Easy Container Gardening

[Meerkat]

Meerkat, you grew that beautiful cabbage in a container? Was it in a bucket?

No Weedy we grew most of those in 2 and 3 gal. planting pots.

 

[Meerkat]

Meerkat, you grew that beautiful cabbage in a container? Was it in a bucket?

We usually buy these in multi packs,

https://www.amazon.com/Elite-Gallon...sery+pots&qid=1588441033&s=lawn-garden&sr=1-5

 

[Patchouli]

Yes, @Weedygarden I think that nitrogen is the one you want less of when growing fruiting crops. Otherwise, I think nitrogen helps the foliage and growth instead of production of fruit (meaning i.e. tomatoes, zucchini etc).
I have forgotten so much of what I used to know.

 

[Weedygarden]

Yes, @Weedygarden I think that nitrogen is the one you want less of when growing fruiting crops. Otherwise, I think nitrogen helps the foliage and growth instead of production of fruit (meaning i.e. tomatoes, zucchini etc).
I have forgotten so much of what I used to know.

Isn't that the truth for most of us?
I have been going through the shelves in my gardening shed (more like an outdoor closet), which I had not even looked in for a few years, and I have several packages of bone meal. I like when that happens, that something I want lots of, I all of a sudden I find that I have plenty.

 

[Weedygarden]

No Weedy we grew most of those in 2 and 3 gal. planting pots.

I am so incredibly impressed by those cabbages. I have a six pack each of cabbage, cauliflower, and broccoli, and have been wondering how they would do in buckets. It looks like they could do well, if I take good care of them. I also want to do a bucket or two of carrots, as another experiment.

 

[Patchouli]

That's funny, @Weedygarden cuz same thing happened to me recently with something else, forget what, pasta of some sort I think.

So, when you do container gardening, do you reuse soil from year before? Do you freshen it up? Mix it with new stuff half and half? I've been using same stuff and it seems to work for seed starting. This year I added some stuff like black cow and peat moss, vermiculite, and something else.
I'm going to take all my leftovers and dump it in front bed.
Start over in containers with new stuff.

 

[Meerkat]

I am so incredibly impressed by those cabbages. I have a six pack each of cabbage, cauliflower, and broccoli, and have been wondering how they would do in buckets. It looks like they could do well, if I take good care of them. I also want to do a bucket or two of carrots, as another experiment.

Wahtever you have or like will grow both.

 

[Weedygarden]

That's funny, @Weedygarden cuz same thing happened to me recently with something else, forget what, pasta of some sort I think.

So, when you do container gardening, do you reuse soil from year before? Do you freshen it up? Mix it with new stuff half and half? I've been using same stuff and it seems to work for seed starting. This year I added some stuff like black cow and peat moss, vermiculite, and something else.
I'm going to take all my leftovers and dump it in front bed.
Start over in containers with new stuff.

I think it is part of preparedness. I often have extra's of stuff. I would rather throw some stuff away that went bad, than to not have any. Bleach is something that I often have extra's of, and it does lose potency as time passes.

I reuse my soil. I know people who toss it and buy more each year. Maybe they are not as tight as I am. I will refreshen it with some new compost sometimes, but I also try to make sure that I am fertilizing the plants as well.

 

[WVDragonlady]

@Weedygarden I don't think you'll need a big bucket for carrots. They only grow so long in length according to the type you're growing. It would save on dirt and you could use the bigger bucket for another larger growing plant. Carrots like a loose soil too. So if you can add some clean sand or perlite that would be good


I always reuse my dirt. I empty some pots into a large tub and then add manure or compost and play sand to loosen the soil for good drainage.
This year I'm adding worm castings to see how that does for me.
I just reused 2 big pots today planting my swiss chard.
This year I have 4 new planters to add soil to for my cukes and zucchini if I can get the seeds to sprout(lol).
I really need to get to walmart to see if they have anything left ( I"m hoping for watermelon plants)
It has just been so wet this month. Hopefully it will taper off so I can get my plants in the soil. Can't do anything when its raining 1 and 2 inches at a time

 

[joel]

Most gardens have to much phosphorous from over fertilizing for years. This is why we should always get a soil test before a major change or overhaul of a garden stop. Oyster shells & rock dust Can help stabilize the soil, adding compost is also beneficial.

 

[Weedygarden]

Most gardens have to much phosphorous from over fertilizing for years. This is why we should always get a soil test before a major change or overhaul of a garden stop. Oyster shells & rock dust Can help stabilize the soil, adding compost is also beneficial.

Thank you. That is a great idea. I have wanted to get my soil tested, but each garden bed is different.

Each of my garden beds get worked at different times and gets amended with what I have on hand. It might be fall and I might work a bunch of leaves into one bed. Another bed might get a bunch of aged horse manure. Another bed got a bunch of peat moss. Some beds got topped with mulch that I got for free, and other beds got mulched with wood chips that I bought.

 

[Bacpacker]

We typically use the soil from a pot planted a year ago into our garden and replant into new potting soil. Out garden is mostly clay so it can use any addition to build it. The pots dont mind new soil either.

 

[joel]

Weedygarden, for an over all test you can take 1 hand full of soil from each end of each bed & put it in a 5 gallon bucket & mix it up like dry ingredients in a cake. then when it is well mixed take your soil samlpe. That the way the soil agent told me to do it. This is the best way to get an over all check, without testing each bed, which cost in S.C.

 

[joel]

We usually buy these in multi packs,

https://www.amazon.com/Elite-Gallon...sery+pots&qid=1588441033&s=lawn-garden&sr=1-5

View attachment 41265

I use 30 gallon food grade drums cut in half, so it is between 26 & 15 gallon pot size. Wish you & I lived in the same state, you could get them too.

 

[joel]

 

[Mr.Meer]

I am keeping watch on Craigslist for 5 gallon buckets for my garden. I got about 10 for free yesterday and only had to drive a couple miles to get them.

Not bad at all Weedy, happy for you and those should work great.

 

[Weedygarden]

View attachment 41307

These containers can be altered to have openings on the sides for growing plants. I have a couple that I got for free that have the top mostly cut out. It will take some work, and I have other priorities now, but since I saw the videos about how to make these, I want to convert those into planters.

 

[Meerkat]

It came back but it time to get it established.
So I planted several plants that took awhile to get established in the same whiskey barrel.
Asparagus, garlic etc.
Used heavy mulch to protect save the moisture for the plants.
Have also grown blueberries, thornless blackberries , raspberries in stock tank, or whiskey barrel.
Okra is going into whiskey barrel next to asparagus barrel.

MoBook, we'er trying to set greenhouse bak up and go to containers.Any harvest yet from yours? I also want to use that hugelkulture mound I spent so much time and energy in ,maybe water melons again.

 

[Meerkat]

I have cabbage envy, Meerkat! Your vegetables look great!

Weedy that was a good crop for sure tasted so good too nice sweet taste like its suppose to, not bitter at all,but who knows what the next one will be like?

 

[Meerkat]

I am keeping watch on Craigslist for 5 gallon buckets for my garden. I got about 10 for free yesterday and only had to drive a couple miles to get them.

Thats good ,glad you could find them. We have a pretty fair amount of continers and buckets too but not if shtf and we had to feed family.

 

[Meerkat]

How to acidify [ is that even a word
'] the soil,

 

[Meerkat]

We might have to turn into night owls to get it done! Its so hot but we did turn the AC down to 82 this week so the change isn't such a shock now as it was when AC was on 80.We never go below 79 on AC so slowly aclimate.
Humidity not real bad today.

 

[Weedygarden]

That's good ,glad you could find them. We have a pretty fair amount of containers and buckets too but not if shtf and we had to feed family.

I haven't counted, but I must have at least 2 dozen 5 gallon buckets that are outdoor~ garden buckets. I use them when I am pulling weeds.

I had more than 10 of them with crushed granite that I finally emptied this summer to make a parking spot for my small utility trailer. This worked perfectly because there was a grade or slant on that spot and I leveled it and it worked perfectly for the trailer. Spot is the perfect size and location to park the trailer, out of the way and almost out of sight. I want to add a little covering to protect the trailer so I don't have to clean it every time I use it, but there are many priorities to the covering/roof/awning, whatever I decide to do.

 

[Weedygarden]

We might have to turn into night owls to get it done! Its so hot but we did turn the AC down to 82 this week so the change isn't such a shock now as it was when AC was on 80.We never go below 79 on AC so slowly aclimate.
Humidity not real bad today.

I know that people in the Southwest, as in Arizona, get up at 4 and 5 in the morning to do yard work. It is the coolest part of the day for them.

 

[Meerkat]

I haven't counted, but I must have at least 2 dozen 5 gallon buckets that are outdoor~ garden buckets. I use them when I am pulling weeds.

I had more than 10 of them with crushed granite that I finally emptied this summer to make a parking spot for my small utility trailer. This worked perfectly because there was a grade or slant on that spot and I leveled it and it worked perfectly for the trailer. Spot is the perfect size and location to park the trailer, out of the way and almost out of sight. I want to add a little covering to protect the trailer so I don't have to clean it every time I use it, but there are many priorities to the covering/roof/awning, whatever I decide to do.

A couple years ago and even before that we have order some 3 gal containers we use on larger plants like these blue berrys.
We had fruit trees growing in some laege ones we bought the orange,lemon tres in too.