Are you concerned about where your food comes from and how it’s grown? Do you dream of having your own garden space because you know that no food in the world tastes better than fresh picked produce? Do you feel like you don’t have the space or time to keep a garden?

If you answered yes to any of these questions, then container gardening may be the answer you’ve been looking for. It brings the excitement and joy of gardening to your home even if you only have a window box or small patio. However challenged you are for space, there are ways that you can grow a few favorite tidbits to enhance your table or supplement your home produce in a larger way. The possibilities are endless. Container gardening is versatile and flexible; for example, you can move plants to overcome shady locations or relocate a plant that has outgrown its area.

Almost anything that can hold soil can be used to grow something. A general rule of thumb is to use at least a 12-inch diameter container for most edible plants, and, of course, large pots and barrels work very well. Make sure that the container is sturdy and has adequate drainage.

Once you’ve picked a location and a container, consider what plants will do well in that location. I have been surprise on numerous occasions when some of my most successful attempts at container gardening broke all the rules. I have had bumper crops of tomatoes that grew in less than perfect sun conditions. I always encourage people to experiment and see what can happen. Mother Nature is a wonderful teacher. It’s always fun to leave room for a little of her magic. Okay, now you’ve picked a location, chosen a container, and selected some plants to grow. The next step is one that I consider to be the most important: selecting the growing medium, better known as “soil”. Container plants have special needs. They are dependent on us to provide them with all the things they need to get off to healthy start. They need good support and drainage, and they need nutrients, sun and water. We do our job and they will do theirs.

There are many commercial potting soils on the market. Some are good and some should be avoided, especially when growing edible plants. I strongly suggest that you read the label and know the sources for all added ingredients in the commercially-sold potting mix. If you have any questions, call the home office of the company on the label and ask for specific sources for the ingredients added. If they won’t or can’t give that information to you, then buy elsewhere. I learned this one the hard way. I ended up the dirt mixed with coal ash from a local power plant and sewer sludge labeled as organic compost. Not something I want to grow my food in. My suggestion is to make your own mix. It’s very easy and doing this can give you even more flexibility to add or subtract ingredients as needed.

The following is a recipe for a container mix that I have used successfully for almost fifteen years.

Growing Mix

2 parts garden soil
1 part compost
1 part builder’s sand
1 part peat or leaf mold
1 part perlite or vermiculite

Mix these together in a wheelbarrow or large tub. If your garden soil tends to be a little acid, you can add a little dolomitic lime. Most vegetables like a pH in the 6-7 range. You can also add a little greensand, blood meal, or my new favorite amendment, slate dust. This has made a tremendous difference in the vitality of my plants. It’s really amazing stuff.

If you’ve chosen a large pot or barrel, you might want to consider filling part of the container with packing pellets, broken chards or small, recycled plastic juice bottles. They take up space and help provide good drainage and also help to keep the weight of the container down just in case you decide to move it.

Next, I usually fill the container with my soil, and water it thoroughly. If possible, it’s a good idea to let the soil settle over night so you can see if any more needs to be added.

You’re ready to plant now! Whether you’ve grown your own seedlings or purchased them from a nursery, it’s time for them to move to their new home. If the plants are in good shape and have not become too crowded in their small pot, I carefully remove them and place them in a small hole that I’ve scooped out of the soil. Gently firm the soil around the plant and water.

Keep watch on your plants to make sure that you water and feed them when necessary. Sometimes that means a couple of times a day for smaller clay pots or every few days for large, plastic pots. A good way to check is to stick your finger in the pot about an inch deep. If it feels dry, it’s probably time to water again.

If you’ve mixed you’re soil as directed above, your plants will have the nutrients they need to start them off. Usually, small herbs will not require feeding other than an occasional application of compost tea or seaweed fertilizer. This will be very obvious if the plant appears spindly or distressed. Vegetables, on the other hand, need more attention. They need to be fed more often. A regular application of compost tea or liquid organic fertilizer is usually needed. Weeding is generally not an issue, unless you have your containers located under a bird feeder as I did three years ago. Also, pests are not a major issue. Hand picking and some non-toxic spray formula usually takes care of any problem. Also, locating pots of beneficial plants like aromatic herbs (mints, rosemary, thyme, marigolds, etc.) around the vegetable containers works well.

I hope you will take this invitation to try growing edible landscape. It is so rewarding to pick and eat something that you have grown yourself, something that you have put your time and effort into. It’s an exchange of energy, a sharing. You the caregiver are now being given back to through good, wholesome, nourishing food grown in your own space and with your own two hands.
Good luck and happy gardening.

Master Gardener Lydia Dalton lives and gardens in Kennesaw, Georgia. You can contact her at plantdeva@yahoo.com.

Back to New Life Journal...