Growing plants in containers saves space, it is also a good alternative if you have a shaded area, low soil fertility, little time, an unfavorable climate, physical disabilities and limited mobility. With proper care, container gardens and vegetable gardens are more productive than conventional ones. From a square meter you can collect 20 - 25 kg of vegetables. Avoid most pests and disease problems. The best thing is that such a garden is located at arm's length, creates a sense of intimacy, which you do not get in the usual garden.
A container garden or a garden requires special equipment, primarily containers and container soil.
What should I use as a container? The choice of container for your vegetable garden is almost unlimited. They can be almost everything that is large enough and has a hole in the bottom: flower clay and plastic pots, buckets, pots, buckets, willow baskets, a tank from a washing machine, wooden boxes and boxes, children's houses, troughs, baths, barrels, containers for garbage, cut milk bottles and plastic cans, plastic bags, large cans, old tires ... and everything else that your imagination is capable of and allows a budget. You can improvise with all kinds of containers, depending on what kind of vegetables you want to grow. Out of all the variety of possible exotic options, the most popular are plastic flower pots and boxes, old plastic buckets, geotek bags, polyethylene bags.
Container vegetable growing can be economical. Of several old holed buckets, a decent garden will turn out. Look around the house and be sure to find what to plant tomatoes. Perfectly suited for this are also 20-liter plastic buckets from under construction materials and food products. Just do not use the dishes, which previously stored unknown chemicals. The creative use of obsolete items, or the manufacture of original landing boxes for the patio is a very pleasant aspect of container cultivation. If you use wooden landing boxes, pay attention to the fact that the wood has not been impregnated with means to protect from rotting creosote, arsenic compounds or pentachlorophenol - wood preservatives. These substances are toxic to plants and humans. Organic standards allow the use of a copper compound.
In a hot climate, light containers should be used to reduce heat absorption and prevent overheating of the roots.
Whatever type of container you use, make sure that there are holes in the bottom for free outflow of excess water. Most plants need a container depth of 15 to 20 cm for the normal development of the root system.
Containers are quite heavy, so for ease of maintenance, use carts and platforms on wheels. Possible option - a box on the rollers. This is especially useful for horticulture in an apartment or on a balcony, when you need to move plants behind the sun to get the most out of the available sunlight, or to avoid damage to plants during frost or storm.
If there is nowhere to store pots in the off-season, in container gardening and gardening you can do without them. Bags with planted plants are placed directly on the garden platform, pebbles, bark, on the pavement.
There are two variants of the container. The first is traditional containers, this is what you can fill a sufficient amount of soil and which have holes in the bottom for the outflow of excess water. The second option is self-polishing containers (Self Watering Containers), which appeared on the market several years ago. They have a reservoir for water storage, so do not require daily watering and ensure that water is constantly available to plants. They are good in dry climates when there is no frequent rain, and can also be a practical solution for busy people who can not pay daily attention to their plants. However, if the container does not have a hole for water outflow, during your absence in rainy weather, the plants will die from excess moisture.
Material of the container.
Clay, wood, plastic, metal and many other materials. Cast polypropylene tanks best isolate the soil from heat and cold and are similar to clay pots. Ceramic pots are more expensive, but very attractive. Wooden boxes, barrels are also a good choice. Make sure that the wooden containers have drainage holes. After planting, do not allow them to dry out, because the boards will crack or lose shape. Clay pots quickly dry out in hot, dry weather. Sometimes double is used - a smaller plastic container is inserted into the larger clay container. The space between the pots is filled with sand, peat or sphagnum, this will help in retaining moisture and protect the roots from overheating. Above, the soil can be covered with a polyethylene film or a layer of organic mulch, it also reduces the loss of moisture. Like clay containers, willow baskets dry out quickly and should be lined from the inside before filling with a perforated polyethylene film. Make sure that the material of the container is resistant to ultraviolet rays. Especially it concerns polyethylene bags and bags made of woven polypropylene.
The size of the container.
Vegetables grow on the street, therefore in comparison with indoor ornamental plants, they require much more soil. For a container garden or a garden, small containers should not be used. Small containers dry quickly and do not provide stability in windy weather, especially when high plants are grown.
For plants planted in large containers are easier to care for, they require less attention. Large containers can be relatively less often watered. In a large volume of soil, your mistakes during feeding will not have such fatal consequences. The size of the container depends on the size and type of plants grown. Two parameters are important: the depth of the container and its volume. Minimum volume: from 8 to 10 liters for herbs, green onions, radish, chard, peppers, dwarf tomatoes or cucumbers, basil, from 15 to 20 liters for tomatoes, cucumbers, eggplant, beans, peas, cabbage and broccoli. A large container can plant several plants. In this case, it is only necessary to water and feed more often. Plants with a large deep root system will be frail and unhealthy if they do not have enough space to develop roots.
Use containers with a volume between 15 and 120 liters and a height of at least 20 cm. However, do not get too involved in too large a size. Do not forget about weight. By itself, a 20-liter plastic container is very light. Filled with peat substrate will weigh 10 - 12 kg., And poured all 25 kg. The same container with a wet mineral soil weighs 40 - 50 kg. Large containers you can not budge.