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CONTAINER GARDENING FOR VEGETABLES
Many living spaces do not have ample room to plant vegetable gardens. One option is container gardening. Nutritious and fresh vegetables can be grown in containers on a balcony, patio or windowsill.
Crop Selection
Containers are ideal for almost any vegetable that would thrive in a backyard garden. Vegetables that are specifically suited for containers are peppers, green onions, tomatoes, beans, radishes squash, parsley, eggplant and beans.
Vegetable types for container-grown vegetables
Tomatoes:
Peppers:
Eggplant:
Squash:
Leaf Lettuce:
Green Onions:
Green Beans:
Radishes:
Parsley:
Cucumbers:
Note: Consult your local garden center, or horticulturist for more information.
Ideal Soil For Container Gardening
Container-grown vegetables do best in synthetic soils like Agromin's All Purpose Potting Soil. This soil can be made of woodchips, sawdust, perlite, peat moss, vermiculite or a variety of other materials. The four most important criteria regardless of the soil mixture are that it 1) be free of weed seeds and disease, 2) can retain nutrients and moisture, 3) can drain well and 4) is lightweight.
Containers
Ideally, look for drums, gallon cans, bushel baskets, wooden boxes or tubs to use as containers. Green onions, parsley and herbs thrive in pots from six to 10 inches in size. Peppers, tomatoes and eggplant are best suited in larger containers.
Adequate drainage is very important for container growing. Place about one inch of gravel in the bottom of the container before adding Agromin's All Purpose Potting Soil. This will help improve drainage. If your container doesn't have drain holes, drill them yourself-- about 1/4 to 1/2 inch on the bottom.
Seeding and Transplanting
You can purchase transplants from your local garden center or nursery to place in your container, but you can also grow the plants from seed at home. Use a baking pan to germinate your own seeds. Fill the pan with Agromin's All Purpose Potting Soil and plant the seeds to a depth of 1/4 to 1/2 inch.
Place the baking pan in an area that receives adequate warmth and sunlight about four to eight weeks before planting them in the final container. The general rule is to transplant the seeds once they show their first two or three real leaves. Be careful when transplanting so you don't injure the root system.
Fertilization
When growing plants in containers, the easiest way to add fertilizer is to create a solution to pour over the soil. You can follow the directions on the label of many available fertilizer mixes.
Water plants with the nutrient solution once a day. If your vegetable produces lots of foliage, you may need to water twice a day. When the plants mature and growth slows, scale back the watering schedule.
Leach unused fertilizer out of the soul weekly by watering with tap water. You want to water enough that you create considerable drainage from the bottom of the container. This will prevent the buildup of any hazardous materials in the soil.
Light
Full sunlight is ideal for almost all vegetables. However, some plants can do well in partial shade: lettuce, greens, cabbage and spinach. Root vegetables actually prefer more shade than those that bear fruit. An advantage to container growing is that you can move the containers as needed.
Diseases and Insects
Growing in containers doesn't keep all insects and pests away, but it generally keeps them in check. Inspect your plants regularly for anything that looks out of the ordinary.
Recommended: Agromin herb, salsa, carrot and pesto seed growing kits-- Soil included with each kit contains recycled green material (i.e., lawn clippings, leaves and tree limbs) that is chopped, cleaned and naturally composted. The soil contains no animal waste or sludge. Because the soil is rich in organic nutrients, gardeners need only add water to the soil and seeds. No fertilizer necessary. The seeds will grow into healthy herbs, peppers or carrots in 45 to 60 days. Vegetables can be grown inside or outdoors (weather permitting).
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