What are some of my options for container gardening?

Posted on March 27, 2012 by admin

container gardening in a wheelbarrowOne of the great things about container gardening is the flexibility it allows in design. You can put the tall plants in front for a while and then change them back or put the foliage in the middle of the plot to see how it looks without tying yourself into a permanent pattern. Once plants are put into the ground they are pretty much there for the season, but with container gardening there can be a great deal more fluidity.

Container gardening ideas abound but a few that I have found to be excellent are using exciting combinations of flowers and vegetables for terrific effects. For example the dark foliage of strawberries makes a wonderful backdrop for the shy violets for the first part of the season and then the berries can be set in the forefront when they begin to show their lovely color. Onions and garlic make beautiful vertical lines around pansies and dwarf petunias, and putting juniper in terra cotta pots as the background adds a fillip of stability to the arrangement.

Whether your garden is intended to be formal or more country house in presentation container gardens can be set up to fit the bill. The containers themselves can be part of the show as well with terra cotta pots sitting side by side with fine ceramics and earthy copper to give height and depth to the design.

As with any floral arrangement the blend of flowers and greenery is paramount. The thing about using containers is that each plant can be moved to showcase its prime glory period. All plants have times when they really are better as backdrop rather than center stage, and likewise they have times when they beg to be front and center. With containers the showy pieces can be moved to their best placement without having to replant or disrupt the growing cycles.

One of my favorite things about container gardening is that I can try out a new plant without running the risk of having the newcomer get away from me. A friend in Florida fell in love with containerized spiderworts and tried just a few in his hedge garden at home. Of course these beautiful weeds spread all over his lawn and into the neighbor’s gardens within a single growing season. Had he kept them in containers he would have had the lovely purple flowers without the infestation. As a grandmother once told me even a rose is a weed if it is in the pansy bed.

Container gardening ideas are legion. Each new bench and fence can add to the universe of container gardening platforms for the home gardener. The only really bad idea in container gardening is the one that doesn’t get tried. The fact is that if something doesn’t work in one place it can be moved to a new one with only minimal effort. Knowing that you really can’t permanently ruin the garden with a new idea can make all the difference between a good time and the heartache of failed dreams.

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7 basic tips to help you grow tomatoes.

Posted on July 8, 2011 by Sherman

If you are looking for some basic tips to help you grow more tomatoes. Then the following video is going to help you to do just that. It gives seven tips that can easily be done by anyone. While these tips may seem basic if they are followed they are guaranteed to help you increase your yield as well as you quality of you tomatoes. I hope you find the information useful and happy growing.
Here are the 7 tips for you to read if you don’t feel like watching the video
1. You want to plant your tomato plants in an area that get’s plenty of sunlight, Ideally they should get about 6=8 hours of light a day.
2. You need to plant your tomatoes in well drained soil. One that is rich in nutrients. You can achieve this by adding a some good compost to the soil.
3. Give tomatoes the proper spacing they need about 2-3 feet of space to grow healthy and avoid problems.
4. You need a good support system so put a tomato cage around your tomatoes when they are still young This will provide stability and help increase your yield
5. Tomatoes need plenty of water. You need to give them about an inch or so a week. Make sure you water around the base of the plant and not the leaves. A dripline irrigation system works perfectly. You don’t want to water the leaves because this can lead to diseases and insufficient water of the roots.
6. Regularly check you tomato plant’s leaves for pest especially the tomato horn worm. Trust me I have had a few tomato plants serve as a buffet for these things and it doesn’t take long to happen.
7. You need to feed your tomato plants regularly by using a slow release fertilizer. Sprinkle it around the base of your plant.
If you have any other tips for growing tomatoes then the ones mentioned here please leave them in the comment section below. Thanks for contributing.

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Growing Potatoes in Planter Boxes, What are the results?

Posted on May 11, 2011 by Sherman

Ok so I came across this blog that said you can grow 100 pounds of potatoes in a 4 sq ft area. I thought to myself sounds cool so I decided that this would be a great project to tackle, to see if this was indeed a viable solution for people who have limited space. Another aspect I wanted to consider is if it would be cost effective. There is not doubt that as you go to the supermarket the price of potatoes which is a staple for many families is rising pretty quickly. So let’s go thru this experiment together and see what the outcome is.

How much is it going to cost to grow potatoes using this method?

I went to the supermarket the other day to get the price of potatoes a 5 lb bag of red potatoes was about $4.00 per bag. Russet potatoes were about the same price. So How would this compare with the cost of building our potato planters. There are a few factors that are going to determine the cost for the individual gardener. Such as if you want it to be 100% organic, if you do you will have to use lumber that has not been pressure treated and depending on how long you want it to last it will need to be treated. There are organic paints that you can use that do not have any harmful toxins that can be released into the soil. For the sake of this experiment I have not treated any of the lumber. The soil is another cost you have to calculate. If you have been gardening for a while no doubt you probably have your own compost bin, if you do this will be an excellent free source for your planter soil. I am going to buy all mine from the local home improvement store to see what the maximum out of cost will be. Here is what I have so far for each planter

3 2x6x16 cost $24.00

2 2x2x8 cost $4.50

5 2 cu ft bags of jungle growth potting soil with plant food $66.00

3 lbs seed potatoes $1.80 (I think I over did this but we will see)

screws 5.00

This brings up a total cost of $101.30

If this box produces 100 lbs of potatoes it will cost $1.01 per lb where as the supermarket price is about .$.80 per lb. So it seems like it may be a little cheaper to buy in the store, however if prices continue to go up, by the time I harvest that may not be the case. Also If I could have had my own dirt without buying it from the store this would have dropped my price to $.35 per lb But all this is a mute point until we see what the harvest is.

How do I build the potato planter?

Construction is relatively simple you just cut the 2x6x16 into 2′ lengths and make a square screw them together. Take the 2x2x8 cut them in 4′ sections and attach each one to a corner of the square. Fill it with dirt and plant the seed potatoes in the soil covering them with about 2 inches of soil. The recommendation is too plant them about 12 inches apart but I planted mine much closer.

Continuing maintenance for growing potatoes in a planter box. :

Once the potatoes have sprouted allow them to grow about nine inches or so and then repeat the process we did in step one. One exception from the first step, you do not need to add anymore seed potatoes. This will leave about 3 inches of the potato plant showing. Continue the process until you reach the top, then just let the plants grow until harvest. I would recommend fertilizing with a granular plant food that is high in nitrogen as potatoes love nitrogen.

What is the real goal?

So what do I hope to achieve by growing potatoes in this planter box. Well I hope to find out if it can be practical for people who have limited space. To see if they can have a good yield of potatoes using container gardening methods. I also what to see what the cost comparison will be, growing your own potatoes versus supermarket prices using this method. One thing is for sure though no matter what, I will come out a winner, because there is nothing like growing you own potatoes and harvesting straight to the table. Keep an eye out on this blog and let me know what you think. Also if you have any tips suggestions or results from a similar experiment. Let me know by posting it in the comments section. Potatoes usually mature in 125-140 days. I planted mine on March 15th that means they should be ready around the middle to end of July. Let’s see what happens!

Update

Well everybody I harvested the potatoes or at least emptied the boxes. I was going to post pics but their is nothing to see. i actually put boards all the way to the top as the potatoes grew. I got one potato. I am not sure what happened. I used very good soil, made sure it was loose. Watered like I am supposed to. Fertilized it a couple of times and got nothing. I am really kind of stumped. I have grown plenty of potatoes before, of course never in a container situation like this. If anyone has and idea what could have went wrong it would be nice for the input. I think I would have to say that growing them like this is not a good idea based on the effort and cost I put into this project. Thanks for reading and look out for other experiments!   

 

 

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