Whether you live in small studio apart or the largest homestead, container gardening is the answer to grow more of your own food in very limited space. But, you need to remember that container gardening requires more care because the containers easily dry out. Here are few tips for container gardening.
Container Gardening Tips For Homesteaders:
Disinfecting Your Containers:
Make sure your containers are clean before growing a plant to avoid bugs and other plant diseases. Just wash the container with soap and water, rinse and allow it to dry completely.
Take Care Of Soil Mix:
A good potting soil is quite important for growing healthy plants. It contains organic nutrients and will able to drain well and keep the soil at required moisture levels.
Filling Your Container:
Fill your container with simple materials like peanuts, plastic containers, pop bottles, aluminum cans and other recycled things. Using these materials in the bottom of the containers requires less soil and your plants will still flourish.
Don’t Forget To Cover Drain Holes Of Container:
Place a screen or anything transparent over the holes of container to prevent soil and filler material from draining out.
Have a look on fruits and vegetables that grows well through container gardening.
- Lettuce
- Tomatoes
- Carrots
- Radish
- Spinach
- Squash
- Cabbage
- Sweet corn
- Lettuce
- Basil
- Egg plant
- Blueberries
- Parsley
- Zucchini
- Green beans
- Potatoes
- Strawberries
- Green onions
Fruits And Vegetables Not Suited For Container Gardening
- Pomegranates
- Rhubarb
- Fast growing trees
- Asparagus
- Pumpkins
You must avoid using two types of containers called terra cotta and dark color and treated wood which contains chemical compounds that would easily absorbed by plants.
Soil You Need:
- Mix equal parts of potting soil, peat moss and clean sand. Fill the container within 1-2 inches of the rim.
Planting:
- Water the container before planting. Soak potting mix completely and allow it to sit for few hours to drain excess water.
- After plants, water them to settle seeds and keep soil from drying using mulch with straw or compost.
Care Tips:
- Place the container in a sunny spot, where it gets maximum of 6 hours of sunlight. In cold temperatures place the pot near south facing window.
- If the plant has deeper roots, then it’s better to build raising beds.
Building Raising Bed:
- Use wood, cement or brick to frame beds.
- Do avoid using chemically treated wood, choose naturally rot resistant wood like cedar, locust or cypress.
- Build narrow beds which are about 4 feet wide to easily reach either side, about 4 feet.
- If your garden has burrowing pests, then a layer of ¼ inch hardware cloth need to be laid across the bottom before the soil is added to the bed.
- Then add a mesh which is 3 inches long insides of the bed and be stapled in place.
Soil:
- Spread the soil evenly on the bed and water it using a spray to settle the soil.
- Add more soil and lots of organic matter like compost, shredded leaves and rotted manure.
- Mound the soil as the organic content increases.
- For difficult soil mix it up with organic matter and mineral amendments.
- Rake the bed once to even out the soil, then plant.
Planting:
- You can plant your favorite on raised beds close together as fertilizer and manure.
- Water them immediately after planting and set strakes or pokes and trellises for tall crops in early spring season.