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Container Gardening

#1

L

LittleRed

Have you, or do you ever do any container gardening? What have you found particularly well suited to growing in tubs, and what grows nicely from hanging baskets (fruit and veg especially)?


#2

S

Smartaleck

Last year I grew beetroot and carrots in tubs and tomatoes from a hanging basket. I believe you can also grow potatoes in a bucket and strawberries from a hanging basket but I have yet to try these.


#3

grnspot110

grnspot110

We grow "cherry" tomatoes, small varieties of sweet peppers & scarlet runner beans in containers every year. Usually some lettuce & radishes early & marigolds & mini petunias around the edges of the same pots. I add fertilizer to the pots yearly & replace the mix every 2-3 years. I make my own mix with garden soil, vermiculite, perlite & ground sphagnum moss. Adding some moisture crystals to the mix helps also. ~~ grnspot110

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#4

L

LittleRed

I'm rather looking forward to trying potatoes in containers this year, and have carrots, onion, tomatoes and strawberries so far. I just have to decide what to put where.

Does the vermiculite help a lot with water retention?


#5

K

Kryten

I used to keep tarantulas and we used vermiculite for exactly that reason-it is excellent at retaining moisture and the spiders needed that.

The container gardening is really easy and honestly, it's so much easier when you have problems with your soil, as you bypass your bad soil.


#6

grnspot110

grnspot110

Vermiculite & perlite also "lighten" up the weight of the potting mix, making it easier to work with & move the pots, if needed! ~~ grnspot110


#7

L

LittleRed

Do you do all of yours properly in containers? Some of mine is likely to be in raised beds-container growing as they will be in their own soil, but there is a chance they will grow through. I doubt I'll have much luck moving them!


#8

K

Kryten

If the reason for container gardening is to protect the plants from the bad soil underneath, this might not be such a good idea. At they least they are likely to not be able to grow through, and at worst, whatever you didn't want may soak up into the better soil.


#9

P

Pika

That sounds similar to the mix in "Square-Foot Gardening." My mother does her container gardening in five gallon buckets that she picks up and then she drills holes in the bottom for drainage.


#10

H

Harriet

The only kitchen container gardening I have done in the past was herb growing. Containers are perfectly suited for raising herbs. You can also mix in herbs with your flower containers. The herbs are good foliage fillers.


#11

RobertBrown

RobertBrown

LittleRed said:
Do you do all of yours properly in containers? Some of mine is likely to be in raised beds-container growing as they will be in their own soil, but there is a chance they will grow through. I doubt I'll have much luck moving them!
Click to expand...

I have raised beds and 1 or 2 containers, nothing is portable. The garden produces quite well. The initial invetsment for the raised beds would be considered substantial by some although I expect them to remain for 10-20 years with no maintenance.
I have the plans and can provide photos, but basically it's 2x8 pressure treated lumber in rectangles that suit my space. The boxes ar 16" high. Irrigation is drip from a well with a filter. I make my own compost and keep bees in the garden along with a couple of small Serama hens that also provide a few eggs for saturdays breakfast in exchange for whatever bugs they can and do eradicate.


#12

M

monica123

I have grown everything from herbs to squash in containers, I do herbs and anything that trails in hanging baskets. I get a decent yield off of them.


#13

BKBrown

BKBrown

I hope you don't have your garden soil in direct contact with the pressure treated wood - those chemicals can leach into the soil and into your crop. CCA (no longer produced) contained arsenic.

RobertBrown said:
I have raised beds and 1 or 2 containers, nothing is portable. The garden produces quite well. The initial invetsment for the raised beds would be considered substantial by some although I expect them to remain for 10-20 years with no maintenance.
I have the plans and can provide photos, but basically it's 2x8 pressure treated lumber in rectangles that suit my space. The boxes ar 16" high. Irrigation is drip from a well with a filter. I make my own compost and keep bees in the garden along with a couple of small Serama hens that also provide a few eggs for saturdays breakfast in exchange for whatever bugs they can and do eradicate.
Click to expand...


#14

M

monica123

What would you suggest lining the garden beds with to help prevent leeching? Plastic would work, but wouldn't breathe. I am not sure of a convenient fix for that.


#15

BKBrown

BKBrown

The only thing I could suggest would be either something like Tyvec house wrap (allows moisture travel one way) or just lining your box with untreated wood. There must be someone out there with an answer ??

One thing found -- http://www.orcaboard.com/

monica123 said:
What would you suggest lining the garden beds with to help prevent leeching? Plastic would work, but wouldn't breathe. I am not sure of a convenient fix for that.
Click to expand...


#16

M

monica123

I never thought of tyvek. Maybe could get a liner built out of non-treated wood that could be slipped into it. If you used scraps of wood it would be cost effective too.


#17

B

brucesdeere

In my experiences bigger containers are better for container gardens and putting rocks in the bottom help with drainage.


#18

SouthCentral

SouthCentral

If I didn't have the space for a big garden, I'd consider containers. I personally prefer a traditional garden because that's the way I grew up and I don't mind getting down on my hands and knees. I've read about container gardening and based on the posts in this thread it seems like a good option for some. Maybe when I get too old to bend over I'll check this thread again. :biggrin:


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