2/27/2009 1 Growing Vegetables in Containers Annette Wszelaki Commercial Vegetable Specialist Finding a Spot to Garden Finding a Spot to Garden • You don’t need a lot of space to have a vegetable garden! • All you need is a: P ti – Patio – Deck – Balcony – Doorstep – Windowsill Benefits of Container Benefits of Container Gardening Gardening • Accessibility • Side-steps soil problems • Requires little or no land • Convenient • Economical • Efficiency Selecting Containers Selecting Containers • Be creative! • Plan for drainage – If adding holes, drill four or more ¼” spaced evenly – Put ~ ½” coarse gravel or small stones in bottom – Put ~ ½ coarse gravel or small stones in bottom • Small containers will dry out more quickly
14
Embed
Growing Vegetables in Containers - University of Tennessee · 2/27/2009 1 Growing Vegetables in Containers Annette Wszelaki Commercial Vegetable Specialist Finding a Spot to Garden
This document is posted to help you gain knowledge. Please leave a comment to let me know what you think about it! Share it to your friends and learn new things together.
Transcript
2/27/2009
1
Growing Vegetables in Containers
Annette Wszelaki
Commercial Vegetable Specialist
Finding a Spot to GardenFinding a Spot to Garden• You don’t need a lot of space to have a
vegetable garden!
• All you need is a:P ti– Patio
– Deck
– Balcony
– Doorstep
– Windowsill
Benefits of Container Benefits of Container GardeningGardening
• Accessibility
• Side-steps soil problems
• Requires little or no land
• Convenient
• Economical
• Efficiency
Selecting ContainersSelecting Containers• Be creative!
• Plan for drainage– If adding holes, drill four or more ¼” spaced evenly
– Put ~ ½” coarse gravel or small stones in bottom– Put ~ ½ coarse gravel or small stones in bottom
• Small containers will
dry out more quickly
2/27/2009
2
2/27/2009
3
2/27/2009
4
Recycling ContainersRecycling Containers• Scrub them well
• Rinse in a mild bleach solution– (9 parts water:1 part bleach)
2/27/2009
5
Preparing ContainersPreparing Containers• For porous containers (clay, wood, cement),
soak well in water before filling
The Container Dictates the The Container Dictates the EnvironmentEnvironment
• Plants will be more sensitive to temperature extremes
• Overheating can be the end of your container planting planting
• Thick wood insulates best
• Dark colored containers will absorb more heat
• Light colored containers reflect heat
Choose the Right ContainerChoose the Right Container• Shallow containers (9-12” deep)
– Beets
– Leaf lettuce
Onions– Onions
– Radishes
– Spinach
– Swiss chard
Choose the Right ContainerChoose the Right Container
– 9 to 18 inches
• Carrots
– 12 to 14 inches
– 14 to 16 inches
• Peas
• Peppers
•Medium-depth containers (12-18” deep)
• Broccoli
• Cabbage
• Cauliflower
• Cherry tomatoes
Choose the Right ContainerChoose the Right Container
– Beans
– Cucumbers
•Deep containers (16-18” deep)
– Potatoes
– Summer Squash
– Tomatoes
Choosing Your SoilChoosing Your Soil• Media should drain well, but not dry out too
fast
• Soilless mixes are a good choice because:F f di i – Free of disease organisms and weed seed
– Less likely to compact
– Hold moisture and nutrients well
– Lightweight-make containers portable
2/27/2009
6
Potting Mix RecipePotting Mix Recipe• Shredded sphagnum peat moss 1 bushel• Vermiculite 1 bushel• Ground limestone 1 ¼ cups• Superphosphate (0-20-0) ½ cupSuperphosphate (0 20 0) ½ cup
or (0-45-0) ¼ cup• Granular 5-10-5 fertilizer 1 cup
Moisten with water and store in plastic garbage bags or trash (clean!) can. Makes 2 bushels.
• Distance between plants:Distance between plants:– 18-24”
• Days from seed to harvest:– 55-100
• Helps to stake and prune
• Full sun
2/27/2009
9
TomatoesTomatoes• Slicers
– Bush Early Girl– BushSteak Hybrid (Shepherd’s)– Spring Giant– Better Boy– Jetstar – Bush Celebrity
• Cherry– Golden Nugget– Sweet 100 Patio– Tiny Tim– Tommy Toe– Patio– PixieBush Celebrity
– Super Bush (Shepherd’s)– Totem
• Roma– Saladette
• Hanging Baskets– Tumbling Tom– Tumbler Hybrid
– Small Fry– Supersweet 100– Sun Gold– Patio Princess (large)
• Grape
– Golden Sunshine
Hanging TomatoesHanging Tomatoes• Upside Down Tomatoes
– www.upsidedowntomatoplant.com/
PeppersPeppers
• Minimum container size:– 2 gallons
• Distance between plants:– 12-18”12 18
• Days from seed to harvest:– 60-90
• Require hot weather
• Full sun
PeppersPeppers• Bell
– Tequila– Redskin– Mohawk– Lady Bell– Bell Boy– Yolo Wonder– Keystone Resistant Giant
• Sweet Specialty– Yummy– Pizza My Heart (sweet)– Gypsy– Baby Belle– Sweet Banana– Balloon (sweet wings HOT Keystone Resistant Giant
– New Ace• Hot
– Apache Chile– Cherry Bomb (Johnny’s)– Long Red Cayenne– Super Chile (Johnny’s, AAS)– Prairie Fire (Johnny’s)– (Hot) Red Cherry– Hot Lemon– Red Chili (hot)– Numex Twilight