Container Vegetable GardeningFor Kids

Healthy Harvests from Small SpacesKent Phillips

kent.a.phillips@gmail.com

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Container Vegetable Gardening

Let’s StartGrowing Vegetables in Containers is• Easy• Fun• Can be done anywhere• Great way to start growing

vegetables• Vegetables taste great and

are good for you

Why Containers?

• No digging• Weed free• Cheap to start up• Grow vegetables from

April until December

Getting Started What Do You Need?• Sunlight

• Container(s)

• Growing medium

• Water

• Nutrients

• Tender loving care

Container Location• At least 8 hrs. sun for

fruiting season crops (tomatoes, peppers, etc.)

• 4-5 hrs. sun for leafy crops (lettuce, kale, etc.)

• Level space

Container Types• Plastic• Wood• Clay• Free • Recycled• Paint them

Bag Container

Swimming Pool Container

Self-Watering Containers

• Self-watering containers conserve water and nutrients

• You can make your own from a 5 gallon bucket. See HGIC publication HG600

• Or you can buy a commercial self-watering container but they can be expensive

Self Watering 5 Gallon Bucket

Homemade Salad Table™• The Salad Table™ HGIC pub 601 • Great for growing shallow rooted plants• Build it deeper for plants like beans, beets, kale

What’s the “Dirt” on Growing Media?

• Supports plant’s root system

• Holds water and nutrients

• Permits drainage

• Need to be light and fluffy

Growing Media

Commercial Soil-Less Mix• Excellent

• Lightweight• Drain well• Holds water and nutrients• Proper pH

• ProMix™, ReddiEarth™, Jiffy Mix™, and Sunshine Mix™

Stay Away From

Garden Soil • Heavy• Brings in weed seeds and soil

diseases• Doesn’t drain well in containers

Don’t use bags of • Top soil• Planting soil• Planting mix• Potting soil

Adding Compost to Media• Highly recommended• Adds additional slow release nutrients• Increases water and nutrient holding

capacity of media• May have to add perlite to lighten mix

• If you don’t have compost, LeafGro™ is the next best commercially available product.

Media MixturesSome good media mixtures for container vegetables are:

•100% soil-less mix

• 75% compost or LeafGro + 25% perlite

• 50% soil-less mix + 50% compost

Happy Roots• Watering needs vary depending on

• container size• ambient temperature• wind• sunlight• humidity• type of plant and its size

• Media in container should be kept moist at all times but not soggy

• Test growing media using your finger• Most containers will need to be watered daily in

the summer• Use a water breaker or watering can for soft flow

Fertilizers• Containers require regular

fertilization• Water soluble fertilizers

• Every two weeks• Immediately available to

plants• Organic varieties are

ready available• Always follow label

instructions

What Can I Grow• Just about any vegetable or

herb!• Lettuce• Peppers• Eggplant• Tomatoes• Beans• Cucumbers• Broccoli• Potatoes• Sweet potatoes.

• Look for “bush” or “dwarf” varieties , esp. tomatoes, cucumbers, squash.

• Have fun

Size Matters

• Match container depth to plant size

• 4-6 inches: greens, small herbs• 8-12 inches: beans, beets, large

herbs• 1-3 gallons: green onions, chard• 4-5 gallons: cucumber, eggplant,

beans, broccoli, patio tomato, pepper

• 15 gallon full size tomato

Planting Time• No pebbles, gravel, or rocks unless you need the weight

to prevent tipping. • Cover drainage holes with fiberglass screen or other

material • Thoroughly work water into the growing medium• Fill container to inch or so of top of container.• Don’t compact media• Follow seed packet directions for planting, spacing, and

care.• Plant seedlings (except tomatoes) at same level as they

were growing in pot or six-pack. • Tomatoes can be planted deeper, for stronger root

growth.

Make Attractive Containers

• Paint them

• Mix herbs and annual flowers in with the vegetable plants.

• Keep containers together to increase humidity and water retention

Keep those plants growing!• Succession plant

• Spring - lettuce or spinach

• Summer - pepper, beans or cucumbers, tomato

• Fall - kale, lettuce or broccoli

• Don’t forget to continue to fertilize each crop!

• Trellis tall or climbing plants• indeterminate tomatoes• pole beans• cucumbers

Plant Care

• BUGS• Wilted leaves – not enough or too much

water - How do you tell?• Yellow leaves/no growth – fertilize?• Inspect your plants daily• Go to plantdiagnostics.umd.edu for

additional help in diagnosing vegetable problems.

Diagnosing Plant Problems

Season’s End• Discard the plant and soil from the pot. • Do not reuse the same soil for a second season

– Infected soil or mix will spread disease into the second season unless it is properly composted

– Properly composted planting media can be reused.• Store pots to prevent freeze damage

This program was developed Maryland Master Gardener Program University of Maryland Extension Baltimore County

and modified for this presentation by

Kent Phillips