intensive organic container gardening pattie louche lisa harty and lisa stefanick
TRANSCRIPT
Intensive Organic Container Gardening
Pattie LoucheLisa Harty and Lisa Stefanick
Soil Preparation
• Reasons not to use outside dirt from your yard.– Too sandy, too much clay, too heavy– No nutrients– Weeds, seeds, diseases, insects– Chemical fertilizers may be present
• Reasons not to use soilless mix– Too light, not strong enough to support plant roots– Sterile and contains very few nutrients– Small amts of synthetic fertilizers and wetting agents-not
organic
• Read the label– “Certified organic”– Approved by OMRI (Organic Materials Review
Institute)– Some peat moss or limestone treated with
prohibited material– Unreliable amounts of compost- 20-50%– Should contain only natural plant and animal
derivitives
Recipes for soil mix• 1 part peat moss or mature compost• 1 part garden loam or top soil• 1 part clean builder’s sand or perlite
• Or
• ½ cubic yard peat moss• ½ cubic yard perlite• 10 lbs bone meal• 5 lbs ground limestone• 5 lbs blood meal
*note if using own compost make sure it is mature (made last summer for this spring planting)
Soil testing
• Soil testing ahead of planting will let you know what to add – Saturated Media Extract test– Offered by most university and commercial
horticulture labs– 1-3 week turn around
• Fill pot ¾ full and add organic fertilizer to top 3 inches of soil and you are ready to plant!
Containers
• Types• Preparation• Sizing for particular plants• How to fill with the proper blend of
soil/organic matter etc…P/K/N
Plant combinations
• 5 gallon: tomato/peppers/eggplant or tomato/cilantro/onion (successive planting)
• 2 gallon: strawberry/spinach/chamomile• 1 gallon: cabbage/garlic/green onion or
lettuce/cukes/green onion (successive planting)
To fertilize or not?
• Soil testing before planting is your key to what your garden needs
• Increased demands from intensive practices• Use organic fertilizer, fish emulsion, worm
casting or tea, compost and/or compost tea• Increased risk of overfertilizing – water
thoroughly each and let drain through• Adequate drainage is a must!• Clump containers together-
Pest and critter control
• Diligence is key! Prevention and early treatment is a must
• Beneficial bugs, partner plantings• Most pests are variety or crop specific • Keep on balcony or porch (keeps bunnies and
squirrels away!)• Blast with water, soapy water, Neem or
horticultural oils or cover with Remay cloth
Harvesting
• Trellising, supports, training upward or trailing downward, interplanting, successive planting, rotating plants, replacing with new seedlings often help prevent bolting and always having something new to grow and eat.
• Themes (Italian, Greek, salsa…) and partner plants
• Enjoy!