Container Gardening

A few weeks ago, Angela Motta and I decided it would be fun to host a class on gardening in containers (pots, buckets, etc.). Angela's friend Alice is a professional gardener, and Angela arranged for her to come teach us a thing or two. Since I've had mixed luck with my containers over the years, I was eager to hear what Alice had to say.

Here's Angela preparing her little garden according to Alice's instructions. She included a tomato, basil, thyme, a bell pepper, and three marigolds (Alice said she'd probably need to remove a marigold or two as all the plants get bigger). I didn't realize you could cram so many plants into such a small space.

The class inspired me so much that I decided to create my own garden. I put in a tomato, two bell peppers, two basils, and a habanero pepper (Phillip was excited about that). Wish me luck.

In case you're interested, I'm including the info from Alice's flyer, plus my own notes from the workshop. If you have any questions, feel free to ask me. And remember, if you don't get around to planting a container garden this spring, you can always plant some lettuce in a pot this fall. It's fun to have a fresh salad waiting outside your door whenever you want it.

The notes fall into eight basic categories:
1) Four keys to success
2) Suggested materials
3) Choosing supplies
4) Potting instructions
5) Watering
6) Easy Fertilizing (I emphasize "easy" because this subject always used to intimidate me. Little did I know how simple the process could be.)
7) Troubleshooting
8) Miscellaneous Notes

Four Keys to Success
1) Put your garden where you will enjoy it and see it often!
2) Put your garden where it is easy to care for!
3) Keep it simple!
4) Observe your plants! Look them over often to enjoy their progress and to nip any problems in the bud.

Suggested Materials
Plants
Container
Potting soil
Peat Moss
Vermiculite
Newspaper
Pebbles, pottery shards, or foam packing peanuts
Wooden kabob skewers
Granular fertilizer

Choosing Supplies
- Virtually anything can serve as a container if it holds enough soil and has at least one hole in the bottom for drainage.
- Keep in mind that small pots and those made of porous material (like pottery) will need more frequent watering.
- Choose plants with similar light and water requirements for your container. If you buy a plant from a nursery, the tag in the pot should say whether it needs full sun, etc.
- Find out how big a plant will get so your pot won’t be overcrowded.
- Buy healthy plants with new growth.
- If you get multiple plants in the same container (i.e. three basil plants in the same pot), you can separate them and plant them in different spots in your big container.
- Avoid buying plants with discolored leaves or bugs on them.
- You may want to plan your container garden before you go to the store so you don’t go overboard and buy more than you really need.
- Add fun stuff to make the pot yours.

Potting Instructions
1) Place newspaper in bottom of container, then add a 1/2” layer of pebbles, pottery shards, or foam packing peanuts. This will keep soil from draining out the bottom each time you water.
2) Mix soil. You can buy straight potting soil and just use that, but Alice suggests mixing three parts potting soil with one part peat moss and one part vermiculite. The additions help retain moisture, and the process of making your own blend makes the project more your own.
3) Moisten the potting mix, then add it to your pot until the soil is 3” below the rim.
4) Arrange your plants (still in their pots) in the container to get an idea of where you want to place them. Keep in mind how big each plant is likely to get.
5) Starting with the central plant, remove it from its pot. Gently spread the roots out and place the plant in its spot in the container. Mound soil around the base to hold it in place.
6) Plant the other plants the same way.
7) When all plants are in place, fill pot with more soil and gently tamp it down.
8) Add more water and some fertilizer, unless the potting soil already contains it (the soil package will indicate whether you should wait a few weeks to fertilize).
9) Trim off any damaged leaves so plants spend their energy on healthy growth.
10) If one of your plants is much bigger than the others, you may want to trim it back so they start at the same size. This is purely aesthetic – the plants will be fine either way.
11) You may want to spray the plants with safe spray (something like this).
12) Add a reminder card for when to fertilize next.
13) Enjoy! Watch! Learn!

Watering
- Keep soil moist but not soggy. In the summer you may need to water once or twice a day.
- An easy way to test soil dampness is to stick a wooden kabob skewer a few inches into the soil. If it comes out clean, the soil is dry and needs water. If it comes out with some dirt on it, the soil is fine. Do this every day or two at first, until you get a feel for how often your container needs water.
- Pour water on soil, not on the plants themselves. Moist leaves can mildew or attract bugs.

Easy Fertilizing
- Use granular fertilizer which you sprinkle on top of the soil, where it releases nutrients over several weeks. Alice likes this organic fertilizer which you can find at Home Depot, but any all-purpose granular fertilizer is fine. Instructions on the package will tell you how much to apply, and how often.
- To remind you when to fertilize next, write the date of the next feeding on a little note, poke a skewer or stick through it, and stick it in your container. You may want to laminate the note (or tape it on both sides with clear packing tape) if it’s likely to be rained on.
- Most fertilizer packages display a three number series (such as 5-10-5). The numbers show the fertilizer’s percentage by weight of nitrogen, phosphorous, and potassium, respectively. Nitrogen is necessary for foliage growth (leaves, etc.). Phosphorous is important for producing roots and flowers. Potassium contributes to overall health of the plants.
- If you want to go the extra mile, fish emulsion does wonders for food plants (tomatoes, etc.). It smells terrible, though.

Troubleshooting
- If your plant is overrun with little green or white bugs, spray it with safe spray.
- If plant is long and gangly with small leaves, it needs more light and less fertilizer.
- If holes have been bitten out of leaves, check for snails or slugs. Remove them if you find them. If you don’t find any, spray the plant with safe spray (make sure you spray both over and under the leaves).
- If there are whitish stains on the pot, salt is building up in the soil. Soak the entire pot in water.
- If the plant is droopy, it probably needs more water and light.
- If spots or powdery areas appear on leaves, that is a sign of disease. Remove the affected leaves. If spots keep appearing on other leaves, you may need to remove the entire plant so it doesn’t infect anything else.

Miscellaneous Notes
- If you chose a large container, place it in its final destination before adding soil, water, and plants. It will be very heavy once it’s full.
- Full sun = 4-5 hours for a container garden (as opposed to 6-8 hours for plants in the ground.)
- Don’t use the same soil for more than two years. If you want to keep some plants that are in old soil, simply repot them in new soil. If they have a big root system, you may want to remove part of the root clumps so the plants can spread out into fresh soil.
- You can start seeds growing in straight vermiculite, then transfer them to soil once they’ve started growing. You may want to start seeds a few weeks before you plan to remove a spent plant.
- If you don't wear gloves and you want to keep your fingernails clean, scratch a bar of soap before you garden.
- Swabbing rubbing alcohol on plant stems can deter bugs (they dislike the strong smell).
- You can also swab rubbing alcohol onto your garden shears and trowel to clean them.
- A plant that trails over the side of pot can add dramatic flair.
- Marigolds and nasturtiums attract bugs away from other plants.

Hooray for nasturtiums!