Few pursuits are as rewarding as growing your own organic garden. Not only do you get to enjoy the fruits of your own labor, but you have the satisfaction of knowing that the produce you are eating was grown free of chemicals, pesticides and herbicides. Growing organically produces healthy, more diverse ecosystems which are better able to resist significant pest damage… naturally!
Organic Gardens
Container grown plants dry out quickly and require more water than their backyard counterparts growing in open soil. This is because potting soil is often lighter and less compact than regular garden soil and the water holding capacity around the plant is determined by the size of the container. Watering potted plants once a day or even twice daily may be necessary, especially if the weather turns hot and windy or your containers are in full sunlight. Watch closely, and check moisture levels often. If the growing media appears pale or cracked, or feels dry below the soil’s surface, it’s time to water.
The easiest way to water container plants is with a watering can or gentle hose. However, when you water make sure that you are watering the soil and not just the plant’s leaves. Continue watering until it runs out the drainage holes in the bottom of the pot. The idea is to water thoroughly but allow enough time between waterings for the soil to begin drying out. A moisture meter, available at many garden centers, can be used to instantly determine when to water your plants. If the potting mix remains soggy for too long, air will be forced away from the roots and your plants may suffocate or drown. (more…)
All gardeners know better than other gardeners. – Chinese Proverb
Whether you purchase plants in beautiful new planters or plastic nursery pots, there comes a time when they will need to be repotted. Fortunately, planting in pots is relatively easy.
Prior to planting, carefully clean out the container you intend to use with warm soapy water and rinse well. This is especially important if reusing older containers, as dirty pots may harbor insect eggs and disease spores. If using terra-cotta containers, rinsing and soaking with water will have the added benefit of saturating the many tiny pores in the clay, preventing them from wicking moisture away from the soil.
Now that your container is clean and ready for planting, you’ll need something to fill it with — besides the plant, that is. I recommend purchasing a quality potting mix, or you can make your own potting soil. What you’re looking for is a growing medium that is light and fast-draining, yet contains enough organic matter to hold moisture and nutrients. If you want, you can muscle up your potting mix by adding a balanced, slow-release organic fertilizer and water absorbing granules. (more…)
Nothing can be created out of nothing. - Lucretius, 99 – 55 B.C.
As with any garden, soil preparation is what really counts when it comes to being successful growing in containers. It’s the foundation. It’s the staff of life. Pick your life-giving metaphor and you get the idea.
In other words, select the right potting mix recipe for your plants and they will thrive. Skimp on the soil and you’ll get weak, non-productive plants that require more work to maintain and are susceptible to all kinds of pest problems.
What is the perfect mix? That depends. Every professional gardener has his own “secret” recipe just like every Italian grandmother has her own way of making tomato sauce. However, most experts agree that a good container medium should be lightweight and drain well, yet contain enough organic matter to hold moisture and nutrients even through hot, dry weather. You can purchase a quality potting mix or you can make your own. (more…)
More grows in the garden than the gardener sows. - Chinese Proverb
Just about any plant can be grown in a pot as long as its basic growing requirements are met. You can grow fruits, vegetables, flowers, herbs, shrubs and small trees almost anywhere. Container plants add beauty to all kinds of areas and flourish on windowsills, patios, balconies, doorways, inside greenhouses and even on rooftops. The possibilities are endless.
When selecting plants for pots, it’s important to decide where the plants will be grown. Is the site sunny or shady? The #1 factor influencing container garden success is matching the amount of available sunlight with plants that thrive in that environment. Check plant labels or seed packets, and if arranging several plants together make sure that sun-loving plants are grouped with sun lovers and shade-loving plants are planted with shade lovers.
With that said, it’s apparent that some plants are naturally better suited to growing in containers than others. To help reduce the confusion and increase your gardening pleasure, I’ve put together a “pretty close to accurate” sampling of top container plants. Please consult seed catalogs for plant varieties developed especially for container gardening. (more…)
Half the interest of a garden is the constant exercise of the imagination. – Mrs. C.W. Earle
When choosing pots for plants … be creative! Try anything from an old boot, to that 16th century Baroque urn you just “had to have.” Just about anything can be used as a pot for plants providing it drains well (roots will rot in soggy soil) and doesn’t get too hot sitting in the sun. If the pot you select doesn’t have enough drainage holes, make sure to drill at least one “good-sized” hole for every gallon of soil used. If you can’t drill or punch holes into a particular planter, you can sometimes work around this, by planting in a separate pot and setting it inside the container you prefer.
When selecting a pot, it’s important to consider the size of the plant — or plants — you will be growing. Yes, size does matter! If the pot is too small, plants will quickly become rootbound and the soil will not be able to hold enough moisture between waterings. Plants that are allowed to dry out, or wilt, will not be productive.
Tip: Choose containers in proper proportion to the size of the plant. A container that is about one-third as tall as the plant (measured from the soil line to the highest leaf) often works best. (more…)
There are few things more satisfying than watching those little seeds you planted not so long ago, slowly spring from the earth to form nourishing vitamin rich food for you and the people you love. Sadly, in this day and age, not everyone has a big backyard with soil suited for growing vegetables. Some of us don’t have any yard at all! However, even the smallest patio, back porch, balcony or doorstep can provide enough room for a beautiful and productive container garden.
There are many wonderful reasons for gardening in containers. Not only does growing crops in pots allow you to have a portable garden that can be moved to create any effect you want, but they can be brought inside as soon as the weather turns cold for a fresh, year round supply of flowers, vegetables and herbs.
Planters are particularly great if you live in the city. For inspiration, one needs only to turn to the roof-top gardener’s of New York City. Working with a limited amount of space they have transformed these areas, using an assortment of garden supplies, potting mixes and various plants, into lush getaways high above the din and chaos of the city. (more…)
One of the great things about gardening — in addition to creating beautiful landscapes and delicious, healthy food — is its educational opportunities. Your friendly Planet Natural blogger has gardened on and off since my childhood some (garbled) years ago and I learn something new almost every time I pick up a how-to book, talk to a companion gardener, or get my hands in the dirt. Best are the things that I once knew nothing about and, as I explore them further, result in deepening levels of understanding and wonder. Current example? Mycorrhiza.
Mycorrhizal fungi are beneficial soil organisms that attach themselves to the roots of plants — almost 95% of the world’s growing things have a symbiotic reationship with mycorrhiza – and help them facilitate the uptake of water and nutrients. I first came aware of mycorrhizal fungi when pursuing hydroponic gardening a few years back. Hydroponic gardeners add mycorrhizal fungi innoculants to their growing solutions to encourage quick and vibrant growth. Some soil boosters also contain them. That’s good as far as it goes. (more…)
We’re a little lost this time of year when it comes to gardening. Sure there’s plenty else to do and our indoor plants provide just enough green contact to keep us in touch with growing things. But looking out over a mulch or snow-covered garden gets us a bit anxious to get outside and start gardening again. What to do in the meantime?
Take care of our garden tools. Grandma’s maxim — “It’s not what you have but how you take care of what you have” — applies to garden tools, especially the ones we inherited from her. How did they last that long? See Grandma’s maxim.
By now, of course, you’ve drained the hoses and brought them inside for winter storage, unless your climate is such that you are able to water all year ’round. But have you taken a wire brush to your shovel, turning fork, and hoe to clean away all traces of dirt and rust? Have you taken special care to clean debris away from where the head of the tool meets the handle to avoid hidden rot and decay? Did you treat those wooden handles with linseed oil to assure that they won’t turn brittle and crack… or worse? (more…)
It’s been over a year since I moved from Montana to the sunny and somewhat warmer (or considerably, depending on the day) climes of Northern New Mexico. Despite the passing of those 13 months, I still mourn the loss of my rosemary. After all, we’d grown close considering all the time I’d spent moving them around, indoors and out, to avoid the coldest weather but to guarantee they had enough sun. They provided many a sprig or just a flat leaf or three (rosemary, as all cooks know, is strongly flavored) to slide in under the skin of chicken or to flavor a pork roast stew.
I carefully packed my two deeply-potted plants when we left and tucked them into the back of the hatchback with the dog for the long trip. They survived it just fine (the dog, too). I had the perfect new home for them, a sun porch with southwest exposure. They seemed happy enough for a while but then started to wilt. I figured the sun was drying them out and gave them more water. Big mistake. (more…)
Not so many years ago, my brother-in-law, a Nebraska farmer, made a discovery. The well from which his family pulled their water, a source that had served his family for generations, was polluted from nitrates. The pump house was located near their home on the side of a hill. Near the top of the hill and for hundreds of acres beyond, were the contoured, non-irrigated fields where he grew corn one year, soy beans the next. To maintain productivity and following fertilizer company directions, he had spread nitrogen supplements in a huge, single dose, year after year.
The practice didn’t cost him his water supply. But it did cost him a hefty chunk of change to put in an expensive water purification system. Luckily, his young children were none the worse for it. But it’s common knowledge that nitrates in water cause blue baby syndrome or methemoglobinemia a disease that interferes with the blood’s ability to deliver oxygen where it’s needed. Methemoglobinemia can also affect adults who have digestive problems that don’t allow them to break down nitrates in the gastric system. Nitrates are also linked to some cancers. (more…)
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