Container Vegetable Gardening Healthy Harvests from Small
Spaces Adapted from Balto. Co. Presentation Kent Phillips, Howard
County MG [email protected]
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Resources Grow it! Eat it!- www.extension.umd.edu/growit Search
for classes and events Links to Youtube video presentations Blog
Facebook and Twitter Home and Garden Information Center-
www.extension.umd.edu/hgic Links to great fact sheets and
publications Can answer your personal gardening questions Call the
hotline Mon-Fri, 8am-1pm. 1.800.342.2507 Send an e-mail question
24/7 through the web site.
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Container Vegetable Gardening
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Introduction Why Container Gardening? No land HOA hassles Easy
to get started Close to the kitchen Deer are not a problem
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Growing Advantages Perfect for everybody No digging or tilling
Weed free Inexpensive to start up Overcomes some common garden
complaints Container location Plant protection Season
extension
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Getting Started A little bit of room Sunlight Containers
Growing medium Water Nutrients Tender loving care
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Container Location 8-10 hrs. sun for fruiting crops 6 hrs. sun
for cool season crops Access to water - smaller containers will
need water every day Placed on any level space Be careful of
microclimates The water that drains from containers can stain
concrete and wood decking Large containers are heavy 20-inch
container = 100 pounds
Self-Watering Containers Self-watering containers are a
relatively new gardening concept. Instead of drainage holes in the
bottom, these containers have an overflow hole on one side. The
growing medium sits on a perforated platform directly above a water
reservoir. In most cases, water is wicked up from the reservoir
into the medium. Self-watering containers conserve water and
nutrients Commercial self-watering containers can be expensive You
can make your own. Search GIEI website for containers
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Self-Watering Containers
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Self-Watering 5 Gallon Bucket
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Homemade Salad Table The Salad Table HGIC pub 601 Great for
growing shallow rooted plants Legs of any length, set it on saw
horses or put wheels on it for mobility Comfortable waist level
gardening Three compartments for succession gardening Build it
deeper for plants like beans, beets, kale
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Whats the Dirt on Growing Media? Supports plants root system
Supplies nutrients Permits drainage Needs to be light and
fluffy
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Growing Media Garden Soil Heavy Bring in weed seeds and soil
diseases Doesnt drain well in containers Commercial Soil-Less Mixes
Excellent Lightweight Drains well Holds water and nutrients Proper
pH Examples of soil-less mixes are: ProMix, ReddiEarth, Jiffy Mix,
and Sunshine Mix
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Stay Away From Top soil Planting soil Planting mix Potting soil
Mixes containing sedge peat, wood mulch or bark fines that are
heavy or gritty have very fine particles
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Adding Compost to Media Highly recommended Adds additional slow
release nutrients Increases water and nutrient holding capacity of
media May have to add perlite to lighten mix If you dont have
compost, LeafGro is the next best commercially available
product.
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Compost Compost contains all the major and minor nutrients that
plants need for good growth. This makes it an excellent substitute
for sphagnum peat moss, which has very few nutrients (although it
does hold water better than compost). Composting effectively
recycles the nutrients from gardens, landscapes, and farms, thereby
reducing nutrient pollution of waterways. However, fertilizing is
still necessary because the nutrients in compost are released
slowly and are usually not sufficient for an entire season.
Vegetables, herbs and flower plants can be successfully grown in
100% compost or leaf mold. They have particles of various sizes
which causes them to drain well.
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Media Mixtures Some good media mixtures for container
vegetables are: 90% compost or LeafGro + 10% perlite 100% soil-less
mix 50% soil-less mix + 50% compost
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Happy Roots Watering needs vary depending on container size
ambient temperature wind sunlight humidity type of plant and its
size Media in container should be kept moist at all times but not
soggy Most containers will need to be watered daily in the summer
Use a water breaker or watering can for soft flow
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Fertilizers Containers require regular fertilization Water
soluble fertilizers Good rule of thumb is every two weeks for water
soluble fertilizers Immediately available to plants Organic
varieties are ready available How much and how often depends
Slow-release fertilizer Inorganic such as Osmocote Organic blood
meal, worm castings, etc. Always follow label instructions Excess
fertilizer can harm and stunt plants
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What Can I Grow Just about any vegetable or herb! Popular, easy
container crops: salad greens, peppers, eggplant, tomatoes, beans,
chard, beets, radish, squash and cucumbers. More challenging crops
include melons, corn, potatoes, and sweet potatoes. Look for bush
or dwarf varieties, esp. tomatoes, cucumbers, squash. The key is to
experiment.
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Container Depth Matters Match container depth to plant size 4-6
inches: greens, small herbs 8-12 inches: beans, beets, large herbs
1-3 gallons: green onions, chard 4-5 gallons: cucumber, eggplant,
beans, broccoli, patio tomato, pepper 15 gallon full size
tomato
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Planting Time No pebbles, gravel, or rocks unless you need the
weight to prevent tipping. Cover drainage holes with fiberglass
screen or other material Thoroughly work water into the growing
medium Fill container to inch or so of top of container. Dont
compact media Follow seed packet directions for planting, spacing,
and care. Plant seedlings (except tomatoes) at same level as they
were growing in pot or six-pack. Tomatoes can be planted deeper,
for stronger root growth.
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Make Attractive Containers Mix herbs and annual flowers in with
the vegetable plants. Herbs such as lavender, thyme, oregano,
marjoram, and chives require a loose growing medium, and dry
conditions. Keep containers together to increase humidity and water
retention
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Keep those plants growing! Succession plant spring - lettuce or
spinach, summer - pepper, beans or cucumbers fall -kale, lettuce or
broccoli raab to finish out the season. Dont forget to continue to
fertilize each crop! Trellis tall or climbing plants indeterminate
tomatoes pole beans cucumbers Move plants around if containers are
portable to maximize sunlight (for heat-loving crops) and shade
(for summer-grown salad greens).
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Planting & Care Container grown plants are subject to the
same insect and disease problems as garden grown plants, but
container gardeners tend to have fewer soil related problems. The
biggest causes of plant problems are lack of water and nutrients,
and overcrowding. Plants can also suffer root rot from too much
water, especially if the growing mix does not drain well. Go to
plantdiagnostics.umd.edu for additional help in diagnosing
vegetable problems.plantdiagnostics.umd.edu Diagnosing Plant
Problems
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Seasons End Compost the plant and soil from the pot. Do not
reuse the same soil for a second season Infected soil or mix will
spread disease into the second season unless it is properly
composted Properly composted planting media can be reused. Store
pots to prevent freeze damage
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Container Gardening Resources Related MCE Fact Sheets
www.extension.umd.edu/hgicwww.extension.umd.edu/hgic - Click on
Information Library tab, click on Publications tab and click on
Vegetables, Fruit and Herb Gardening HG #16- Planting Dates for
Vegetable Crops in Maryland HG #70- Recommended Vegetable Cultivars
for Maryland Home Gardens HG #42- Soil Amendments and Fertilizers
Books HG#600- Container Vegetable Gardening HG#601- Grow Your Own
Greens with Salad Tables & Salad Boxes Books The Edible
Container Garden- Michael Guerra; 2000; Fireside; 159 pp. The
Bountiful Container- Rose Marie Nichols McGee and Maggie Stuckey;
2002; Workman Publishing Co., Inc.; 432 pp. Container Gardening for
Dummies- Bill Marken; 1998; IDG Books; 334 pp. The Contained
Garden- Kenneth Beckett, David Carr, and David Stevens; 1992;
Penguin Books; 168 pp. Movable Harvests- Chuck Crandall &
Barbara Crandall; 1995; Chapters Publishing; 128 pp. Incredible
Vegetables from Self-Watering Containers, 2006; Edwin C. Smith;
Storey Pub.; 254 pp.
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Container Gardening Resources Websites Container Gardens: The
City Dwellers Guide to Fresh and Healthy Home Grown Food
www.arts4all.com/elca (interesting plans for wading pool gardens)
The Growing Connection - www.thegrowingconnection.org A world youth
gardening program run by the Food and Agricultural Organization of
the UN that uses the EarthBox. Supplies Home Harvest Garden Supply
Inc. - www.homeharvest.com Windowbox.com - www.windowbox.com
Gardeners Supply Company - www.gardeners.com EarthBox -
www.earthbox.com Seeds for container gardening-
www.containerseeds.com DripWorks - www.dripworksusa.com
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Resources Home and Garden Information Center (HGIC)
800-342-2507 www.extension.umd.edu/hgic www.extension.umd.edu/hgic
Grow It Eat It website www.extension.umd.edu/growit
www.extension.umd.edu/growit Master Gardener state website
www.extension.umd.edu/mg www.extension.umd.edu/mg
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This program was developed Maryland Master Gardener Program
University of Maryland Extension Baltimore County and modified for
this presentation by Kent Phillips