Friday 01 July 2011, 1 – 2:30 pm
Container Gardening
PREVIOUSLYLast month we had an enjoyable and educational visit from James Bridges who spoke to us about how he made his organic garden. He had nice slides and his wife Tonya was here to work the computer so I got to sit in the audience and enjoy! It was nice. As always I picked up some useful information and inspiration. I hope the rest of you did as well. That reminds me I need to pick up a garden fork...
James' URL is ulocal.kcra.com/urbangardener and scroll down for pics and vids.
And James will be giving other talks in the area so if you are interested I believe you can contact him through that link.
UPCOMING
Our next meeting is Friday 05 Aug 2011 here at RAN library.
On Saturday 06 Aug 2011, 8 am – 2pm is the Harvest Day - Sacramento's Ultimate Garden Event!
Listen to speakers, watch demonstrations, visit educational booths, tour the gardens, sample fresh tree-fruit, grapes, and vegetables. Visit the plant clinic for advice. For more information and a schedule of events, http://ucanr.org/sites/sacmg/Harvest_Day_2010/ Do we want to meet up?
Check out the Sac Bee - http://www.sacbee.com/ for events, local garden news like Arboretum Allstars or tips.
IN MY GARDEN
My new favorite plant is Calibrachoa. http://blog.gardenharvestsupply.com/2011/04/22/million-bells-calibrachoa-grow-a-million-smiles/
The straw bale gardens are in their final configuration. I am fertilizing them with homemade Weed Poo. I now LOVE weeds!
When I went to work yesterday my CHARD looked fine. When I got home, a third of it was brown and crispy and the rest was limp! I cut that off along with the rest of the big leaves which we had for dinner. And I gave the plant some water. Without so much leaf to lose moisture the plant will manage better today as it is going to be 100 degrees again. This morning what I didn't cut off looked great and the plants will be fine. But I would have been better off to cut the leaves off and put them in the fridge before I went to work. Of course I don't always have time, but at least now I know. Pick in the morning if possible.
I have a big rope-handled tub with Sunchokes in it. I thought I had harvested them all last fall but they came back this spring. Which is why I have them in a container, once you plant them, you have them forever. Now they are about 4 feet tall and if I don't water them every day they are very droopy. Very droopy. The container is only half full of dirt and clearly that is not enough soil to hold enough moisture for them. It is going to be scary to repot them but I am going to do it anyway this weekend. They won't continue to grow the way they are now. I am going to tip them over on their side, ease them out, add some potting soil or compost and replant them. Hopefully they will survive. If they break off I think they will regrow. If I could have done this sooner it would have been much easier.
Trees, trellises, paths for playing.
IN YOUR GARDEN
What is going on in your garden?
You can: hook up or turn on the watering system if you haven’t. Give trees a good soak. Mulch. Plant in heat lovers. Shop for Crepe Myrtles. Continue successive plantings of corn and beans. Still time to plant tomatoes, peppers, eggplant, melons, squash, pumpkins, sunflowers. Remove berry canes that have finished fruiting. Thin fruit on trees. Start thinking about where to install a rain garden.
CONTAINER GARDNEING
Check out these creative containers
Pics Bottle caps, shoe bags, coffee cans, more cans, chair, gutters.
Benefits:
Improves drainage, garden on concrete or over poor soil, control soil content and PH, reduce bending, raises plants above many pests, movable, plant more intensively, can use less water.
Raised beds are large containers.
Bulbs and other plants can be planted in pots and sunk in the ground making them easier to lift and store over the winter.
Disadvantages:
Of course the major disadvantage, especially this time of year in Sacramento is the hot sun and the warm breezes, either or both will desiccate your tender green plants in no time at all. Container plants need more frequent watering and fertilizing.
Choosing a Container:
Just about any non-toxic container can be used.
Drainage and porosity. Always have drainage, add plastic liners to porous containers.
Weight and size. The container should be large enough so the plants won’t dry out completely between waterings but not so large that water is wicked away from the roots. Consider whether your pots will be moved. Taller plants require heavier containers. Often plants have a much larger root mass than top portion.
Consider the shape of the container for shallow or deep rooted plants.
Soil:
Soil provides air, water and support. Possibly nutrition and a home for microlife.
Garden soil, potting soil, compost, soilless mixes, additives like perlite, bark or sand.
Do not add filler like rocks or Styrofoam unless you are trying to lighten a container.
Planting and Repotting:
Root prune and or de-soil, to maintain size in the same container. Can be done without removing the plant. Remove appropriate amount of foliage.
De-soil the plant in a bucket of water before planting to reduce soil disparity.
Choose the right size container when repotting, usually just a couple of inches larger.
Some plants like to be somewhat root bound.
Watering and Fertilizing:
Container gardens require more frequent watering. Do not allow containers to dry completely or fine roots will die. Also, the potting media will shrink away from the side of the container and be harder to re-wet.
Water in stages. Let the soil expand.
Self-watering pot systems that may potentially reduce watering maintenance. Make your own plant minder out of soda bottles or milk jugs to slowly drip water plants.
A long growing season means fertilizers are needed more often.
Salt build-up from water and fertilizer is damaging to plants causing burned leaf edges, stunted growth, and fewer blooms. Periodically water until it runs out the bottom.
Diluted soluble fertilizers may be used with every watering, or at full strength on a weekly or every two-week basis, depending on the type of plants being grown. Follow product directions for concentrations and timing.
Design Basics:
Think Pillars, Fillers and spillars.
Consider what the desired impact is and the style you are trying to achieve. Mix heights, shapes and textures or use repetition to make a bold statement. Or just mix it up for informal cottage garden effect. Hot colors stand out, cool colors recede. Use color and texture to unify your composition.
Overplant. Experiment. Plants are not puppies. When containers get crowded, take something out. When something dies or doesn’t look good anymore, replace it.
You can mix annuals with perennials.
Plants:
Choose plants based on light, moisture, color, height, shape, texture, desired theme, and more.
Group plants with similar culture needs in the same container. Water, PH, sun.
Make a themed container like a pizza garden.
Many plants just won’t get as big in containers. Use root pruning to maintain size if you don’t want to change containers.
Among the relatively new annuals are Angelonia, Bacopa, Ipomea, Evolvulus, Bracteantha, Pentas, Scaevola, and Torenia.
Don’t overlook “indoor” or tropical foliage plants for shady areas. Consider Dracaena, Schefflera, Ficus, Aspidistra, and Fatshedera.
Pic from http://www.ext.colostate.edu/pubs/garden/07238.html
Vines on a trellis can also be used in container gardens. Consider morning glory, Nasturtium, scarlet runner bean, or canary creeper.
Many vegetables can be successfully grown in containers. Look for varieties that are labeled as “bush,” “patio,” “dwarf,” or “compact” Or whose name implies compact such as ‘Tiny Tim’ tomatoes, ‘Spacemaster’ cucumber, ‘Morden Midget’ eggplant, ‘Short & Sweet’ or ‘Thumbelina’ carrots. These are prolific producers that require minimal space. Read the label for overall plant size.
Herbs add foliage texture and color, plus they may be edible or contribute fragrance to the landscape. Their culture requirements differ so plant accordingly.
Container Maintenance:
Most containers will require daily watering in summer. Mulch can help. Consider providing shade.
Consider reflected heat and light.
Make sure they do not sit in water over the winter or stay bone dry for too long.
Shade cloth or umbrellas can be used to block the sun. Umbrellas can be used to block the rain.
Trellises or colored cages can add another useful or just decorative dimension.
Perennials can be planted out into the yard at the end of the season.
Before moving containers indoors, check for pests.
Water Plants:
Water gardens are easier than you might think. You can even grow edible garden plants. Use plants that might otherwise take over your pond.
Floating, submerged or marginal plants have different requirements.
Generally 6 hours of sun.
Add water as it evaporates.
Add fertilizer as plants grow.
If algae or mosquito larvae develop, remove the water plants, empty the container, refill with clean water, and replace the plants. Or use hydrogen peroxide for algae and mosquito fish or BT for mosquitoes.
BOOKS
Do you have a book review or other resource you would like to share?
Check out FOUNDING GARDENERS from our Lucky Day Collection or put it on hold.
ARMCHAIR FEILDTRIP
Richmond Seed Lending Library.
To mark his forty years as the Financial Time's gardening columnist, Robin Lane Fox takes us on a rare tour of his private Oxfordshire garden.
Pear in a Bottle.
Square Tomato
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