Container Gardening Part 1 Containers
Why Container Garden? Garden in almost any location Adaptive gardening Low cost/low input Easy to be successful Better control of pests Start sooner in spring Veggie Container Garden Aesthetic Container Garden
What Do You Need? Plan Place Pots (Containers) Potting Media Plants or Seed Provide Water & Nutrients
Containers
Containers
Containers
Containers for Adaptive Gardening
Choosing a Container Size Drainage Never held toxic products Avoid cheap plastic pots Terra cotta pots dry out quickly Choose rot-resistant woods (no creosote- treated wood)
Choosing a Container Large containers hold temperature and water better than small containers –1-2 gallon: lettuce, spinach, chard, radish –3-5 gallon: carrots, beets, broccoli, dwarf tomatoes –5-10 gallon: tomatoes, eggplant, peppers, cucumbers, squash –6-10” diameter pots: herbs, green onion, radish
Drainage Use mesh screen, newspaper, coffee filters, etc. to prevent soil loss
Preparing Your Container Sterilize old pots before re-using Season new clay pots
Preparing Your Container Sand for large containers Styrofoam packing peanuts to reduce weight