Container Gardening for Beginners

By Sonya Percell

Container gardening is no great mystery! The work, compared to an actual, tilled-up garden patch, is minimal, and the rewards are great. The back-breaking work of hoeing, raking, and pulling the tons of weeds and bermuda grass that continually invade your garden space is gone. Nothing compares to slicing up your own fresh tomatoes for your table. Anyone who has tasted home-grown tomatoes, then tried the hot-house grocery store varieties knows there is a huge difference in quality and taste between the two.

So let's get started! The first thing you need to figure out is the type of tomato you prefer. Do you want the big, slicer tomatoes? Or perhaps you'd rather have the meaty Roma tomatoes, or the zesty cherry tomatoes for salads! Maybe you'd like all three! Whichever type you prefer, your local greenhouse can guide you to a perfect choice.

Next, you're going to need some supplies. The pots or containers should be around 18" across, more or less. The big 5 gallon paint buckets work well, even though the diameter is a bit less than 18", because they have depth. You see, if you have more soil, it will dry out less quickly, requiring less watering. If your tomatoes are in smaller pots, they are going to require more care and water. Whatever type of container you use, be sure there are holes in the bottom for drainage purposes. Next, you will need some soil. Many common outlet stores carry soil that will feed your plants for 3 months or so! Or you can buy a combination of topsoil and compost and mix them together. If you get topsoil or potting soil by itself, you will need to "feed" your plants. There's a huge variety of plant food or fertilizer out there; some is specially formulated for tomatoes. Just follow the directions on the package.

Now you have your containers, your soil, and your plants. You're ready to plant! Here's a tip: if your plants aren't too large, say 6 or 8 inches tall or so, lay the 3 or 4 inches of stem at the bottom of the plant (the part right above the dirt in the little container you buy them in) down sideways in a trench & cover with soil. Let the top few inches curve up and stick out. If any leaves are going to be under the dirt, pinch them off. What this will do is add significantly to your root system, thus creating a healthier, hardier plant. Don't worry if the part sticking up is curving. It will straighten up on its own in a few days as the plant adjusts to its new position and added root base. If the plants you purchase are too big for this, don't worry about it. They'll still grow and give you delicious tomatoes!

After your plants are established, you should keep the soil from compacting too hard around them. This probably will not happen anyway, if you buy your soil. However, if you use dirt from your yard that has a lot of clay, it tends to harden, which will keep the water from getting down to the root system quickly. A hand digger with tines is all you need to keep the soil loosened up.

As your plants grow, you will need to stake them up, or the limbs will get too heavy and fall, splitting off and damaging your plants. Tomato cages are available at your local outlet stores (like Walmart, Lowe's, etc) or you can make your own out of fencing. As long as the cage surrounds your plant and gives you places to brace up the heavy limbs with twine, you're good. Be sure not to tie the twine solidly around the stems; it will tighten too much as they grow! Just form a cradle or support with the twine that keeps the branches from drooping too much. The twine will need adjusting from time to time as your plants grow.

Keep in mind that your investment in containers, cages & a hand digger are longer-term investments, and should last several seasons. Your soil will need refreshed each spring with additional nutrient-rich soil or fertilizer and of course, you'll need new plants each year, but other than that, and some water, your investment should be quite modest compared to the benefits of having fresh tomatoes on hand.

Tomatoes do well in full sun. If, however, you're in an area where the late afternoon sun gets exceedingly hot and blisters your tomatoes, you may need to put your containers where they will be shaded during the very hottest hours of the summer. The east side of your porch or house works well for this.

Be sure and give your tomatoes enough water. Try not to water them in the hottest part of the day; the early evening or the morning is best. The water could blister the tomatoes otherwise. It is better to water deeply and a little less often. Shallow watering will not reach the entire root system.

Remember that these rules and suggestions work for peppers as well (except for laying them down to create a longer root base; I've never tried that with peppers!).

Now you know the basic rules for container gardening of vegetables such as tomatoes and peppers. It's not too late this summer; get your supplies and get going! You'll be glad you did!

CONTAINER GARDENING - BEGINNER TIPS FOR PATIO STYLE

By Kent Higgins

If you're new to gardening and would like to add style, color, or a welcoming vibe to your deck or patio, container gardening can be an easy way to accomplish this. You can even add roses or other plants to boxes in windows. Natural sanctuaries can bloom anywhere with container gardens. By using containers, gardens can be cultivated practically anywhere.

When planning your garden, you should choose colors that compliment each other. Also, the plants should vary in height and appearance. Variety is good for container gardens. To make your garden colorful for a longer portion of the year, make sure you choose plants that bloom at different times of the year.

You can grow these plants in almost any kind of container. Examples are pots, urns, bowls, or antique bathtubs. You should take the ambiance and style of the area where the plants and containers will be before you choose the containers. The following suggestions will help you choose the correct arrangements for different areas.

With a large house, porch area, and a front door that stands out, you want to avoid having two of the same pots, one on each side of the door. It is better to have pots randomly arranged in front of one part of the door. For some reason, an odd number of pots look better than an even number. Even one, well thought out and placed pot, can look great. Adding one more pot to make an even number would hurt the arrangement. Adding one more pot to that would fix the problem, etc.

Be creative in your container selection and placement. If you pay attention to the space you have available and the style that you want to create, you can create a beautiful space for you and guests to admire.

TRICKS FOR GROWING PATIO TOMATOES

To start a container tomato growing campaign there are a few tricks to consider before you start. You must first choose the type of tomato you want to grow. There are as many styles and varieties as there are people living in the state of New York. But with all the choices available, you must decide how the tomatoes will be used and pick the best one for your patio or deck gardening endeavors. Choosing the right plant may seem a daunting task, but if you ask for help from your garden center you will usually be steered in the right direction.
You will also need an appropriate container. The perfect pot is a self waterer that will ensure that the plant's roots do not become waterlogged and rot before you see the fruits of the harvest, but will keep water close at hand for the plant to absorb the water through the soil. These can be purchased anywhere garden supplies are sold, but you can actually use whatever large container you may already have - so long as it has adequate drainage. If you have leftover plastic buckets from house painting, punch a few holes in the bottom and put some gravels or small rocks in there to keep the dirt from stopping up the holes, put in fresh dirt (potting soil is lighter) and your plant, set in the sun, and you are ready to wait!
Another thing to consider is that tomatoes need sunlight. If you do not have direct sun the plants will be a little leggy (tall and spindly), but will still produce tomatoes for your salad. Tomatoes love heat more than light, so make sure you have them in a spot that they will get a lot of heat. They are very resilient, but to have great success you must keep them warm.
Keeping the unnecessary parts of the plant from flourishing will increase your yield. Pull out the suckers (the leaves that grow between the stalk and the limb) since they will not produce anything - but will direct energy away from the fruit. Most tomatoes need to have a stake or trellis to grow on, but you can keep a tomato plant pruned back a bit so that it doesn't overtake the entire patio. Just make sure you do not cut off any part of the plant that has flowers or tomatoes on it!
Choose your plants, tools, and area wisely and you will have all the tomatoes you can eat. Growing tomatoes on a patio or deck is fun and easy, not to mention healthy and inexpensive! Try it this year, and you will surely be hooked.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Rhonda_Cossey

YOU CAN STILL GROW YOUR OWN VEGETABLES WITHOUT A GARDEN PLOT

by David Haigh

What could be fresher and tastier than carrots pulled from pots on the patio or salads picked in the back yard? Many vegetables and herbs perform very well when grown in containers, which is excellent news for anyone without a garden or an allotment. This method of production is also ideal for people with little time to tend a vegetable patch.
Crops can be grown in pots, troughs, window boxes, grow bags, old tires, chimney pots and guttering. In fact any container which holds sufficient compost for the plant being grown, and allows excess water to drain, will suffice. For salad crops such as lettuces, Chinese greens, and spinach, as well as herbs like basil, coriander and parsley grow bags are cheap and fit into tiny places including window sills and porches. Radishes being quick growing and shallow-rooted can be grown in lengths of guttering. Regular watering in dry weather is a must, as salads stop making leaf and run to seed in hot dry weather. Sow small batches of these crops every 3-4 weeks for continuity of supply from late spring to late autumn.
Early crops of carrots can be started in a greenhouse, conservatory or porch. It is a simple job just to place the pots out of reach of low-flying carrot flies.
Plants with more extensive root systems including tomatoes, peppers and potatoes require bigger containers with a depth and width of at least 18" or so or they dry out too quickly, requiring frequent watering and feeding.
Basically any multi-purpose compost with some sterilized loam added is suitable. Make sure there are ample drainage holes and a layer of drainage material such as broken pots or crocks in the bottom of the containers.
Peppers, both the sweet bell peppers and the fiery chilli peppers, are well suited to growing in containers; a certain amount of root restriction helps the flowers and fruits form. To grow well peppers need good light and plenty of warmth. Peppers form small root balls and hate being transplanted into large pots of cold compost, so pot on gradually. Liquid feed with tomato feed every week once the first flower truss has set.
Growing tomatoes in grow bags has long been common practice. Dwarf and compact varieties are excellent for growing in hanging baskets and tubs.
Baby new potatoes (earlies) are expensive to buy. When grown in containers they are free from pest damage and exceptionally clean at harvest time. Many garden centers sell seed potatoes by number (such as 3 potatoes, 4 potatoes) so you don't have to get a big bag which contains far more than you need. Put 2-4 tubers in, depending on the size of the container and cover with 14 - 5 inches of compost. Earth up the developing plants with more compost as you would potatoes growing in the garden. Harvest in 8-10 weeks time. A quick rinse and they are ready for the pan! What a treat!!