CONTAINER GARDENING Larry G. Campbell WVU-Harrison County Extension Agent WVU Assistant Professor Larry G. Campbell WVU-Harrison County Extension Agent WVU Assistant Professor

REASONS FOR CONTAINER GARDENING Allows you to garden in almost any location. -City, suburbs, country. -Poor growing conditions: soil, sunlight, space. Good for people with disabilities or mobility problems. Low cost/low input. Easy to be successful. Start sooner in spring.

THE ULTIMATE REASON!

WHAT DO YOU NEED? Plan Place Pots Potting Media Plants or Seed Provide Water & Nutrients

CONTAINERS? Buckets? Tires? Barrel? Wading Pool?

CONTAINERS

SELF-WATERING CONTAINERS

CONTAINER TIPS Choose the right size container for the plants that you want to grow. –Don’t grow a tomato in a container that holds less than 5 gallons of soil. –Pot sizes: 1-2 gal.: pepper, chard. 4-5 gal.: tomato, cucumber 6-10” diameter pots: greens, beets, radish, onion.

TIPS….. Scrub old pots with a 10% bleach solution before re-using. Season new clay pots by submerging them in water for 15 minutes before filling with soil. Add sand to bottom of container for tall plants to keep them from tipping over. Use non-biodegradable styrofoam packing peanuts or pieces of styrofoam instead of stones for drainage in bottom of pots to reduce weight.

TIPS… Slightly pre-moisten soil before putting it in the pots. Sphagnum peat works best with warm water. If possible drainage holes should be on sides of containers rather than on the bottom so excess water can drain out.

THE RIGHT SOIL FOR CONTAINERS Container soil is challenging because of the small volume of media used to support plant growth. Desirable traits: –Water and nutrient retention. –High porosity to ensure good aeration and root growth. –Low bulk density (fluffy and light). –Free from weeds, diseases, and human pathogens.

THE RIGHT SOIL… Don’t fill containers with garden soil. Don’t use peat moss—too acidic and doesn’t retain water. Soilless growing mixes containing a blend of sphagnum peat, perlite, and vermiculite are best with the addition of 25% compost.

THE RIGHT SOIL… Commercial mixes such as “Container Mix” or “Self-Watering Container Mix”. Organic Blend: 5 gallons finished compost, 1 gal. sand, 1 gal. vermiculite or perlite, and 1 cup granular all purpose organic fertilizer. Standard Blend: 1 bushel vermiculite, 1 bushel ground spagnum moss, 8 tablespoons superphosphate (0-20-0), 8 tablespoons ground limestone, 2 cups bone meal. Garden Soil: 25% sand+25% garden soil+50% compost.

WATER AND NUTRIENTS

WATERING INNOVATIONS FOR CONTAINERS Self-watering containers: inner pot with outer pot or reservoir that holds water. Water-holding crystals that retain up to 200 times their weight in water such as Terra-Sorb. Drip irrigation systems.

WATERING TIPS Containers generally require more water and nutrients. Water until all the soil in the container is moist and water runs out the drainage holes. Water from once per week to twice per day depending on container and weather. The greatest water need is at flowering and fruiting. Use saucers or trays to catch excess water. Evaporation in large containers can be reduced by covering the soil surface with a thin layer of mulch. Don’t use softened water to water plants since it contains dissolved salts. Cluster pots to minimize moisture loss.

NUTRIENTS Your plants are totally dependent upon you for their food. Add slow-release fertilizer at planting such as Osmocote. Water weekly with half-strength, water- soluble fertilizer. Foliar feed with seaweed or fish emulsion for a quick pick up if plants look stressed.

PLANTING IN CONTAINERS Plant seeds and plants in final location. Fill to within an inch or so of top of container. Don’t crowd plants.

PLANTS SUITABLE FOR CONTAINERS Vegetables: Bush BeansBell Peppers BeetsSummer Squash CarrotsTomatoes Cabbage Turnips Swiss Chard Eggplant CucumbersKale Leaf LettuceGreen Onions

PLANTS SUITABLE FOR CONTAINERS Herbs: AniseDill Basil Coriander ChervilSummer Savory CarawayParsley ChivesMint FennelTarragon LovageThyme MarjoramWinter Savory

PLANTS SUITABLE FOR CONTAINERS Fruits: Dwarf Apple Trees (spur-type). Blueberries Strawberries

PLANTS SUITABLE FOR CONTAINERS Plants For Sun: –Dwarf dahlias –African daisy –Heliotrope –Petunia –Verbena –Chrysanthemum –Calendula

PLANTS SUITABLE FOR CONTAINERS Container Plants That Tolerate Dry, Sunny Sites: –Zinnia angustifolia –Ivy geranium –Sedum –Gomphrena –Texas sage (salvia greggii) –Scented geraniums

PLANTS SUITABLE FOR CONTAINERS Container Plants for Shade: –Impatiens –Begonia –Hosta –Caladium –Coleus

PLANTS SUITABLE FOR CONTAINERS Plants That Look Good Alone: –Agave –Yucca –Bamboo –False Cypress (Chamaecyparis obtusa) –American Arborvitae (Thuja occidentalis) –Dwarf Alberta Spruce (Picea glauca) –Fountain Grass (Pennisetum setaceum ‘Rubrum’) –Tufted Fescue (Festuca amythystina) –Bougainvillea –Fuchsia –Sweet Bay (Laurus nobilis) –Common Boxwood –Banana –Pygmy Date Palm

CONTAINER GARDENING RESOURCES Supplies: –Gardener’s Supply Company: –Gardens alive!: –Home Harvest Garden Supply Inc.: (Above sources are examples and not intended as an endorsement.)

CONTAINER GARDENING RESOURCES Books: –Container Gardening for Dummies- Bill Marken; 1998; IDG Books; 334 pp. –The Edible Container Garden- Michael Guerra; 2000; Fireside; 159 pp. –The Bountiful Container- Rose Marie Nichols & Maggie Stuckey; 2002; Workman Publishing Co., Inc.; 432 pp. –The Contained Garden- Kenneth Beckett, David Carr, and David Stevens; 1992; Penguin Books; 168 pp. –Movable Feasts- Chuck Crandall & Barbara Crandall; 1995; Chapters Publishing; 128 pp. –The City Gardeners Handbook- Linda Yang; 1990; Random House.

This PowerPoint program was assembled by Larry G. Campbell, WVU-Harrison County Extension Agent and WVU Assistant Professor. In addition to this author’s material, some photographs, illustrations, and supporting materials were assembled from various sources publicly available on the Internet. The information was gathered over a period of time and from sources too numerous to list individually. The author would like to acknowledge the assistance of these web sites and publicly express his sincere appreciation for the assistance. This program was assembled solely for educational purposes and primarily for use with statewide WV Master Gardener training programs. The author did not nor will ever receive financial compensation for the preparation of this program. The program may be copied and distributed in parts or in its entirety for educational purposes. If any part of this presentation is distributed, the efforts of Mr. Campbell in assembling the materials must be recognized. The distributor may not receive any financial compensation for this service. Larry G. Campbell WVU-Harrison County Extension Agent and WVU Assistant Professor WVU-Harrison County Extension Office 301 West Main Street Room 507 Courthouse Clarksburg, WV (304)