Information About Growing Container Vegetables
- One of the benefits of using containers to grow vegetables is that you are not chained to one location. Portable vegetables can frame patios and decks or line walkways or steps. However, once the containers are filled with soil and seeds or plants, moving will become difficult, so select the location prior to purchasing any materials. Take lighting requirements such as full sun or partial shade, and watering, for each type of vegetable into consideration and choose a location that best suits your needs.
- Virtually any vegetable can be adapted to container life. Wooden boxes for lettuce, plastic hanging planters for tomatoes, old wine or milk crates and standard clay pots are all acceptable containers for a wide variety of vegetables. Just about any container can be used as long as a few adjustments are made to allow for proper drainage and root development. North Carolina Cooperative Extension Service notes that containers placed on hard surfaces such as concrete should be raised with blocks to allow adequate drainage.
- According to AgriLife Extension, synthetic soils that are often made of sawdust, wood chips, perlite and a variety of other media work best for containers for their quick draining qualities and absence of diseases and weeds that are normally found in soil. You can find synthetic soil in most garden centers; wet the mixture thoroughly before adding seeds or vegetables that have been started indoors. The North Carolina Cooperative Extension Service also suggests creating your own mixture out of equal parts peat moss, sand and loamy garden soil. Place in an oven for one hour at 210 degrees to kill any fungi, bacteria or insects.
- If you are using the recommended synthetic soil, fertilization becomes very important due to the low nutrient level of these mixtures. Always follow the directions given by the fertilizer manufacturer, which will include how to prepare the solution, and how much and how often to feed to the plants. AgriLife suggests using a fertilizing solution once a day after seeds have given way to plants, and recommends preventing buildup by leaching any extra fertilizer from the soil mixture with tap water, at least once a week.
- Inspect the containers and plants often for signs of pests such as damaged vegetables or leaves, or diseases that can leave a film or even a mold-like substance on foliage. Contact your local county extension office for information on insects and plant diseases that are native to your area, as well as recommended solutions to these pesky problems.
