Dave Truman
Learn To Grow Vegetables In Planters & Pots
If you are looking for an easier way to control the process of growing vegetables, then perhaps you should move your garden into a container. The advantages of planting in containers are many, including easier control of pests, maintenance of soil, and adjustment of light and temperature.
One might think that planting in a container is limited to just a select few vegetables, but they would be mistaken. Of course, vegetables that need a large amount of space to flourish would not be the best choice. However, other vegetables such as tomatoes, carrots, and peppers thrive under more controlled circumstances.
Be sure to select a container that is large enough to accommodate the full grown plant at harvesting time. Use weed free soil and add the right amount of fertilizer even before you plant. Synthetic soil-like media are an option. Mixtures of peat moss, perlite, wood chips and others can be a good choice for a variety of species.
Preparing the soil beforehand, or using a synthetic medium, gives another benefit: easier water control. Adequate drainage balanced against good moisture retention is important for healthy container-grown plants. Breaking up clay particles is easy by mixing in commercial soil prep. Put some marbles at the bottom of a container to ensure good drainage at the bottom and to keep holes from getting plugged by soil.
Water with care, though, even when the medium is well prepared. Soil can readily dry out when containers are near a window. It’s easy to forget whether the watering chore was completed that day. At the opposite extreme, it’s easy to introduce root rot in container plants. Keep a soil moisture tester on hand.
When trying to decide which soil to use, many think that regular outdoor dirt is a good choice, but in all reality it isn’t. It is believed that the clay-like soil will better retain water, but in such a small space, the retention is exaggerated, and water will not drain properly. In the case of the soil being too sandy, it will need to be fortified. Basically, much effort is needed to properly adjust outdoor soil for containers, and therefore it is often best to just use soil that has been professionally prepared.
Most vegetables enjoy lots of sunshine. Putting tomatoes in a south-facing windowsill that gets light several hours per day will help produce a great crop. They also love lots of heat so there’s less risk of burning. But some, like lettuce, prefer it a little shadier. Put them where there’s less direct sunlight. Fortunately, with container gardening you can move a plant easily on those days when the sun and clouds aren’t cooperating.
The need for pest control is vital in container gardening. Many think that as long as their plants are not outside, that they are safe; However, this is not the truth. Insects can get in through small cracks, screen doors, or even in the soil itself. For that reason it is important to use insecticide soap, or other commercial mixtures. This keeps the plants, the crops, and you safe.
Growing vegetables in containers may require a bit more work, but the produce is definitely worth the effort. In addition, the health benefits that fresh vegetables offer help to complete a well rounded diet.
Vegetable Gardening – How to Control Disease
The struggle to keep your plants free from disease is ongoing. One way to make the battle a little easier is by using a number of methods to protect your plants.
To start with, proper preparation of soil and selection of seeds are a must. In selecting a plant to transplant, make sure it is free of disease and remove any diseased sections to prevent infection of healthy plants.
By watering early in the day you ensure that the leaves are dry before the cool, moist night air sets in. It is also important to be careful when watering plants, because diseases can be carried in runoff water from other plants, in the same way that a sneeze can transfer a cold from one person to another.
Many viruses are spread by contact, and insects are common carries. In order to keep this under control, maintain close watch on the insect population in your garden. Humans and animals are also at fault for the spread of some diseases, such as tobacco mosaic virus.
By regularly weeding the garden, it is not only more attractive, it is also a healthier environment for plants to thrive in. Many harmful organisms feed on weeds, and are then carried to your precious vegetables by insects, water movement and the wind.
A little education never hurt, especially when it comes to disease recognition. Often, by spotting early warning signs, you can help prevent an outbreak among your whole garden.
Problems such as mold should be given proper attention. By removing infected sections, or perhaps the entire plant, the problem can be kept under control. When the outer edges of lettuce touch the ground, a wet rot may start to form at the base, causing lettuce mold. Other molds to look out for are the white Sclerotinia mold and the gray Botrytis mold.
When spinach leaves become blotchy and turn a yellowish color, it is often the sign of spinach mosaic virus. Plant growth is stunted, and the leaves wilt. By working with, or growing, resistant varieties you proactively eliminate the problem from the start.
Fungi that attack asparagus plants can cause a number of problems. Wilting or rotting plants, as well as discoloration of the shoots and roots can be caused by Fusarium. Removing infected plants can help keep the problem under control. Red spots on the spears and shoots are the result of the Puccinia fungus. Some strong fungus strains may even survive through the winter. In order to keep these problems to a minimum, it is necessary to avoid over watering.
Tomato plants are subject to a number of problems including leaf spots and disfigurement. Most diseases attack in mid-August, particularly when the summer has been on the cool side. Diseases infecting the soil, such as a number of fungi, may move into the tomato plant. Harmful toxins produced by walnut trees can be carried through the soil by roots, and attack your crop. Watching leaves for dark, circular rings is important, and making sure that leaves are dry by nightfall can help lower the risk of infection.
The key to producing a healthy crop of vegetables is by recognizing the warning signs of disease, and dealing with the early, as well as proactively protecting your garden.
Fertilizer and Irrigation Ensure Gardening Success
Loamy soil, which is a mixture of sand, silt, and clay, is the best kind of soil for producing a healthy garden. It crumbles easily in your hand, and does not have too much clay, which retains moisture and messes with drainage. It is also not too sandy; therefore it provides adequate support for growing plants, and the needed nutrients.
The key to achieving loamy soil is twofold: quality fertilizer and proper water supply.
By testing the soil before you start, you will know what things you need to add to balance it out. A simple testing kit checks nutrient and pH levels. When growing vegetables pH levels are very important because some prefer acidic soil, while others thrive in a more basic setting. In general, most do best when grown in soil that tests between 6.0 and 6.5.
To adjust the pH level sulfur or lime, nutrients found in most fertilizers, should be added. These adjustments should be made several months before you plan on planting, which, in Northern climates, may mean after the fall harvest.
Compost piles are a great source of nutrients, and should be added to the topsoil three weeks before planting. Tilling the compost into the top layer of soil helps to speed up the introduction of the nutrients into the soil. Organic and artificial fertilizers, such as NPK 8-8-8 can be added right before planting to supplement the soil. In general, about twenty pounds per thousand square feet is sufficient.
Vegetable plants love water, however sitting in a bed of water can cause root rot. By maintaining moist soil, plants can receive the proper amount of water they need to grow and support themselves.
Water helps out plants in a number of ways. It aids in the carrying of nutrients throughout the plant, plays a part in the process of photosynthesis, and helps the cell structures to remain stiff and firm. Most gardens need about an inch of water per week, which equates to 65 gallons per 100 square feet. The amount of water, of course, depends on the type of soil. From spring to fall it is vital to monitor the rainfall and supplement any additional water that your plants may need.
This, thankfully, is not difficult.
When water is applied to vegetable plants under moderate temperatures, they do not wilt like flowering plants do; however, it is still necessary to water with care. By watering early in the day the top layer of soil and leaves can dry out by the time cool night temperatures arrive, keeping fungi at bay. Some choose to build modest drip irrigation systems out of rubber tubing. These effect and inexpensive systems should be placed at the base of the plant to ensure the roots are receiving a proper supply of water.
With a drip irrigation system in place, only the occasionally traditional watering is necessary. This serves to clean the leaves and keep their pores open. Watering when it is hot outside is unproductive as it causes the pores to open, and evaporate more moisture then they have been given. Water droplets may also act as miniature magnifying glasses and burn small holes in the leaves.
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