Creating a Container Garden

You can container garden on a windowsill, balcony or doorstep and enjoy many of the same garden fresh vegetables gracing the larger gardens. All you need are about five hours of full sun, containers, synthetic soil and seeds. The containers should be large enough to provide the plant with ample root space. For lettuce, herbs, peppers, green onions and other shallow-rooted vegetables a pot six inches in diameter and at least eight inches deep will be sufficient.

Turnips, carrots, radishes and other root crops will need a pot deep enough and wide enough to allow them to grow to maturity without crowding. Almost any container that meets the requirements can be used: plastic or clay pots, an old pail, a plastic laundry basket or trash can, or wooden bushel basket. Solid plastic containers will need four or more ¼ inch drainage holes drilled along the sides near the bottom. Also, to facilitate drainage, a ½ inch layer of rocks or gravel should be spread in the bottom of the container.

Clay pots are porous and allow a certain amount of moisture to evaporate through their sides, but should still be provided with a drainage layer of pebbles. Wooden containers are attractive and will last up to five years when treated with a wood preservative not toxic to plants such as 2 percent copper napthenate. For mini-gardening, synthetic soil mixes purchased from the nursery function as an excellent soil substitute.

Fill the container to within one inch of the rim and sow the seeds according to package directions. Keep the seedbed moist, but not waterlogged, in order to germinate the seeds. If you should need to thin seedlings, cut the seedling stem at soil level rather than pulling unwanted seedlings from the container. Pulling seedlings may result in injury to the root system of surrounding plants.

Because you are growing vegetables in a confined area and watering more frequently, nutrients will be leaching out of the soil rapidly. To offset this loss any of the complete fertilizers formulated for use on vegetables can be used. Follow label directions. The fertilizer should be scratched into the top ½ inch of soil and the plant watered thoroughly. Time release fertilizers applied once during the season and fish emulsion are also good to use.

If your mini-garden should come under insect attack, hand picking and stomping on the intruder works well! For infestations that get out of hand, insect sprays that can be used safely on vegetables provide control. Read and follow label directions and observe specified waiting periods for harvesting. You can move containers into and out of the sun, regulating the amount of sunlight they receive.

Some vegetables will need more sun than others. Generally, leafy vegetables will tolerate more shade than root vegetables. Root vegetables will tolerate more shade than vegetable fruit plants. Some vegetables which lend themselves to container gardening are: bush beans, dwarf varieties of cabbage; shorter varieties of carrots, such as Little Finger and Tiny Sweet; any of the herbs; endive; leaf lettuce (harvest or leaves for continuous crop); mustard greens; chives; scallions, radishes; or tomatoes, such as Tiny Tim, Small Fry, Patio Hybrid, Tumbling Tom (for use in hanging baskets). Tomatoes will need a larger container, but offer a larger edible return.

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