BlogHer - Gardening 101: Container Gardening - Comments

Your icecube mulching idea

ejm — Sat, 10 May 2008 23:28:05 -0500

Your icecube mulching idea in heat waves is brilliant!

Brenda, Do IT!

debra roby — Sat, 19 Apr 2008 13:37:23 -0500

Brenda,

Thank you for the compliment! I'm glad the article has inspired you to consider a "moving garden."

Do IT! Having some of your favorite plants in pots will make your current home still like home while you're living there. And once you move, the familiar plants will instantly make your new place feel more like "home."

Getting your home-grown tomato and some splashes of color in both places helps too.

Debra
A Stitch In Time
Deb's Daily Distractions

Portable Garden

Brenda Emmett — Sat, 19 Apr 2008 11:49:30 -0500

I am considering a move this summer and was not happy about not being able to grow a few veggies and flowers as it would be too late in the summer to really benefit from it. However, I am now seriously considering placing a few in containers and picking them up and taking them with me. This will make a great compromise and I'll still get my fresh tomato everyday this year.

Thanks for a great article on container gardening. This is very well written! :)

Brenda

Her Gardening Blog

Big pots are HEAVY - I fill

Alanna Kellogg — Mon, 14 Apr 2008 06:36:37 -0500

Big pots are HEAVY - I fill the bottom xx inches with shipping popcorn. This way, I'm also more inclined to swap out the potting soil every year, too.

Pots also need to be fed more often - weekly - vs monthly for dirt gardens.

I plant some pots with perennials - ever-blooming hydrangea for example - and think about the 'winter interest' too since I have several and they're too big to move and store. At Christmas, I fill in with evergreen boughs.

Great post, Deb - I'm itching to put plants in pots but our frost date isn't til Mother's Day weekend!

Alanna Kellogg
Kitchen Parade &
A Veggie Venture

Big Pots At Target

Diana — Sun, 13 Apr 2008 22:47:42 -0500

We were in Target tonight and they had some large pots on clearance. I didn't look up close but they didn't look plastic from across the main aisle.

Thanks, Deb. I just want to

Leslie Madsen Brooks — Sun, 13 Apr 2008 21:41:08 -0500

Thanks, Deb. I just want to plant some of my bigger things in pots because the soil in my backyard is too clay-ey and I'm too lazy to dig it up and really work it beyond one or two small sections. I'll have to show you sometime (soon, I hope!). . .

Also, since I rent, I want to be able to take, say, my roses (or my baby satsuma tangerine tree, or my still-little Japanese maple) with me when I inevitably have to move. Right now my Japanese maple is living in an old Rubbermaid tub with some holes drilled/stabbed in the bottom. :P

Leslie

Affordable Large Pots

debra roby — Sat, 12 Apr 2008 23:56:29 -0500

Leslie,

How large do you need? And how many? And what will you be planting? You are in one of the situations where planting in the ground is a much better alternative than doing a lot of container growing.

I'd check the supplies at your local "big box" home improvement centers for the lowest prices, or check salvage yards for any that have found a home there. Thrift shops are unlikely to have large pots.

Aside from these not very helpful and fairly standard answers, I'd suggest looking for creative solutions. Unfortunately, most of these now will be big plastic things or heat-absorbing metal (buckets, trash cans, boxes).

Some suggestions for your heat: group pots together to create a micro-climate, use the bath and ice tricks often to keep the soil moisture up. MULCH your pots.

Debra
A Stitch In Time
Deb's Daily Distractions

Thanks, Deb, for a great article!

Leslie Madsen Brooks — Sat, 12 Apr 2008 21:40:02 -0500

My one question: Where do you find large but relatively inexpensive containers that aren't big plastic things? As you know, here in the valley it gets HOT, so when I container garden I have to use large pots--otherwise I have to water twice a day to keep the plants from frying.

So. . . any tips on places to buy affordable but pretty containers--even terra cotta ones?

Thanks!

Leslie

BlogHer Contributing Editor, Research and Academia
Proprietor, The Clutter Museum
I also blog at Museum Blogging

Last Year I Container-Gardened My Vegetables

Diana — Sat, 12 Apr 2008 19:41:33 -0500

After countless years of failed attempts at a vegetable garden last year I decided to just have a few pots on the back deck with veggies in them (peppers and tomatoes mostly). It worked out wonderfully (read: they didn't die!).

I keep saying next year...

sassymonkey — Sat, 12 Apr 2008 12:02:09 -0500

Container gardening is great for city living and I keep saying "Next year." I really thought I would this year but since I'm moving again in June I don't think it's the greatest idea to start this year. But who knows...maybe I'll buy some well started tomato plants from the nursery after I move...

Sassymonkey and Sassymonkey Reads.

Gardening 101: Container Gardening

debra roby — Sat, 12 Apr 2008 10:55:07 -0500

This weekend I planted a very special part of my garden: the pots of succulents that grace my front steps and the kitchen pot garden that I keep on my back deck. Why?

Container gardening gives you options that you might not otherwise have in gardening:

Plants that can be moved with the sun
Plants where you want them, whether there is dirt or not
Plants to experiment with
Plants even when you have very little space.
Plants replaceable for seasonal color.

How to Get Started:

Start with your Pot. Think where you'll be putting your container. If it's exposed to a day of full sun, a light fiberglass pot with reflect some of the heat while retaining moisture. Inexpensive plastic pots will degrade in the sun, terracotta and wood will lose moisture quickly. Another alternative, though heavier to move about, would a glazed ceramic pot or stone container. These pots will need to be emptied and stored somewhere inside if you live in an area with freezing temperatures in the winter time. Personally, I choose the fiberglass. The light weight makes them easier to move and maintain. If you can find a self-watering option, always take it.

Your pots need drainage holes in them. If you fall in love with a pot that contains no holes, consider it merely a decorative sleeve. Purchase a liner pot with holes to plant and place inside this gorgeous container. Remember, though, to lift the liner out at least once a week to drain any water out of the bottom of your pretty container. If that sounds like it would be too hard to do.. pass on the pretty and find something with drainage.

Ofcourse, containers can be creative or very basic too. Two stacked 5 gallon buckets can make a great self-watering container. Drill a large-ish hole in the bottom of one container, and slip some nylon stocking over the neck of a funnel and slide that through the hole into the bottom bucket. Put enough water in the bottom bucket to reach up to the bottom of the top bucket. When this planter is filled with soil, it will wick necessary water through the funnel and up to the roots. Extra moisture will run down through the funnel and drain into the bottom bucket. Just remember to check the water levels there every couple days.

Do not plan on gardening with lots of small pots. Small pots will stunt the growth of the plants in them and will need a lot more watering. As we continue, watering, you'll see, is the biggest challenge of growing in containers.

After you've picked a container, it's time to fill it with soil :

But first. Did you choose some terracotta planters? They are classic and relatively inexpensive; making them hard to resist. Before you plant them, stick all terracotta planters in a tub or play pool... something larger than they are.. filled with water. Soak the terracotta overnight so it has time to absorb water completely. I said earlier they were thirsty beasts. This will start you off on the right foot.

Choose a light weight container potting mix. These will typically be a blend of compost and peat moss. While you're soaking any terracotta planters, split open any bag of potting mix that contains peat moss and pour a gallon or so of WARM water into the mix. Peat can be strange when it comes to the temperature of water it absorbs. It LIKES warm water (think heated by the sun) and will soak it up; cold water typically runs right through peat.

So take the time to pre-moisten your pots and your soil. You'll be glad you did.

Next day, if your pots are not self-watering models, line the bottom of the pots with 2-3 layers of newspaper, some old nylon stocking material, or a single layer of landscaping fabric. You are looking for something fine enough to let water drain through that will not let soil also drain out of your pots. Fill the pots with soil, leaving about a 2" space at the top. You need this space for watering, though you might also add some mulch there later.

You've Got the Dirt Filled Pot, Let's Plant it:

Almost anything you can plant in the ground, you can plant in a container. The limitation, of course, is the size. So look for any hints that a plant might be appropriate for container gardening. If you're determined to grow fresh tomatoes on your apartment balcony, Here at C'Side has a list of appropriate container-grown tomato plants. Garden Guides has a fairly complete list of container-appropriate flowers and vegetables.

As with any other type of gardening, give your new plants a little bit of fertilizer, a healthy drink of water, and plant them at the same depth as they have been growing (except for tomatoes). They will thank you for this with a productive season.

WATER

The hardest thing about container gardening is getting the watering perfect. With hot sunny summer days, it's hard to over-water a container but it's challenging to get enough water at the right time and get the soil to absorb it. Some of my tricks:

Fill several gallon milk cartons with water first thing in the morning and set them out in the sun. Let them warm to ambient temperature. In the afternoon, water all the plants. In the evening, drain away any water that drained into saucers beneath them.
During challenging heat waves, empty the ice from my freezer (or buy a couple small bags of ice) and "mulch" the plants with the ice cubes. These will melt slowly, cooling the soil and giving it sips of water it can absorb.
If you haven't had a rain storm in a while, get that tub (or play pool) out and load as many pots as I can into it. Using the garden hose, gently create a "rain fall" that washes dirt and dust off the plants while filling the tub with water. Let the pots soak for 6-24 hours recreating that slow soaking rain that's so healthy for plants.
Remember the larger the pot, the less frequently you may need to water, but the more deeply you will want to water. Be less concerned about the surface soil moisture; stick your finger down 3-6" into the soil and check for moisture there. (is it cool? then it's moist.)

So what are your tips for gardening in containers?? Ways to adapt everyday items to grow in, watering tips, plant care? Leave your questions and thoughts in comments.

Other Blogs Talking About Containers:

Apartment Therapy's Green Home blog, Re-nest, cites a Mother Earth News article and shows the cut-away of bucket-used-as-pot that shows drainage well.

Pardon Me For Asking teaches us all a lesson about container gardening in "Brooklyn Style".

Antje Wilson and Lori de Jong both living in British Columbia write a blog all about Container Gardening.

Not surprisingly, this year a number of the "thrifty" or "frugal" blogs are writing about gardening. "Oh My Aching Debts" first wrote a post posts on "12 Vegetables You Can Grow in Pots, Containers for Vegetable Gardens, then walked out her back door and found the perfect Not So Square Foot Garden Container.

Container gardening inside (including terrariums) is a topic all it's own. We'll be tackling that one in the fall!! Next week: How to Plant (almost) everything, then finally everyone's favorite fruit: The Tomato!

Debra Roby blogs her creative life at A Stitch in Time and her mundane life at Deb's Daily Distractions .