Surprisingly, pot soil does not contain the nutrients one would expect.
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my personal favourite, MiracleGro Potting Mix, is a mixture of algae, bark fines, coconut, perlite and plant foods. Vegetarian food tends to be NPK and ignore micronutrients, all of which are just as important as the Big Three. It’s good to know when choosing soil for your container garden.
Gardening Lessons: Nourishing the Soil in the Pot
I have used MiracleGro for many years with good results. Plant food added, right? This must be good! It never occurred to me that the additive included only NPK. Surely the soil contains everything a plant needs to grow, right? wrong!
A few weeks ago, I was walking around my garden training squash plants to grow trellis, when I noticed this wonderful coloration on a few leaves. I enjoy the variegated leaves on my house plants. But wait, that can’t be true! Leaves were losing pigment between veins, classic chlorosis in leaves. While the veins were still green, the rest of the leaf turned yellow – a sign of a lack of traditional nutrients, either nitrogen or magnesium.
Since my cultivated breed contains nitrogen, I thought the most likely culprit was magnesium. Magnesium is an important nutrient for the enzymes in chlorophyll, so its deficiency results chlorosis of leaves. Fortunately I have a fertilizer that contains magnesium, calcium and iron. So, I mixed some in water and immediately applied it to the container. I applied another dose a few days later, including all of my containers for good measure. Doing so solves the problem, and produces pumpkins!
Are you ready to give container gardening a try?
With a little planning, you can have your own vegetable garden on your balcony. Once You Have Your First Harvest Daisy Book PDF Seasonal Kitchen Companion It can help you store, prepare and preserve these goodies!
What do you want to plant? Have you already grown a wonderful garden in this little strip of sunshine? Share your success with other readers! Let’s grow!
Source: Organic Prepper
Jayne Rising is a gardener and book educator with a BA from the University of Wisconsin and a Master Gardener. She has been growing food in her small urban area since 2010 and has been teaching others how to do so since 2015. She is involved in a number of local urban farming initiatives, working to bring a sustainable, healthy diet back into the mainstream.
