Gardening in containers
Not every ardent gardener has space for a garden, so clever humans along the way discovered container gardening. I’ve seen elaborate vegetable production on back decks or in a row of wooden boxes on the sunny side of a house. You might be surprised at what will grow in a box. If you are set up for hydroponics, you don’t even need dirt.
Container gardening, however, might require extra attention, but if you are intrigued by the challenge, pick a container. Most plants are adaptable and with sufficient resources will grow almost anywhere. So spaceless cadets, gather containers.
This is about dirt gardening, not hydroponics – another way to garden in containers.
Use a box, a five-gallon bucket, a one-gallon bucket, plastic pots, clay pots, canvas bags, most anything that is not toxic. A metal container in the sun might get too hot for roots, and all containers need adequate drainage. I have a pair of worn-out leaky boots in the shed, and I figure I could fill them with an excellent soil mixture and get at least two eight-inch Nantes carrots from each one.
Even better than boots, I knew a gardener who used wooden boxes about 18 inches deep and three feet long for growing beans, greens and peppers, and he installed irrigation tubes at the bottom which were fed by a pipe rising to the top.
I heard of a gardener who grew vegetables in hanging pots watered by cloth wicks dangling from the bottom into a bowl of water, and I’ve seen photos of an elaborate vegetable and herb growing operation out of a series of gutters mounted against a fence.
Opinion is divided regarding what kind of soil a gardener should use in a planting container, and I hope this division does not elevate to the point of dirt-throwing and filibuster. Some gardening folks recommend against using garden soil in a container because it might compact after a few waterings and bring nasty garden organisms into the mix. They suggest organic potting soil with slow-release fertilizer mixed in.
I agree we do not want compacted soil, so I add well-decomposed leaf mulch and a tiny bit of organic potting soil to garden soil for texture. Seems to work. It’s your choice. Regardless, a container gardener must keep the soil loose just like in a garden.
Also, container gardening requires a watering strategy. Plants in containers are more vulnerable to lack of watering and temperature changes than plants in the ground. Soil in containers, especially clay pots or small planters, dries out quickly. Depending on your situation, it might be okay to water your few pots whenever you remember, but they might improve if you have a regular schedule. Plants will remind you if you haven’t watered lately.
Besides attention to watering, the conscientious container gardener fertilizes the plants regularly. Nutrients in the soil deplete more quickly, so seaweed fertilizer or fish emulsion, for example, are handy for replenishing the soil. Also, you might need to add soil along the way.
Plenty vegetable varieties will grow in a contained environment, but some prefer wide open spaces instead. Seed catalogs point out varieties that are especially suited for container growing, such as the aptly named tomato variety called Patio. Red Robin, MicroTom and Sweetheart of the Patio are others. Tommy Toe is an heirloom cherry tomato from the Ozarks for containers and gardens.
For cucumbers, you might add a short trellis for Patio Snacker, Bush Champion or Spacemaster. Also for snow peas such as Tom Thumb or Peas-in-a-Pot. Thumbelina and Little Finger are carrots that do well in containers.
Lettuce and spinach would grow well in a box on a shady balcony. What you grow depends on your collection of containers and microclimate, but you should be acknowledged and encouraged for your creativity and commitment to gardening.