Fine Gardening

Posts Tagged ‘Container Gardening’

Tomatoes Gardening

Tomatoes are the most popular vegetable in any garden. Tomatoes gardening are no big hassle. As per experts of fine gardening, tomatoes gardening can not only be a good hobby, if well taken care of, the plants can give a high yield of good quality tomatoes for your kitchen needs. Tomatoes also adapt well to container gardening. There are various varieties of tomatoes including plants that yield small or large sized fruits. Common among the small sized varieties are red cherry, saladette and presto and large fruit varieties include spring giant, homestead, big set etc.

Preparing the soil for tomatoes gardening requires working at the first 8 to 10 inches of soil for some weeks before you begin planting. Ensure there are no clods and all trash and rocks are removed. As per experts and enthusiasts of fine gardening, tomatoes gardening will be best if organic matter is used in the soil. 2 to 3 inches of organic matter like hay, straw, compost, mulch or leaves should suffice. Cover the top of the soil with this organic matter. Also, ensure that the soil is not too wet or moist.

Fertilization is the next step. Tomatoes gardening will be fruitful if you mix fertilizers at the top of the soil – the first 3 to 4 inches. It is recommended that you add about three pounds of fertilizer per 100 square feet of the area.

For tomatoes gardening, whether growing from plants or seeds, can be successful only if you plant at least 2 to 3 weeks after the frost has passed. While tomatoes can be grown from plants, if you are keen on tomatoes gardening right from seeds, ensure you get fresh seeds and also get some seed starting mix. Plant the seeds at least 3 mm or 1/8 inches deep in the soil and wait for germination. Ensure there is plenty of sunlight and if you stay in a place where there is inadequate light, you can also grow it in a greenhouse and transplant it once you have a good plant. If you are growing tomatoes using plants, ensure you purchase disease and pest free green plants that have a height of six to eight inches. Ensure frost has passed away. Make holes with a depth of three to four inches and if you are planting several, separate them by two to four feet if you will cage them, and at least four feet if you let them grow unsupported.

Tomatoes gardening does not demand too much of work. Just ensure you water the plants adequately. Prune them regularly so that all the stems and leaves get uniform sunlight. One way is to tie them with a vine. Another way is to cage them. You should start receiving fruits of tomato gardening in about six to eight weeks. Wait for tomatoes to acquire their full color before plucking them. Regularly inspect for any signs of pest or rot under the leaves but they can be controlled using pesticides and fungicides.

A major advantage to planting in a container garden is that you have complete control over the soil composition, water level, and sun exposure for each individual container. However, you have to actively monitor all these factors in your container garden. It is more work than planting perennials and letting them come up every spring. However, with the proper care your container garden can be a year-round delight.

The first mistake the most people make in their container gardens is not providing adequate drainage for their plants. If the soil is too wet, the water can take up the places that are normally occupied by oxygen and your plant will effectively drown. Continually wet soil can also cause roots to rot or grow fungus. Make sure that your container garden has excellent drainage. The best method is to buy pots with lots of drainage holes in the bottom. You can then set your pot in a shallow dish to collect the excess water. You may also want to fill the bottom of your pot with gravel or crushed and cut plastic bottles to assist in the draining process.

Once you have established the right kind of drainage for your container garden you need to make sure that you are neither over- nor under-watering your plants. Touch the soil. If it feels dry, you need to water your plant more often. You can also monitor your plants’ condition to make sure they are getting the right amount of moisture. If their leaves are browning or drooping it probably means you need to water more. However, if they are turning yellow, especially at the bottom of the plant, you should water less and check on your drainage system.

The soil in your container garden is also key to your plants’ health. Since a container garden is a closed system, you won’t be getting nutrients from the surrounding environment. Therefore, when you first put in your potting soil, make sure it has a slow release fertilizer. After that, you should fertilize your container garden about once a week. Use an organic liquid fertilizer like fish emulsion, especially if your containers are near pets or small children.

As you assemble all the plants in your container garden, make sure that they all have similar light requirements. You have the flexibility to put your container in as much shade or sun as you desire, but you want to make sure your chosen condition won’t kill any of your plants. Don’t be afraid to prune or transplant parts of your container garden that aren’t looking so well. It can be tricky to maintain a healthy environment, so depending on your gardening skills you may want to cull all but the hardiest plants from your container garden.

With large backyard gardens becoming a luxury and more and more people catching the fancy of consuming “home-grown” veggies, Container Vegetable Gardening is the talk of the town. However, there are a few things to keep in mind before plunging into Container Vegetable Gardening as a simple hobby or a fine gardening enthusiast.

• Not all vegetables are suitable for Container Vegetable Gardening. This is because some plants have wide spread roots or are huge in size and your container may not be sufficient for the vegetables to grow well. To make your container vegetable gardening experiment a success, it is better to start off with vegetables like tomatoes, carrots, beets, peas, lettuce, cabbage, broccoli and peas. Also, herbs like thyme, basil and rosemary are good choices for container vegetable gardening.

• The container size plays a key role in container vegetable gardening to bear fruit. Since most containers will have to hold potting mix of at least 7-8 inches, it is best to have a container that is at least 8 inches deep and about 12 inches in width. While non-porous containers like plastic and metal can be used, wood containers are considered better as they are semi-porous and can be made durable if pressure treated or lined with plastic. Clay pots are porous too but there is the risk of breakage and damage.

• Drainage is of vital importance in Container Vegetable Gardening. By providing proper drainage holes in containers, your vegetables will not drown due to over-watering. These holes can be made in the bottom of the container.

• Adequate sunlight is an important ingredient in the success of container vegetable gardening. Tomatoes, peppers and cucumbers need a lot of exposure to sun whereas cabbage, parsley and other greens do well under shade. The advantage of container vegetable gardening is one can shift the containers as per the direction of the sun.

• While daily watering is necessary for most container vegetables, over watering may lead to stunted development. To avoid over watering, just insert a stick in the container soil. If there are good traces of soil on the stick, you can skip watering for that day.

• You can also use mulch like compost, leaf mold and straw on top of the soil to avoid loss of moisture. Do not forget to buy a soil-less or soil mix for your container vegetables. You can pick these from any commercial or retail outlets.

• Over watering container vegetables can wash away nutrients. Using a water soluble fertilizer once in a fortnight should do well for the plants.

• For container vegetable gardening to be a success, it is essential to do regular inspection of your plants for any insects or diseases.