How to grow edibles in pots and planters

 Urban garden with vegetables

For some gardeners, it may be necessary to grow vegetables in containers. Urban gardening often refers to growing on roofs, balconies, alleys, sidewalks, or in small spaces available to the gardener. For gardeners with disabilities, growing vegetables in containers make them much easier to reach and maintain. Hard soil conditions (sand, stone, clay) make growing vegetables particularly challenging. Even in urban areas, gardeners often see container gardening as a way to avoid sharing their harvest with deer, rabbits, and woodpeckers.

If you are new to growing vegetables in containers or have had little success, here are some tips to help you succeed.

Selecting a container

As a general rule, select the largest container possible. Small containers dry quickly and may require daily watering. Self-watering gardeners designed for urban balconies and patios extend the time between irrigations. You have to think about the weight - once the pot is filled with moist soil and plant material it will be very heavy. You may want to think about the look. What look is “going” with your house and other pots? Cloth pots are also good for growing vegetables. With colorful grow bags, you can add some novelty to your vegetable garden.

Most importantly, you need to think about the depth of the container in which you are growing. Plants with deep root systems can be stunted and unhealthy if they do not have enough space. (See list below.)

Keep in mind that the deeper the pot, the larger the reservoir of moist soil, and the less often you will need water. The exception is a self-watering plant. In this case, the depth of the planting area can be kept to a minimum because moisture is supplied by a water reservoir below the planting area.

Where to place your plant

Most vegetables require at least six hours of sunlight a day. Salad greens and herbs are generally less available. Tomatoes, peppers, beans, and other sun lovers will appreciate the sun as much as they can. If the sun is low in your yard, consider placing your plants in vases or adding castors. That way they can be moved during the day or even during the season when the angle of the sun changes.

Another factor to consider is wind. Your plants will be happier in a protected place where the wind will not blow and their foliage will dry out. Use the shelter of a building or set up a temporary air barrier made of portable fencing or fabric. Larger Plants Arrange your pots to protect smaller plants. Placing potted plants in clusters helps to increase the amount of moisture and helps the plants to produce more.

If you are using a crossbar or any other support in your container, air will be a special concern. Make sure you have a heavy pot and/or crossbar on a rail or something upright.

How to choose a soil or pot mixture for your gardeners

Do not fill your containers with soil from your garden or topsoil. You should fill the containers with a “soilless” pot mixture, which will retain moisture and resist shrinkage. I usually mix generous amounts of granular organic manure and a shovel or compost.

Watering your container vegetable garden

Vegetables need a balanced water supply to function optimally. Causes many problems such as irregular moisture, flower shedding, poor root growth, leaf curl, pest problems, and rot. The best way to ensure that your plants always have a balanced water supply is to use a self-watering plant. It is enough to fill the reservoir once in a few days. Plants absorb the moisture they need.

Fertilizing your vegetable gardeners

Fertilizer is very important when you grow vegetables in containers. In fact, you will not succeed unless you use some kind of fertilizer. I recommend mixing granular organic fertilizer in the soil at the time of planting and then weekly feeding with a water-soluble fertilizer such as plant health care.

There are many reasons why compost is important. First, if there are certain nutrients in the growing medium in the container. Your plants are theirs It is up to you to provide the nutrients you need. Second, containerized plants are watered a lot, and every time you pour the water you wash away some of the nutrients from the soil.

The third reason fertilizer is necessary is that in a container garden, you pack a lot of plants in a small space. A 2 'x 2' self-watering plant may have one tomato plant, two pepper plants, one basil plant, and some parsley. It has a lot of foliage and fruit to feed on a few gallons of "soil".

Best vegetables for containers

Potatoes, chard, lettuce, cherry and bush tomatoes, peppers, eggplants, summer squash, Asian greens, polar beans. And don't forget the herbs!

Here is the minimum soil depth for healthy growth. Keep in mind that if you use a self-irrigating plant, you can get it at shallower depths.

4-5 ": small onions, lettuce, radish, other salad greens, basil, coriander

6-7 ": Bush beans, garlic, kohlrabi, onions, Asian greens, peas, mint, dried thyme

8-9 ": Beans, carrots, chard, cucumber, eggplant, fennel, leeks, peppers, lettuce, parsley, rosemary

10-12 ": Beets, broccoli, okra, potatoes, sweet corn, summer squash, dill, lemon

Plant combinations and ancillary planting

This is the fun part. As part of our summer display gardens, we usually plant some containers with a wide assortment of vegetables and herbs. Some of them are "theme" pots (an Italian pot, a spicy pot, a pickle pot), some are planted for maximum production (lettuce followed by beans, followed by broccoli, followed by winter greens) and others single crop (tomatoes, strawberries, potatoes).

When combining different types of plants in one pot, it is best to fit plants that have the same need for water and fertilizer. For example, rosemary, which prefers hot and relatively dry conditions, does not go well with water-hungry cucumbers. To maximize space, you may want to combine a backward plant with an upright plant.

Some plants grow really well when grown close to a compatible companion. On the other hand, some plants do not grow when paired with other plants. Sometimes the reasons are simple (carrots, dill, and fennel all belong to the same plant family and compete for the same nutrients) but others are more mysterious. The list below provides good plant combinations - as well as combinations to avoid.

Some plants grow really well when grown close to a compatible companion.

Good Supplemental Plants:

Beans, carrots, squash

Eggplant, beans

Tomatoes, basil, onions

Lettuce, herbs

Lettuce, black currant, onion

Combinations to avoid:

Beans with onion and garlic

Carrots with dill or fennel

Tomato or squash with potatoes

Onions with beans and peas