Growing vegetables in containers isn’t only simple, especially for beginners! There are 5 top container vegetables for beginners, planting instructions, tips, and even recipes for the harvest. The key to growing vegetables in containers has been made easy in this article. You just need to know how to water, weed, fertilize, and most importantly, pick healthy plants.
When choosing varieties for your container gardening, remember that you should always choose ones that are easy to maintain and grow. Lettuce is one of the easiest to maintain because it grows quite large. It can be divided into many sub-species. Grow the stock from a seedling and then cross-pollinate to create new varieties. Keep an eye out for damaged or infected varieties and get them removed immediately before they spread.
The first watering of the season should be about once per week, with a light watering if the weather is dry and rain is rare. After the first few weeks of being in the container, you can then move on to semi-damp. Then as the plants grow bigger and healthier, move them to the full-damp position. This is also a good time to check and make sure there is no build-up of soil or roots. Water carefully and lightly as water can wash away the nutrients that your plants need for thriving.
When you want to try a different type of container for your plants, try using pots filled with organic matter. Terra cotta pots are popular because they are extremely drought resistant, very tough, and can withstand frost. They have natural latex in the soil which keeps the soil from drying out and hardening, but you may need to add a slow-release fertilizer to the soil at least once a year, depending on the species of your plants. The problem you may run into with this type of container is that your plants can sometimes take the nutrients for granted and actually do better in a container with more natural soil. So, you may want to use this method for the first two years of your plants’ life in the garden.
Speaking of two years, if you start thinking that you might like to grow cucumbers or tomatoes in your container garden, then you need to think about planting them between March and May. These plants need all the moisture they get during this time of the year to grow strong, healthy leaves. During the summer, when temperatures are at their highest, they need to stay cool to prevent loss of moisture and to keep the leaves from burning. If you start planting in spring, when temperatures are cooler, you will be able to provide the needed shade to your plants.
Another thing you want to pay attention to is making sure that you have a good, deep drainage hole in the bottom of your container garden pot or box. It needs to be deep enough to allow water to get down and out of the soil quickly. It also needs to be wide enough that the roots can spread out. However, you also want to make sure that the drainage hole is large enough to accommodate any roots or other plantings you plan to put down there.
You don’t have to worry too much about space when it comes to vegetable gardening in pots. If you only have a very small window facing either east or west in your home, you can grow everything from a tiny tomato plant or cucumber to a grape vine. It really just depends on how many vegetables you want to grow, and how much room you have available.
Another option for container vegetable gardening is using a plastic container. There are many companies now that sell plastic fruit and vegetable containers that will work well for most people. If you can’t quite afford the real wood or ceramic material, you can also find many great looking plastic pots that will look just as good as any other container. Just keep in mind that you still need to provide adequate drainage, because plastic does not have any “grip” to it like, for example, Terra cotta does.