Container gardening: Helpful information and tips
By Savannah Tanner
Agriculture & Natural Resources Agent
UGA Extension-Emanuel County
Container gardening is quickly becoming a way of life in vegetable production. Container vegetable gardening is an excellent way to produce quality, homegrown vegetables. Many vegetables suitable for planting now can be grown successfully in containers if they are provided proper care.
Vegetables grown in containers need more frequent attention (such as watering) than those grown in the ground, but the work is easier physically. The ease of container gardening makes this technique good for older vegetable gardeners and children who may find cultivating in-ground beds too physically demanding. One of the biggest labor-saving advantages to vegetable gardening in containers is that weeding is far, far less of a chore.
Select a sunny location outdoors for your container vegetable garden. All vegetables grow best where the sun shines directly on the plants at least six to eight hours a day. A location that also allows drainage water to run freely from containers is also needed. It is a good idea to use small bricks to raise larger containers off of wood porches or decks to prevent water damage to the wood.
The larger the containers you use, the more choices you have of vegetables to grow. Production is generally higher, and you don’t have to water as often. You can buy plastic or clay pots, tubs, half whisky barrels, old freezers, other containers, but you can cut or punch drainage holes into virtually any container. Inexpensive Styrofoam ice chests work well, for instance. If the container has been used for other purposes, wash it with warm, soapy water, and rinse it thoroughly before using it.
Fill the container with a commercial potting mix that drains well. The level of soil should be somewhat below the rim of the container after planting. This is called head space and helps facilitate proper watering. Regardless of the kind of soil you use, we always recommend soil sampling (bring those in to the Extension office).
Select and plant vegetable seeds or transplants. Listed below are some of the vegetables that can be planted as transplants or from seed and the minimum size pot to plant them in. Remember, root crops such as beets, carrots, radish and turnips must be direct seeded into the pot.
Determinate Tomatoes, Eggplant, Perennial herbs (sage, rosemary, lavender, mint): 5 gallons
Indeterminate Tomatoes, Cucumbers, and Squash: 10 gallons
Bell peppers, Beans, Strawberries: 2-3 gallons
Annual herbs (basil, dill, cilantro)-1 gallon
Listed above are minimum container sizes for various vegetables that will allow them to mature and produce properly. You can certainly plant a greater number of any of these vegetables into containers larger than listed. For instance, while one or two lettuce plants can be grown in a one-gallon container, you can grow three to five in a three-gallon container. Using larger containers means they don’t need to be watered as often, and they offer more cold protection to the roots
Check the soil daily and water often enough to keep the soil evenly moist. Do not allow the vegetable plants to wilt before watering. Always water gently until water runs out of the drainage holes of the container. To minimize disease problems, try to water without wetting the foliage, if possible.
A soluble fertilizer — the kind you dissolve in water to apply — applied about every two weeks works well for container vegetables. Slow-release fertilizers can also be used, and they reduce the need to repeatedly apply soluble fertilizer. Follow label directions. Without adequate fertilizer, vegetables take longer to develop and will produce less at harvest.
Harvest you're vegetables regularly, promptly and at the proper stage for maximum quality. After all, this is the reward for the effort.
For more information on these and other topics of interest, call the Emanuel County Extension Office at 478-237-1226 or drop by the office at 129 North Anderson Drive.
