Container Garden 411

Vegetable container gardening is a fun activity. Although it eliminates the thrill of traditional vegetable gardening, growing vegetables in containers make the activity more challenging. However, with so many available materials to read, a novice gardener can get overwhelmed by all the tips or pointers that are presented by these materials. But the good news, gardening is actually easy as 123. If you are like me, you don’t want to reinvent the wheel, or spin your wheels. Right. You see, the methods of garden preparation and maintenance are thoroughly discussed in detail and in so many versions, but the basic knowledge that is applied in gardening is actually the same. Here are some ace in the hole points that you can use in starting up and ensuring the success of your vegetable container garden.

• On soil type selection. Since you are gardening in containers, choosing the best type solid for your garden will be convenient. All you need to do is step out and reach the nearest garden shop. The lack of yard space is sometimes an advantage; it eliminates the trouble of soil testing and preparations prior to gardening. Ask for the most experienced shop keeper’s advice on container vegetable gardening. Allow him to help you select the type of soil that you need. Also, be guided by the soil type recommendations that are placed at the back of the label of vegetable seed packets.

• On pots and pot sizes. The size of the vegetable dictates the size of its container. As long as the container provides ample space for the vegetable to grow, you can virtually grow anything on the container. For shallow rooted crops like lettuce, peppers, radishes and herbs, it is advised to make use of a container that has a minimum of 6-inch diameter with a 7-inch soil depth. Gardening containers are basically offered in various sizes, shapes and materials. Whether you choose clay, wood, plastic or ceramic containers, what’s important is its drainage capacity. The container has to have enough holes to allow excess water to drain rapidly and prevent over watering- a common container gardening problem. The material and the type of container are irrelevant as long as it sits right and allows proper drainage.

• On your vegetable selection. The choices for vegetable container gardening is diverse; ranging from beans, to leaves to fruit bearing shrubs and herbs. However, here are some of the ideal choices for gardening beginners. Green leafy vegetables as in leaf lettuce will do great. These vegetables just keep growing. Having them cultivated in your garden allows you to fill up your salad bowl every time. With regular watering, a garden of tomatoes, peppers, eggplant and cucumbers will do great. In growing beans, you may need to have a trellis which also makes a charming accent for any garden. For ease in cultivation, many of the vegetables, with seeds available in sealed packs, is especially bred or hybridized for container gardening.

• In actual gardening, all you need to do is proper placement or containers. Ideal vegetable container garden setup requires 5 hours or more of exposure to sunlight. Make a routine schedule of weeding, cleaning and fertilizer application to ensure healthy growth among your vegetables. The only downside of this type of gardening is that frequent need to water. Vegetables are 95% water; avoid drying them out for it can drastically reduce your yield. Similarly, over watering can be disastrous. As a rule of thumb, stick your finger into the soil to effectively determine whether the soil is moist enough or already dry. 

So there you have it. Follow these pointers and you can ensure success with vegetable container gardening. The more you do, the better you will get and the more you will the produce you grow.

How will you feed your herbs? What are your herb container garden soil needs? Soaking wet soil is not the same as soil that is moist. Do a touch test of the soil in each in your herb container garden pot with your thumb. If it feels damp, like towel-dried hair that’s moist while dry soil will feel hard to the touch. That was the touch method. Of course, a more accurate way to test the moisture level under the surface is with a moisture gauge or I’ve even stuck a toothpick into the soil. Pull out the moisture gauge or toothpick to see if you have dry or moist. If so, feed it some water.

When you water, your plants do it with care. Root rot due too much moisture is the most regular issue with container plants. While some plants are fine if they remain wet at all times, not herbs. They are more comfortable if things are kept slightly dryer. Sage much prefers a drier soil, while peppermint likes feeling moist.

Your herb container garden will thrive in well-drained soil.  For example, basil grows well in warm soil and dry air, but is stunted in the cold.   So make sure that your herbs have the right growing and soil conditions and of course, drainage.

Proper preparation and maintenance of the moisture content of the soil is very important for the herb container garden. For example, you can use a mix of both sandy and clay soil. Clay chips are good for holding moisture or retaining it, but in a container, they can suck up and hold water for long periods, maybe too long. So, test out this combination in one or two containers before you incorporate it as a practice.  Finally, if you use compost or potting soil it must be specifically suited to the herbs you are planting in your herb container garden.

See Also: 3 Tips For A Successful Herb Container Garden