Dos and Don’ts of Container Gardening

I’ve been gardening for 10 years… you’d think I would have figured it out by now but alas, I am still turning my brown thumb to green.

I’ve failed at growing things so many times, I guess you could call me an expert. The awesome thing is how much I’ve learned! I’ve gardened at 3 different properties now, with different water hardness, type of soil, amount of space and sun, in-ground, raised planters, permaculture, and more.

This year’s gardening method was a little different again because I like to give birth with the rest of the animal kingdom; in spring. I’m wild at heart.

So with my limitations during the height of planting and growing season, I decided to give container gardening a try.

Now you lucky devils get to learn where things went right and the dastardly miscalculation I made, so you can container garden like a pro.

GOALS
First let’s layout the goal. You always want to know where you want to end up so you know what you need to do to get there.

My goal was simple, or so I thought. Grow most of my harvest in pots and containers surrounding my front deck so I could water and weed easily while maximizing my harvest.

It was ahem a learning experience.

PROS
Let’s first chat the benefits of container gardening.- Can grow a lot in a small space. - Less weeds/easy weeding - Great for small spaces. - Accessibility for those with disabilities or whom can't get down on their knees easily - Everyone can grow just outside the kitchen. Make gardening a reality no matter where you live. - Builds confidence by starting small rather than the daunting task of maintaining a large garden plot - Better growth - less out of sight, out of mind. Better positioning (sun/shade) for maximum growth - Portable - can extend the life of plants, move to better growing location, take indoors during rough weather (hail, frost) - Creative in what you use as a "container" - butternut squash growing in a tree (photo) Toilet tanks, reclaimed lumber, old metal basins, boots, the possibilities are endless and fun!

CONS

• Harder to place them in full sun, while still having access. Would do well on a back patio where you could space them out
  • Needing more frequent watering. Like a LOT. Multiple times a day some days. Hard to gauge water needs.
  • Require more nutrients – the roots can’t search out what they need like in a garden plot. More watering means more nutrients getting flooded out so you’ll need to supplement with additional natural fertilizers.

MISTAKES AND LESSONS LEARNED

WATER. All the time. Even if you think they’re good. In fact, get a moisture gauge. Then water some more. Next time I’ll add mulch and see if that helps a bit.

Be mindful of how much sun they’ll get. I put mine next to the house and although they received the morning sun until mid-afternoon, they didn’t get as much sun as they needed.

Use mulch to trap moisture.

Make sure you have good drainage in all of your containers. Some of the holes I drilled in my big metal washtub were not enough.

The biggest success for drainage was in the pots I pre-filled with extra rocks. I left about 6″ for soil but I would actually leave more.

Pre-add your stakes for anything that needs support while growing. Especially in pots you line with rocks. My tomatoes were not very happy with me. Line with rocks but leave 6+ inches for soil.

Big lesson that even container plants on a deck need protection from wildlife. Our big garden is fenced to keep out the deer but we have a squirrel my husband and son have befriended (and saved from drowning but that’s another story) who are most of my plants!

Crops I usually excel at without trying, failed miserably. Carrots and beets. Watering was the downfall… again. I’ll admit, there are some tomatoes I saw coming home today that are wilting from dehydration. It’s amazing how fast the moisture can change in containers!

Can someone please just text me every day and tell me my plants need to be watered?

In summary, this was one of my worst harvest years but totally not the container gardening’s fault!

Even ensuring I had a postpartum watering plan and accounting for additional watering needs of container gardens, I made a critical mass mistake of misjudging my postpartum abilities during the planting and rapid growth stages of June.

Lucky for you, you most likely will not have to contend with such hindrances in your own garden and as long as you water decadently, you’ll have a bountiful bounty at the end of summer!

Recommendations
Overall I certainly plan to try it again! I enjoyed having everything so close by and contained for easy weeding. And with proper maintenance it’s easy to see why container gardening is so popular and fruitful.

For busy people, not so great unless you have a solid watering plan like self watering planters or drip irrigation.

And for the record, I had about 20 containers to monitor, most of which were on the front deck.

The season wasn’t a total bust though. Our Hugelkultur was a great success and I have plans for new ones for next year, which I will prepare this fall. And, I successfully grew a new crop of garlic! So YAY! Our immune systems will be happy and our bellies full this winter.

What about you? What new things did you learn in your garden this year?