QUICK TIP
Grab a beer (make sure it's not the good stuff), and put some in a small cup. Sink the cup into the dirt to catch all those slimy slugs that have invaded your roses and tomatoes.
Meagan Van Beest
Head Gardener
CONTACT
Contact the Head Gardener with story ideas or information.
Gone to pot: container gardening to save space and time
Sometimes you just don't have the ability to put together a sizeable vegetable garden. I mean, with a backyard the size of a postage stamp and a social calendar filled with Sudoku tournaments, who has time to cram in some vegetable gardening? And yet, you still want to make a tossed salad with homegrown, juicy tomatoes and your own lettuce. It's time you try container gardening. Here are six tips to get you started.
1) Soil - Choose the right potting soil for your veggies. Regular potting soil could have too much nitrogen for your plants to produce flowers, so make sure you get some made for vegetable container gardening. You can also make your own potting soil be mixing one part peat moss with one part vermiculite, and then combine the two with two parts compost or garden soil. Make sure you fertilize your containers at least once during the season to give your plants a boost. Remember, nitrogen equals leaves (good for lettuce and herbs) while potassium equals flowers (good for fruiting plants like tomatoes).
2) Plants - Many vegetables come in varieties developed specifically for container gardening. Look for words like mini, small, or tiny in the name. Most herbs do well in pots (try chives, basil, rosemary and oregano to start), and you can grow tomatoes and lettuce in containers quite easily. Surprisingly, you can grow potatoes in a garbage can, but I think were leaving the realm of easy with this one.
3) Container - Really, any container will do, but you should consider a few things. First, glazed containers could have harmful chemicals that leach out into the soil, contaminating your veggies. Second, terra cotta does not hold moisture well, so you could be watering more often if you choose to use it. Third, plastic holds water well, sometimes too well, so you could end with water logged plants. Fourth, always have a drainage hole.
4) Water - Once you have your plants potted up, make sure they get a drink once a day. If you can't be bothered to dump some agua on them, make a slow-release watering system by poking little holes with a pin into a small plastic bottle with a cap. Set it onto the soil, and you might be able to get away with watering every other day.
5) Light - If you have a shady backyard, put your containers on your front steps (or vice versa). Make sure the containers get at least six full hours of sunlight each day or you will end up with a gangly mess and very little usable produce.
6) Access - While a window box full of herbs just outside your kitchen window sounds nice, can you really reach it over the sink (and the dish detergent and the paper towels)? Try placing pots on a table or a variety of wooden crates near your backdoor for easy access. You could also line your entry walkway with plants. Just don't be surprised if your bountiful harvest walks away with the neighborhood kids.