Container Gardening

• A little bit of room—patio, deck, steps, etc.
• At least six hours of daylight
• Containers that have drainage
• Growing medium
• Water
• Nutrients
• Attention and care

• Containers can be placed on any level surface - deck, balcony, driveway, sidewalk, hanging basket, or window box.
• 6-8 hours of sun for warm season crops
• Access to water (some containers will need water every day)
  • Be advised: Water that drains from containers can stain concrete and decking

• All containers should have holes or slats in the bottom to allow water to drain out.
• Dark colors will create higher soil temperatures that could injure young, tender roots and prevent full development of a plant's root system.
• Containers made from porous materials (clay, ceramic, concrete, and wood) will dry out more quickly that ones made of plastic or metal.

• Select light and fluffy growing media for good aeration and root growth.
• Add last season's growing media to your garden, but not your containers. Last year's soil does not contain enough nutrients. 
• Your container will be heavy. A 20-inch container with moist soil can weigh up to 100 pounds.
• Do not use garden soil. Garden soil is very compact, which holds water and nutrients well, but can drown the roots in a container. Diseases and weed seeds can also be a problem.

• Pros: lightweight, drains well, holds water and nutrients, and are generally free of weeds, insects, and disease. 
• May include sphagnum peat moss, perlite, vermiculite, compost, coir, and small amounts of lime and fertilizer.
• Organic soil-less mixes contain no chemical wetting agents and substitute organic for chemical fertilizers. 

• Common ingredients: leaves, grass clippings, wood waste, manures.
• Compost contains all the major and minor nutrients plants need for good growth. 
• Composting effectively recycles the nutrients from gardens, landscapes, and farms, thereby reducing nutrient pollution of waterways.

Some good media mixtures for container vegetables are:

• 100% compost
• 100% soil-less mix
• 25% garden soil + 75% compost
• 25% soil-less mix + 25% garden soil + 50% compost
• 25% garden soil + 75% soil-less mix
• 50% soil-less mix + 50% compost

• Popular crops: Salad greens, peppers, eggplant, tomatoes, beans, chard, beets, radish, squash, and cucumbers.
• Challenging crops: melons, corn, potatoes, and sweet potatoes.
• Look for "bush" or "dwarf" varieties.
• Have fun experimenting!

Recommended media depth: 

• 4-6 inches: salad greens, Asian greens, mustards, garlic radish, basil, cilantro, thyme, mint, marjoram
• 8-12 inches: beans, beets, chard, carrots, cabbage, pepper, tomato, squash, rosemary, parsley, lavender, fennel

Required pot volume: 

• 1-3 gallons: herbs, green onions, radishes, onion, chard, pepper, dwarf tomato or cucumber, basil
• 4-5 gallons: full-size tomato, cucumber, eggplant, beans, peas, cabbage, broccoli

• Don't fill the bottom of the container with pebbles, gravel, or rocks unless you need the extra weigh to prevent tipping.
• Cover drainage holes with mesh, gravel, paper towels, or a coffee filter to prevent soil from washing away.
• Prior to planting, thoroughly work water into the growing medium (especially important for soil-less mixtures).
• Fill the soil loosely (don't pack it in too tightly).
• Plant seedlings at the same level as they were growing in their pot. Tomatoes can be planted deeper for stronger root growth. 
• Keep containers together to increase humidity and water retention.
• Fun tip! Mix herbs and annual flowers in with vegetables for an attractive and versatile container.

• The limited volume of growing medium in containers makes it critical to keep the root system moist at all times.
• Watering needs will vary depending on container size, ambient temperature, windy, sunlight, and humidity.
• Plan on watering most container vegetable plants daily during the summer months. The growing media should always be moist, but not soggy.
• Use a watering can or nozzle on the end of a hose to produce a soft stream of water.
• Hot water can burn leaves and young roots.

• Drought stress will kill feeder roots and slow plants down.
• Use a saucer to catch excess water.
• Large, mature plants need more water than seedlings and young plants.
• Micro-irrigation with soaker hoses and drip emitters is efficient, convenient, and relatively inexpensive. 

• Regardless of the growing medium used, plants need regular fertilizing.
• Nitrogen, required in large quantities by vegetables, is easily lost in the water that drains from the bottom of containers.
• Even "quick crops" like leaf lettuce that mature in 35-45 days may need to be fertilized several times.
• Long season crops like tomato, cucumber, and pepper may need light fertilization every two weeks to produce a continuous harvest.
• Liquid sea kelp, fish fertilizers, and compost tea are excellent organic fertilizers when mixed with water and poured around plants.
• Dry organic fertilizers include blood meal, composted chicken manure, nitrate of soda, cottonseed meal, alfalfa meal, and worm castings.