How to -A Guide to Grow a Successful Vegetable Container Garden

This article discusses the tools, containers, seeds and other basic information that will help the beginner grow vegetables in containers. After reading this article the new vegetable gardener will have a good understanding of how useful and practical vegetable container gardening can be.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

1. Growing your own vegetables in containers is a great idea, especially if you have limited space. You can put your small garden just about anywhere. The patio, deck, or porch are just a few places that come to mind. Make sure that the area you choose is well ventilated, has adequate sunlight and is easy for you to work in. Having a container garden is a very good alternative to regular gardening, because it makes it easier to eliminate gardening problems caused by bad weather conditions, soil-Bourne diseases, poor soil conditions or nematodes. All these problems can be easily overcome by maintaining the containers in which they reside, without disturbing any of the other plants.

2. There are many vegetables that will grow well in containers. These include eggplant, green onions, beans, peppers, tomatoes, lettuce and squash. Just about any vegetable that will grow in a garden can be grown successfully in a container. Even cucumbers and pole beans can be grown in containers. They will need more attention and extra space because of their vines.

3. Before choosing a soil for your vegetable container garden, consider synthetic soil. The synthetic soil works best for vegetable container gardening, because it is very light, drains well, holds moisture and nutrients. These synthetic soils can be a mixture of many different types of compounds, such as wood chips, sawdust, vermiculite, peat moss or perlite. You can purchase synthetic soil mixtures directly from your local garden retailer, or you can make your own. To make your own synthetic soil, mix superphosphate, horticultural grade vermiculite, limestone, peat moss, and garden fertilizer. For each 1 bushel of peat moss and vermiculite add 1 cup of garden fertilizer. Then mix in 5 tablespoons of superphosphate and 10 tablespoons of limestone. To reduce the dust during mixing, add a small amount of water. When you are ready to seed or plant, wet and mix the compound thoroughly.

4. Vegetable container gardening is very flexible. Almost any container can be used for your garden. Remember to plan everything out before beginning your garden. You will need to determine the space available and if the area gets enough sunlight and ventilation. There are many different sized containers you can choose from. Choosing the right containers for the right vegetables will make your container gardening much easier. Green onions, herbs and parsley will need containers at least 6-10 inches in size. 5 gallon containers are perfect for vegetables, such as eggplant, peppers or tomatoes. These containers will provide enough room for the roots to grow and are not too heavy to move when needed. The containers you choose will need to have drainage holes along the sides and about ¼ to ½ inch from the bottom. Before planting, put a 1 inch layer of gravel upon the bottom of the containers. This will improve drainage.

5. Vegetables that can be transplanted easily are the best plants to put in your vegetable container garden. You can buy these from your local garden supplier or grow them in your home. Germinating the seeds at home is easy and very interesting. Seeds can be germinated in a variety of containers, such as a pot, baking pan, milk carton or other shallow vessels. To be sure your seeds are germinating properly, you will need to fill the containers with a nutrient rich compound and cover the seeds from ¼ to ½ inch deep. Your local plant nursery will also have peat and peat moss containers which have been specifically produced for seed germination. These are very good containers and will ensure proper seed germination. Put the seeds in plenty of sunlight for about 4 to 8 weeks before the date you plan to transplant. When the seeds grow their first couple of new leaves, it will be time to put them in the new containers. Be very careful when transplanting, because the new shoots are very delicate. Fertilizing the seeds is very easy to do. Your local garden retailer will have a fertilizer solution for seeds and young transplants. The fertilizer solution is for transplants only. The seeds will need to wait until they begin to grow before they can receive the fertilizer solution. You will need to apply warm tap water to the seeds until they begin to germinate, then you can add the fertilizer solution. Watering your plants should only happen once a day. Most plants will not need more than this. The only exceptions are the very leafy plants, they will need to be watered twice a day. Avoid getting the leaves wet because this will cause plant disease. Make sure the pot your transplant is in has adequate drainage. Drainage is very important. If the plant is not able to release the excess water, it will build up within the roots. The roots will become water logged and die from a lack of oxygen.

6. It took plenty of hard work and lots of patience to build your garden. Your efforts will be paid off, because your vegetable container garden will soon produce lovely, colorful, fresh vegetables that you can use. It is a fun and rewarding hobby.