Update: Beginning of December

It's snowing tonight, and I'm still eating tomatoes directly off the plants.  We're down to about 35 containers of primarily tomatoes, then garlic, and some with strawberries, basil, and spearmint.  The fruits on the strawberry plants are struggling, but everything else is doing very well.  There's only one container that's five gallons; all the others are smaller.  All are now indoors.

A note on the Cherokee Purple tomato---
First, I thought it was a "bush" plant; it's not...it's "vine" (indeterminate growth).
Secondly, though the fruits were slow in coming, they are delicious.  They're being grown in containers ranging from a 2.5-gallon pail to small dog food bags to a large coffee can.  All are producing, but only a few fruits at a time... which is okay with me.

There's a greenhouse tomato called the "Moneymaker".  It's okay in terms of taste, but I rank it below the Cherry tomato and the Cherokee Purple.  Those two have the best taste in my garden.

I attribute the moderate success of the garden to the following:
1.  potting soil with a bit of perlite and mulch (mulch both mixed into the soil and as litter on the soil surface);
2.  Epsom Salt solution for magnesium, coffee grounds for a variety of nutrients, watered-down lowfat or fat-free milk for calcium, and a buried half banana for potassium & other nutrients;
3.  pruning of tomatoes...especially the lower branches & any dying/dead leaves anywhere on the plant;
4.  no over-watering of the containers;
5.  and finally, a very light spraying of the tomato container soil surface with well-diluted white vinegar...once in a blue moon.

See previous posts for details on the points above.
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The piece on composting is being postponed until late winter or early spring.
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Happy Container Gardening, and Be Well

Container Gardening Update, End of September

I've been eating cherry tomatoes every day for a few weeks now.  The plant that produces the most fruits is the one in the indoor 5-gallon bucket described in a previous post.  The biggest problem indoors is positioning the bucket/plant so that the 8-10 foot high vine can grow and still get sun from the window.  So far, so good.  The plant grows up the window, winds over the curtain rod, and heads back down.  :)

The "bush" (determinate growth) tomato plants are looking good, but producing very few fruits.  None of them are in 5-gallon buckets; the largest container is a 2.5-gallon bucket.  So again, it looks as though five gallons is the minimum size container for tomatoes...unless, like me, you don't really care if you get only a few fruits at a time from the plant.

The strawberries were raised from seed, and frankly, I didn't expect to get fruit this year.  [There's no need to bury the tiny seeds when planting; watering buries them sufficiently.]  To my surprise, they are fruiting...not yet ready to eat, but on their way.  Most of the plants are in an old cat litter box/tray/whatever it's called.  There are no drainage holes punched in the bottom, so I have to be very careful with watering.  A few plants are in much smaller containers (e.g., a large Miracle Whip jar with the narrowing top cut off) with holes in the bottom and a catch basin for drainage.  All the plants are thriving on the back porch.  They'll be moved inside in a few days because of upcoming freezing nights.

The garlic plants are looking great, and are in a variety of containers on the back porch.  Primarily they are in the small dog food bags described in a previous post.  The drainage catch basin (secondary containment) is the bottom half of a gallon milk jug...that can be cut using ordinary scissors.  Use any knife with a sharp point to make a starting slit in the side of the jug.  The 3.5 pound dog food bag appears to be the perfect height/depth for planting and raising garlic.  Harvesting & curing garlic is explained in numerous video clips on YouTube.  Mine aren't yet ready to harvest.

The basil grows well in almost any size container, and indoors or outdoors.  I raise it strictly for its aromatic quality...I don't cook at all, but love the smell of the plant.  My basil plants are both indoors and on the back porch, and they're all doing great.

The spearmint plants are growing, but slowly.  They are in a wide variety of containers on the back porch...soon to be moved indoors.

Still eating sunberries...what an easy plant to raise.  Just remember---if the berries are still a shiny purple, they're poisonous and shouldn't be eaten.  Once the fruit has a dull purple color, it's ready to eat.

Still have a total of 50+/- containers...believe me, it's great fun!  My next post here will be about composting...am using a formula that should produce spectacular compost in a pile in the backyard.

Happy Container Gardening, and Be Well

Cherry Tomatoes Have Arrived, an Update

I've been eating sunberries for some time now (they grow like weeds), and about a week ago the first cherry tomatoes (the fruits) arrived.  They're not yet big enough to eat, but it won't be long.  The best ones are on a plant in a 5-gallon bucket that has a half banana and coffee grounds buried about halfway down in the soil.  That half banana includes the skin, but it wasn't cut up or crushed.  I also lightly sprayed the surface of the soil once a week, starting when the plant was about three feet high, with a solution of greatly diluted white vinegar---about 20 parts water to one part vinegar.  That was done to:  control some tiny, little bitty black flies (a tad bigger than a gnat) that appeared on the soil & the plant; and, to acidify the soil just a bit.  It seemed to work on both counts.

Most of my other tomatoes are on the back porch (a long, open, covered structure with a railing made of 2 X 4s), but several have remained indoors in my "sun room"...including the plant in the 5-gallon bucket.  It has never been outside, is not under any special lights, and was the first one to fruit.  As an experiment, that particular 5-gal bucket had no drainage holes punched in the bottom.  I was very careful with watering... and it worked out fine.  [Probably dumb luck.]

The garlic, strawberries, basil, and spearmint---all in much smaller containers---are coming along very well.  Half are on the back porch, and half in the "sun room" (which only has direct sunlight about four hours per day).  With all the plants, the container total is a little over fifty.

I tried to post a photo here of the cherries, but the Tech Whiz Kids who designed the editing template for this venue don't know how to give directions to a No-Tech guy.  :)  I just couldn't make out how to do it.  There is part of a photo at the top of my YouTube Channel page.  It shows one cluster of five fruits out of a total (so far) of four clusters.  That's all I could fit in the available space.
https://www.youtube.com/user/ScottHaley12
They look great; have a gander.

Happy Trails, and Be Well

"PART 3: Container Gardening"

I finally made and posted the video, "Part 3:  Container Gardening"---
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GBQ2neI3p3g .
It contains transplanting tips, a few unusual containers, and more.  Enjoy, and garden on.

Happy Trails, and Be Well

Loaded With Gardening Information

Below is an email thread, a conversation amongst myself and two people I consider to be Master Organic Farmers.  They were responding to my last post here, "Progress Report", and to my comments.  I think you'll find the discussion valuable in relation to gardening in general.  [I suppose it makes sense to start at the bottom of the thread, but either way, you'll get it.]
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Thanks, Dixie, for your thoughtful reply...as usual, a treasure trove of info.  You and my friend, Alex (in CA), are Master Organic Farmers in my eyes.

My plants (not just tomatoes) definitely are not under-watered; however, your guess about being "babied" is right on the mark.  [Blog readers:  "babied" here means grown indoors.]  The tomatoes have not been properly hardened...that's a big part of the problem.  Although, in my various experiments, it's not really a problem.    [Blog readers:  for those who may not know--- "hardened" or "hardening" of plants is explained at the end of this post.]

As to container size, a couple of those you saw in the photo (coffee can & small cup) are not the final homes for those plants.  Also, on a few plants, I'm going to see if the plants will produce any fruit when they are basically rootbound.  As I mentioned to Alex, I don't really care if my 'maters produce poorly...not even if it's only 1 - 3 fruits per plant.  The ones in the dog food bags and small buckets are in their final containers...just to see how they do.  I have only one in a 5-gal bucket...it was the first one to fruit.  I consider that the minimum size container for a tomato plant.  But the challenge for me is to find some combination of sun (indoors), organic fertilizer that's homemade, and watering schedule---all in a smaller container---that will produce a modest amt of fruit.  For me, that's the fun part of indoor gardening.  Essentially, I'm trying to discover a new way to raise tomatoes on a very small scale.

As to winter, you're right...that will be a challenge beyond all challenges.  Although, in the 3 winters I've been here, there was a lot of sun in my one "sun room".  We'll see what happens.  If it can't be done yr-round, I'm betting it can be done at least 3/4ths of the yr.

Thanks again for taking time from your busy schedule to reply.

p.s.  Kudos to your Hubby for building a greenhouse.  Am trying to convince my son in CA to do that.  We had one in the State of WA; that's definitely the way to have a small garden.  

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Hi Scott,

The sun is probably hard on your tomatoes because they are in containers and using up their water faster than you can water them. Looking at your pics, your containers are pretty darn small for tomatoes.Tomatoes are thirsty plants!  When you think that a healthy tomato plant’s roots can go down 4 feet deep in the right soil, then your tomatoes are going to be limited by how far their roots can reach. Tomatoes like uninterrupted growth. When their roots hit the pot that contains them, they stop or slow down growth; the roots have to go down for the stems to go up. When I am starting tomatoes in the greenhouse in spring, I will transplant into bigger pots as soon as I see the roots have hit the bottom of the pot. Having too small of a pot will limit how much water they can drink and of course they will wilt in the sun.

 

I grow everything under the sun! Literally! A half acre of veggies all in the direct sun at 7600’. I do put shade cloth on things right after they are transplanted  to prevent shock and some cool weather lovers( lettuce, kale) enjoy shade beyond that time, but tomatoes are certainly not shade-lovers! They need all that intense sun to do their thing. Hours and hours of it. The high elevation sun has never been a problem for my tomatoes, but then I have not often grown in containers. I would never use shade cloth on tomatoes.

The problem here is more the cool nights, especially after the monsoons set in. It’s hard for them to set fruit when the temps are in the 40’s. So I have gone to indoor growing for my ‘maters. They grow 8 feet tall and put on loads of fruit in the little greenhouse that Sunny built. I’ve got about 75 plants in there , determinate and indeterminate, cherries and paste and huge heirlooms. I do also have some outside, in direct sun for 10 hours,  but they do not do as well as the indoor ones by far. But my “indoors” gets about 10 hours of sun right now.

 

If your tomatoes are wilting in the sun, then they either have not enough water or they are being too babied and havent been hardened off enough to take the sun. Anything that spent most of its life in the shade would wilt when exposed to the high elevation sun here.

 

If your plants are not getting enough light in the middle of summer, I wonder how you will grow through the winter???? We grow tomatoes in a greenhouse in winter but it’s a stretch. You would definitely need grow lights and even then......questionable.

 

Enjoy your experiment!

Dixie

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I hear you, Pard, & mostly agree; however...

1.  I don't care if they produce much.  I have about 30 tomato plants (only a small portion were in the photos), with more seedlings popping up every week or so.  Am shooting for almost yr-round tomatoes.  No weeds, insects, birds, or wind indoors...except for a tiny black fly that's on the soil surface in most of my containers.  Am killing that with much-diluted white vinegar.

2.  Most of mine are vine, not bush 'maters; they're kinda spindly anyway.  [As I said before, when I planted mostly Cherry tomatoes, I had no clue that Cherries mostly were indeterminate...or that "vine" tomatoes even existed:]

3.  The closest thing I have to a control are the 'maters on the covered back porch...about 4 hrs of direct sun per day.  So far, they're doing about the same as the indoor ones.  Although, at this altitude (7600 ft), the sun is so intense that it plays hell with them...not beyond the wilting point, but right at it.  I have to shade them as best I can, usually by moving them farther back, closer to the wall of the house.  Even then, they need gobs of water to prevent wilting.  When in direct sun outdoors, they get limp as a wet noodle...even with max water (but never over-watered).  I don't know how my friend, Dixie, can have tomatoes in the sun for 8 hrs here...even if she has a shade cloth (or whatever they're called).  Compared to say, 5,000 or 6,000 ft, the sun here blisters (not literally) plants like crazy.

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Healthy tomatoes require adequate light.I'm sorry to harsh your mellow, but the tomatoes are spindly,and will not produce much.If they were outside, in a window box, they could do so much better.Your nutrient sources are adequate for the low demands of low light plants, in a real world test, things could get interesting;)

We just canned 11 gallons of juice for my 12 Oz daily glass of mater juice.We can 50 gallons of juice made with a Victoria juicer powered by a 1/2" variable drill.The quality of the Roma tomatoes this year is like paste. It just piled up on the collector under the strainer.Very little juice, just solids.Making sauce will be easy this year:) 

I wish you had an outside test for a control, for quality, size, and flavor.

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For anyone reading this Blog who may not know:
1.  The "control" in an experiment is the NORMAL situation; and,
2.  "Hardening" of plants simply is gradually acclimating them to a new habitat or situation.  [So, for example, when moving seedlings outdoors, the first day leave them out for perhaps only an hour or two, the next day a bit longer, the day after that even longer, and so on.]

Happy Trails, and Be Well 

Progress Report

See the 1st two photos in the left-hand column here---

[Google keeps moving them around, so one might be in the left column & the other in the right column; in any case, it's the 1st two posts not counting the Art at the top of the page.]

https://plus.google.com/u/0/106763144425245415836/posts

The 1st one shows a dog food bag planter & various vine (indeterminate growth) tomatoes.  The 2nd one shows my 1st two fledgling tomatoes (the fruit) of the season.  Be sure to read the Description above each photo.

Container gardening is fun & rewarding...& all you need to augment the potting soil is a banana, coffee grounds, Epsom Salt, and a little diluted low-fat or no-fat milk.  Those five items plus some plant litter on the soil surface should supply all the nutrients your plants will need.  A little compost is good, too, but not particularly necessary if you use potting soil.

I haven't yet made & posted the YouTube video ("Part Three...Container Gardening") mentioned in the previous post on this Blog... am working up to it... it's a genuine hassle for a No-Tech guy like me.  :)

Happy Trails, and Be Well

The Dog Food Small Bag & a Note Regarding This Blog

In a previous post, I mentioned the use of a dog food bag (a small one) as a garden plant container; the bag should have a mylar lining, some other waterproof lining, or be made entirely of a waterproof substance.  I now can report that such a bag (3.5 to 5.0 pounds of food, or so) works very well, especially for garlic or tomatoes.  Punch holes in the bottom for drainage, fill the bag to about 2 inches from the top with potting soil & a little mulch, and place it in the bottom half of a gallon milk jug for secondary containment (to catch excess drainage).  The 3.5 pound size fits perfectly into the bottom half of a milk jug.  For larger bags, you'll have to find some other secondary containment.  That setup gives you some nice container depth for a transplanted seedling.  For garlic, I think it may work as the final container...am running a test to see if that might be true for tomatoes as well.
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IMPORTANT note regarding this particular blog---
We've been up & running here for about a month and a half.  This is the seventeenth post, and thus far, there has been very little interest.  Consequently, I'm forced to cut way back on posting here...just don't have the time for something that appears to be going nowhere.  I'll still do it now & again, and I thank all of you from North America and Europe (primarily) who have been visiting.
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Within a week or so, I'll be posting a video on my YouTube Channel showing more plant containers (& their residents:)...including a few dog food or dog biscuit bags.  Will let you know with a link.

Happy Trails, and Be Well

Aspirin, Sunberries, Container Gardening, & More

Here's my response to an organic small farmer friend in CA regarding aspirin.  He was pointing out that salicylic acid is a plant hormone and that aspirin has a different chemical formula.

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Re:  aspirin---

Technically, you're correct.  Aspirin is acetylsalicylic acid.  Nevertheless, the plant hormone and aspirin have the same anti-inflammatory & analgesic properties.  Willow bark extract has been used for a couple thousand yrs for headache & other pain relief.  I didn't want to go into detail on the chemistry.  You can see why by reading this:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aspirin

Too much, too time-consuming to explain all that. 

Re: light---

I have enough plants to experiment, and I love to experiment.  Plus, I don't care if the tomatoes are great producers; I have enough that if they produce any, I'll be tickled.  I don't can, & am not interested in learning that.  Can tomatoes be frozen without flash-freezing?  Even if they become "mush" when thawed out, can't that be eaten???  I don't know...any thoughts?  [I haven't Googled the question yet.] 

So far, the other plants are doing fairly well--- garlic, strawberries, spearmint, and sunberries (wonderberries).  Am already eating sunberries.  They grow like weeds, & haven't yet been outside; however, even though they are a good-looking plant, I wouldn't recommend raising them.  The berries are small, fragile, & have an almost bland taste.  [Articles I read after tasting the first one say the same about those raised outside.]  In addition, if you eat the berries too soon, they're poisonous.

You & Dixie are right about the light, but I'm giving this a try regardless.

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Bottom line:  the active ingredient in aspirin is salicylic acid, the plant hormone.  It was first extracted from willow bark in a laboratory in 1763 (if memory serves me correctly).  It was then put into the medication, aspirin.  I imagine nowadays it's synthesized in a lab.  The conventional wisdom is:  if you push one tab down into the soil of your plant containers and give that spot a watering, it will help your plants in both root development & disease resistance.  [Some people say:  put the aspirin in the bottom of the new hole when transplanting.  That might be too close to the plant/roots.] 

p.s.  Yes, you can freeze tomatoes (even whole tomatoes) without flash-freezing.  Use them later for sauce or soup.

Happy Trails, and Be Well

Even More on Leggy Tomatoes...& Salicylic Acid

Another friend of mine who is an organic small farmer in NM had this response to the post of several days ago...

...about leggy tomatoes... It is most likely from not enough light. Tomatoes are very sun hungry and need at least( and preferably more than) 8 hours of DIRECT sunlight per day. Most house windows will not get this , which is why people use greenhouses or grow lights. Grow lights are not  that expensive. I got the long fluorescent tube holders with aquarium/plant tubes for pretty cheap in the past.

 

To deal with the legginess, you can also plant them very deep, for instance with maybe only 8 inches above ground and the rest buried. The stem that is buried will send out roots all along its length and it will be stronger therefrom.  Taking cuttings may set you back a little bit as the plant has to put so much energy into making new roots, rather than working off the roots that it has already established.

To make your own rooting hormone, to help them root faster, you can go cut a few willows and put them in water and the “tea” makes an excellent rooting hormone after a few days to water plants that need to root. You can make it faster by shaving the bark off the willow branches with a pocket knife and soaking them in water.

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Great advice; however, I still can't afford grow lights, so I'm pressing on without them.  About half my 50 plants (mostly tomatoes) are now on the back porch.  That porch is very "open", but it is covered; portions of it get maybe four hours of direct sunlight per day.  The primary problem there is that gusts of wind are sometimes very strong.  We'll see how it goes.

Regarding the hormone from willows...good idea.  I've read, too, that putting an aspirin in the container soil does the same thing AND triggers an immune response in plants that wards off disease.  I'm experimenting with that idea.  It makes sense because willows produce salicylic acid...aspirin.

I also like the idea of transplanting tomatoes deeper.  Just make sure only the main stalk is underground; cut off all the lowest leaf branches or they'll rot and likely damage the whole plant.

Thanks again, Alex and Dixie.

Happy Trails, and Be Well

 

Thanks, and More on Tomatoes

Regarding the last post, a few people emailed me with suggestions...thanks!  We'll get to that shortly, but first... after receiving the information, I did a little research & discovered something interesting, as follows.  [Most of you probably know this already; even though I've been around a long time, it was news to me:]

There are two broad categories of tomatoes--- determinate and indeterminate, in relation to growth/height.  The first are the "bush" varieties (such as Roma); the second are the "vine" varieties (such as most Cherry types).  The "vines" are supposed to grow to 6-10 (or 12) ft high. The "bush" guys---3-4 ft.  I never knew that...thought they all grew to 3-4 ft.  I have a lot of cherry tomatoes!  The articles said they're usually grown on a trellis; the cages are for the bushies.  Live & learn, eh?  In my outdoor or non-container gardening days, I guess it was dumb luck that all I ever raised were determinate tomatoes... never, ever had an indeterminate "vine" tomato.

Here's a response I received from a friend in CA who runs a small organic farm there.  He and his wife, among other things, can about 50 gallons of tomato juice each year.

Yes your problem is insufficient light.Also when you 'clone" plants:take cuttings, propagate from them, they don't produce as well as when from seed.

The remedy is a cold frame. yes it is outside, but the plants will have enough natural light. The other remedy is using lights.The best window for plants faces southwest, and gives good light, no tree shade,curtains.
I plant my tomatoes in the beginning of March, then almost immediately, I put them in a cold frame, if the temps go below freezing, I throw a cover over it.I also have heat actuated openers on the cold frame, so it doesn't get too hot in them.I have nice compact bushy plants.I start my peppers over the wood stove, they must have 80+ degrees warmth in early January.When they are 4-5" high, also into the cold frame.

The melons planted later, also do very well in the cold frame.

Cold frames can be made out of an old window sash, and all used materials.The opener is what you have to buy,or be there to open the cold frame yourself.One warm day without the cold frame opened can damage your plants.

Here's his YouTube Channel...entertaining & informative---
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCR3R2OutoTkY4TLSnEUaexw
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I'll post another, different response next time.

Happy Trails, and Be Well

A Couple Brief Notes on Tomatoes

Am having a problem with some of my container tomato plants, so I'm trying an experiment.  The problem is:  a few of them start out great, but when they finally get to the largest container, they get very "leggy" and spindly.  It might be due to insufficient light.  Until very recently, it has been too chilly here to put them outside.  Now that it's hot, it's usually too windy.  [I can't afford any decent tomato cages, and have been too busy to make my own from cut willow saplings.]  My suspicion is that they are growing in height like crazy, trying to "reach" all the available indoor light...even when they are near a window and it's a sunny day.  [I can't afford "grow" lights either.]

Have you ever noticed that no matter how short weeds are cut, they will just keep producing flowers?  That thought prompted my experiment.  Am now taking "cuttings" from the tops of my problem tomatoes.  Each one of those cuttings can be placed in a regular water bottle and they will grow roots from the end & lower sides of the stalk.  After that, each one can be placed in a container with potting soil.  The experiment is:  will the original problem plants now stop growing in height (if I keep cutting off the tops) and instead "flesh out"... eventually producing flowers.  [It isn't time for them to do that yet, they aren't old enough; but when they do, I don't want those flowers on 5 to 6-foot high plants with spindly stalks.:]

Time will tell.  If anyone knows some other cause of "leggy" tomatoes, please let me know.  All I can figure is that it's insufficient light.  Plus, from Botany studies years ago, I know that cutting green plants triggers them to produce flowers at shorter heights.

Happy Trails, and Be Well

Pruning Tomato Plants, Plant Litter, and Green Manure

As your container tomato plants grow, some of the lower leaves most likely will begin to die off.  Prune those... snip off the whole leaf branch near the main plant stalk.  All those dying leaves do is sap resources from the plant.  Keep the removed portions on the soil surface in your container.  Such material will dry up and serve as plant litter...commonly called "mulch".  Mulch helps retain water in the soil.  If you have the time, cut up the removed leaves into smaller pieces and spread those around on the soil surface.  That takes only a minute or so.

Another option is to push the fresh litter under the soil surface...just a bit, and not near the main stalk...to serve as green manure.  Don't bury this material too deeply or near the stalk because when it rots that may affect the plant (including the roots) in a negative way.  Eventually, as humus forms due to friendly bacteria digesting the fresh litter, nutrients will leach down to the roots when you water.  I prefer to leave the litter on top of the soil to dry.  That really helps maintain soil moisture.

We also need to prune tomato plant "suckers", or "sucker branches".  Those are smallish shoots that grow where a branch of leaves meets the main stalk of the entire plant...right in the bottom of that "V" area.  Suckers make your plants much bushier, thus drawing resources/nutrients away from "fruit" formation.  [In Botany, the organ containing plant seeds (or that IS the seed) is usually referred to as a "fruit"...even if it's a vegetable or a nut.:]

Happy Trails, and Be Well

Don't Use Cardboard Roll Inserts With Your Seedlings

This idea of using half a toilet paper center cardboard roll to facilitate both seedling germination and transplant seemed like a useful, clever one.  I saw it on YouTube and gave it a shot...several shots.  In the beginning, it seemed to be working just fine.  By placing the roll in a vertical position in the scooped out hole in the receiving container during a seedling transplant, the process went a little easier.  Later, when watering, the roll appeared to keep the moisture close to the seedling.  All seemed well.  I even recommended the use of the roll in one of my Container Gardening videos here:
https://www.youtube.com/user/ScottHaley12 .  I think it was the "Part 2..." video.

About a month or so later, I began to notice that my tomato plants with the cardboard rolls were beginning to look a bit stunted.  Not all of them were that way, but it was true of the vast majority.  I had lots of plants without the rolls, as well; they were doing much better.  I do like to experiment, but admittedly, this was not a controlled experiment.  In other words, I didn't account for all the possible variables that might result in the stunting of the plants.  The stunting and the cardboard rolls being in the same pots could be nothing but a coincidence.  Nevertheless, I think there's something to this.

Here's what may have happened.  Cardboard contains toxic glue.  There's not a large amount in the center cardboard of a toilet paper roll, but maybe it's enough to affect seedlings.  Water won't dissolve it (release it from the cardboard), but soil microbes will release it when they digest the cardboard.  I'm guessing that's what happened.  My recommendation is:  don't use those rolls.

Happy Trails, & Be Well

A Few Tips on Transplanting

Transplanting is fairly easy because green plants are extremely resilient.  Unless you somehow break the stalk/stem or shred most of the leaves, you won't damage the plant to any significant degree.  Do not  worry about damaging the roots.  That will happen to some degree, but roots in particular regenerate quickly.

The first step in transplanting is to prepare the receiving container.  Make sure it contains a fertile, somewhat loose, well aerated soil.  Do not water the soil prior to the transplant process; do that afterwards.  It's best to not fill the receiving container all the way to the top with soil.  Leave an inch or two of space from the rim down to the soil surface.  Then scoop out a small hole in the center to accommodate the plant & its associated clump of soil.  Leave the scooped out soil in the container (off to the sides of the interior).

If you're transplanting a seedling from a shallow germinating tray, simply scoop out the plant with a spoon or other rounded tool while supporting the plant & attached soil clump as best you can with your other hand.  Place it in the prepared hole in the receiving container, fill in the hole (if necessary) with more soil and gently press the soil around the base of the plant to firm it up.  If you're transplanting a seedling from a small, individual cup instead of a germinating tray, the removal of the plant is even easier.  Place one hand over the top of the cup on the rim, so that the base of the plant stalk is between two of  your fingers.  Then turn the cup upside down while holding it in front of you, and gently squeeze the sides all around with your free hand & tap the bottom of the cup.  The plant and soil should come out...if the soil is not wet.  Then place it in the prepared hole in the receiving container and firm it up a bit.

In both cases above, the final step is to give the soil in the new container a good soaking with water... and then leave it alone.  Perhaps about half the time you do this process, your plant will droop or wilt to one degree or another.  That's due to transplant shock.  Leave it alone...just let it be.  It will recover in anywhere from fifteen minutes to a few hours...almost every single time.  In the rare case when it doesn't spring back, use it for green manure.

Some gardeners like to use a probe/stick/old pen to "tease out" a seedling from a germinating tray or small cup when transplanting.  With that method, almost no associated soil goes along with the transfer of the plant.  I've tried that way, and don't care for it.  It's a lot more work, and I don't think the plants do as well as they do with the two methods described above.

With larger plants, rather than recently-germinated seedlings, simply modify the process as required.  For example, scoop out a bigger hole in the receiving container...and use a larger spoon/tool to scoop out the plant & associated soil clump from the old container.  As I said in a previous post, I believe it takes at least two transplants before a plant reaches its final home container.  That's when you're starting from a seed.  Some gardeners say only one transplant is necessary.  I've tried both ways, and still believe the plants do better with two.

Transplanting is mostly just common sense...it's easy to do, and it works 99.99% of the time.  There's no need to worry about it at all.  Prepare properly, and just do it.  :)

p.s.  It's nice to have a transplanting table outside or in a shed...nothing fancy is required.  No matter how careful you are, there will be times when you'll spill a bunch of soil when transplanting.  It saves time & effort if you don't have to clean it up.

Happy Trails, and Be Well

What is Perlite, and Does it Work?

Take note of an important edit to the post immediately previous to this one.  The edit is at the very beginning of that post.
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Even if you never buy a bag/box/carton of it, you'll see it in many or most bags of potting soil...even in the cheap ones.  It looks similar to bits of white styrofoam, but is totally different.  Styrofoam is a polystyrene synthetic plastic, a petrochemical.  Perlite (not a trade name) is a generic term for a certain group of natural, inorganic, volcanic silicates...they are a unique form of volcanic glass.  [Sand is a silicate, but is different from Perlite.]  After mining, the substance is heated in a manufacturing process and that causes it to expand greatly.  In that form, it can absorb water and later release it slowly.  It's both inert and sterile, and has no known toxicity or fire hazard.  There's no need to go into the chemistry of Perlite in great detail.  All we need to know is:  what are its functions in soil, and does it work properly?

The functions of Perlite in garden soil are as follows---
1.  It contributes to soil aeration by preventing (to some degree) soil compaction.  Every time you water your plants---especially those in containers---the soil compacts a bit.  That forces out the air; and remember, a good soil should be about 25% air.
2.  It helps retain water, and contributes to good drainage.

Does it work properly?  Is it any good?  Now we enter the world of opinion.  :)  I'm not aware of any scientific, controlled experiments that prove either of the propositions in the paragraph above.  There are, however, a ton of opinions on the matter.  Lots of anecdotal "evidence"...which may be right or may be wrong...or right only in some circumstances.

Many gardeners swear by Perlite; they love it.  Many others say it's mostly a useless substance.  Of those, the ones who like it just a tiny bit say that vermiculite is better.  [My observations here are based upon reading many, many online gardening discussions in a wide variety of venues or forums.]  Based on my own limited experience in this area, and on Logic, I thinks it works... and works well.  Take that for whatever you think it's worth.  In any case, I certainly wouldn't spend time picking it out of a bag of potting soil...and most bags have it in them.  As to buying a box of only Perlite and then adding it to my container soil, I would do that but am trying to garden on-the-cheap.

Happy Trails, and Be Well

Home-Made Liquid Organic Fertilizers

IMPORTANT:  Edited 6-2-16, as follows---
In the original post below, I forgot to mention something very important.  Be sure to give your "tea" a good stir at least a couple times per day.  That will keep it aerated.

This can be done with all kinds of organic matter, separately or all together, and in amounts ranging from one gallon to five gallons...or really, almost any amount.  Essentially, what you do is make organic "tea".  For example, take some coffee grounds---or fresh grass clippings, or dead leaves, or flowers, or wood ash, or dead broken up twigs, or fruit peelings, etc.---and place them on an old piece of cloth.  Tie up the corners of the cloth, thus making a "tea" bag of sorts.  Place the bag in your container, fill that with water, and let the whole thing "steep" for about three or four days.  Keep the container outside or in the garage (or shed, if you have one).  Depending upon what type of organic matter you're using and the ambient temperature, and even though three days is a short span of time, there may be a small amount of unpleasant odor produced.  [There's an old adage:  after three days, fish and visitors stink:]

As with a compost bin or pile, never put any meat scraps in your "tea" bag.  They decompose too slowly and attract scavengers & pests in general.  If you cover your "tea" pail (or whatever container you're using), make sure the lid allows for ventilation; otherwise, your organic "tea" is likely to have harmful anaerobic bacteria in it when it's done steeping.  If you're making a large amount of this liquid fertilizer, let's say in a garbage can, then a burlap sack probably is the handiest item for use as a bag.  For container gardening, as opposed to raised bed gardening, I can't imagine that you'd need to make more than five gallons at a time... and probably less than that.

Liquid organic fertilizer is good for "quick fixes".  If your plants look sickly or stressed, apply the liquid to the soil.  Do some research on the symptoms of plant Nitrogen deficiency, Phosphorus deficiency, Potassium deficiency, etc., then you'll know what type of "tea" to make in each circumstance...see the previous post on this Blog.  [The internet is the world's greatest library.]  Or simply do a Search for "what causes _____________ in [e.g.] tomatoes?".

All this may sound as though it's too much trouble, but it really doesn't take much effort or time.  The rewards are worth it.  Plus, it's always a good thing to recycle

Happy Trails, and Be Well

More Fertilizer Tips...and a Word to Portugal

More on Fertilizing---

Diluted milk can be used in container gardening as a source of calcium.  Take a cup of nonfat (skim) or 1% (fat) milk, add a cup of water, then spread it over the soil in your largest container.  For smaller containers, meaning your smallest & medium-sized ones, use it sparingly...a few tablespoons or so.  You can use whole milk, but then dig a hole about six inches deep before you pour in the diluted milk.  Fill in the hole so that when the milk fat decomposes, the decay stench mostly will stay buried; then it will dissipate at a slower, almost undetectable rate.  Calcium (Ca) is a secondary nutrient for plants, and provides strength or sturdiness to plant tissues.  Magnesium (Mg) and sulfur (S) also are secondary nutrients.

Epsom Salt (magnesium sulfate) can be used to fertilize your plants; a very small bag of it will last a very long time.  Get a small squeeze bottle, put 3 - 4 pinches of Epsom Salt crystals in it, add water, and add a few squirts of the solution to each of your seedling cups...more to larger containers.  Most grocery stores carry Epsom Salt, and probably all drug stores have it.  It's a good, inexpensive source of magnesium and sulfur.

The primary nutrients plants require, also known as macronutrients, are nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), and potassium (K).  Green plants need large amounts of those.  The secondary nutrients (identified above) are needed in lesser amounts.  Lastly, plants require the following micronutrients in very small amounts:  zinc (Zn), manganese (Mn), iron (Fe), chloride (a form of chlorine, Cl), copper (Cu), molybdenum (Mo), and boron (B).  That's a total of thirteen main nutrients needed by green plants.

Don't panic!  :)  A good, rich soil---especially potting soil---will provide those nutrients most of the time.  As mentioned before, the problem with container gardening, though, is that there's no way to naturally renew that soil from time to time.  We have to do it by hand.  That can be done three main ways:  totally or partially replace the potting soil in your containers every so often; or fertilize your soil; or a combination of the two previous methods.  I use the third approach; that way, buying new potting soil is not required nearly as often as with never fertilizing.

Fertilizers Can Be Confusing---

We can simplify the subject, as follows.

1.  What are the differences between Organic and Artificial/Synthetic fertilizers?  In one sense, not many; in another sense (which is important), a whole bunch!  These two types of fertilizers are similar only in this regard:  N is N, K is K, Zn is Zn, Ca is Ca, etc...whether they come from plant/animal carcasses (or wastes) or from a chemical processing factory.  Those chemical elements (N, Zn, etc.) are all from stardust...exploding stars.  The huge difference between Organic & Artificial/Synthetic fertilizers is this:  the natural/organic type supplies much more to the soil than just the chemical elements (nutrients); the humus---which contains the elements/nutrients---that makes up the fertilizer is organic matter, and that contributes to soil structure, beneficial microbes, water retention, and the overall health of the plants.  Artificial or synthetic fertilizer, except for supplying chemical elements/nutrients, does none of that.  In fact, it often kills beneficial soil microbes.

2.  Synthetic/Artificial fertilizer is highly concentrated compared to the Organic type; it can "burn" roots, and it leaches fairly quickly down through the soil.  Organic fertilizer nutrients are released slowly from humus, and that's better for plants.

3.  What are some common kinds of Organic fertilizer?  The most common are:  dead plants and/or plant parts (a great source of nitrogen); eggshells (calcium); bone meal (phosphorus & calcium); animal manure (composted or aged, not fresh...nitrogen & phosphorus); wood ash (potassium & calcium); Epsom Salt (magnesium & sulfur); bananas (potassium); and coffee grounds (phosphorus, magnesium, potassium, copper, & calcium).

4.  A few cautions:  coffee grounds are somewhat acidic...research your specific plant for compatibility; except for liquid types (next post), Organic fertilizers take time to release nutrients...plan ahead; and, fresh animal manure can "burn" container garden plants and introduce weed seeds...the heat from composting usually kills weed seeds.

5.  Artificial/Synthetic fertilizers usually do not supply any secondary nutrients or micronutrients.  Most Organic fertilizers supply almost all plant nutrients to one degree or another.  The Synthetics are best suited (if at all) to very large outdoor farming operations.  There really is no good reason to not use natural fertilizer in container gardening.  Plus, Synthetic fertilizer is derived from petroleum; it's a petrochemical.
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A Word to Portugal---

Although we Americans are not totally up on your situation relative to the worldwide Economic Crash, it's my understanding that you (along with at least Greece, Ireland, Spain, and Italy) are suffering the full force of unemployment, austerity, and the weight of lenders being saved instead of your economy.  If I recall correctly, such has been your lot for at least three years or so.  Hang in there.  Recent events in your Land seem to offer some hope for relief.  Keep up the anti-austerity fight.

I mention all this because I noticed several visits to this site from Portugal.  Thanks, and kudos to you.  At times it may not seem like much, but container gardening definitely can help one weather a crisis... not only by providing food, but by refreshing your spirit as well.
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Our next post will be on liquid natural/organic fertilizers...mostly home-made.

Happy Trails, and Be Well

Part Three: Gardening Containers... and Fertilizer Tips

End of Gardening Containers---

6.  Any suitable plastic jug... following the instructions on previous posts, simply cut off the top, cut holes in the bottom for drainage, and supply a catch basin (saucer, tray, lid, or a slightly larger, shorter container) for excess drainage.  We've used everything from empty coffee cans---including metal ones---to various empty cleaning fluid/liquid containers.  With something like a vehicle windshield washing fluid jug, be sure to rinse thoroughly.

7.  Plastic tubs of varying sizes... the Dollar Store, Family Dollar, and other stores have fairly inexpensive tubs.  With the larger ones (they range up to 18 - 20 gallons), you'll have to drill holes for drainage.  Often the plastic is either too thick or too hard & brittle to cut with a knife.

8.  Galvanized metal tubs... a bit pricey when new, but often used ones can be found at yard sales, on Craigslist, or at Swap Meets (Flea Markets) at very reasonable prices.  If they don't have holes in the bottom, you'll have to drill some.

9.  Buckets/pails...from 2.5 to 5 gallons...like large tubs, these too are the final homes for your plants.  My organic farmer friend in California, Alex, thinks that three gallons should be the minimum size.  I'm experimenting with 2.5 gallons and so far, things look good; but Alex is probably correct.  We have to be careful that the plants don't get root-bound from lack of space; if they do, usually they don't die, but production of fruit is greatly reduced.  If the bucket is smaller than 5 gallons, usually you can cut the drainage holes with a knife.

10.  The very best containers, of course, are the old terra cotta clay plant pots...all sizes.  Unfortunately, there are some HUGE disadvantages:  the cost; plus, these pots are relatively easy to break; and, in this day & age, they are somewhat difficult to find.  The main advantage is that they breathe...air goes in & out of them through the sides.  If you can find some used ones that aren't cracked or broken (at a reasonable price), grab them up.

Beginning of Fertilizer Tips---

Potting soil is very rich in plant nutrients, but it's somewhat limited because it's isolated in a container; in other words, there's no source of additional nutrition coming into the container naturally.  So as nutrients get "used up" (incorporated into plants), there's no animal waste, very little, if any, green manure from dying/dead plants, no runoff from hillsides, etc. to replace what's gone from the soil.  Therefore, depending on the size of the container & how soon the plant will mature (& other variables), it's often a good idea for us to add certain nutrients to our container soil.  It's best to stick with natural fertilizer whenever possible, as follows.

Just before you plant seeds in a tray or cup(s) for germination, add the following to the soil (bury these things) in your largest containers...the ones which will be the final homes for your plants:
1.  ground up or crushed eggshells (a source of calcium);
2.  used coffee grounds (a source of various nutrients, including calcium); and
3.  a sliced up banana with the skin on it (a source of various nutrients, including potassium).
Work all that well into the soil.  In a 5-gallon bucket, that won't take more than five or so minutes at most.  By the time your seedlings get large enough to be transplanted into the large containers, the organic fertilizer material you added to the soil should be at the point of becoming humus.  The nutrients then will be released slowly to your plants.  [Depending upon a bunch of variables, some unknown amount of these nutrients may not be plant-ready until the next season; therefore, preparing these final buckets 6 - 8 months in advance isn't a bad idea at all.  Another option is to bury a whole banana and a whole egg about six inches down in a 5-gallon bucket...8 or so months before germinating in different containers.]

More on fertilizing next time.  Happy Trails, and Be Well

Part Two: Gardening Containers...

4.  Clean out an empty plastic jelly jar and follow the steps in 2. & 3. (previous post).  Cleaning is a snap:  put a dash of dish soap in the empty jar and fill it with hot water.  Let it stand for about an hour or so.  Then empty and rinse thoroughly.  In most cases (as with most plastic food jars), you'll need to punch the holes in the bottom along the edge of the bottom.  That's because a jar of food that's relatively heavy usually has somewhat of a dome inside on the bottom...for container strength.  In other words, the outside of the bottom is concave, and the inside is convex.  We want the drainage holes in the lowest portion of the bottom, which is along the edge in this case.  When making those holes with a knife, once the tip of the knife has pierced the plastic about a quarter to one-third of an inch or so, twist the knife a bit.  That will widen the slit, thus making for better drainage.  [A sturdy pocket knife is best for this; twisting will warp/bend some steak knives completely out of shape.]  Be careful not to stab yourself; this operation is the most likely time that you'll do it.  If you have an electric drill, that's a good option.  Use safety glasses.

5.  Dry dog food bags for small dogs or puppies (and dry cat food bags) that have only 3 -5 pounds of food in them usually are lined with plastic, or are made of mylar, or are waterproof in some other manner.  Those bags make great gardening containers.  Cut holes in the bottom of the empty bag, then use the bottom half of a gallon milk jug or something similar for containment of excess drainage.  The bottom half of a milk jug is the perfect size for most of these small pet food bags.
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Among other places, currently Venezuela and Argentina (to a somewhat lesser extent) are experiencing an economic and/or financial collapse.  One of the main things in short supply, especially in Venezuela, is food.  The whole world is in the midst of an economic downturn.  Despite the Propaganda to the contrary, the USA already is in a Recession... and most probably headed for a Depression.  Take up Container Gardening; it will help.

Be Prepared, and Be Well

Gardening Containers for the Precariat, or Soon-To-Be Precariat

Perhaps Brits, because of the economist Guy Standing, may be more familiar with the term, "the Precariat", than are the rest of us in the world.  It refers to a growing group, "those leading increasingly precarious lives", thanks primarily to Globalization, Financialization, and the Rule of the Plutocrats.  Currently, most of us are either already in or about to be in that group.  That's one reason I've created this blog.

In order to post more often, we're going to shorten each piece; so for example, this article will cover only two or three of the many gardening containers you probably already own.  More containers will be listed in succeeding posts.  As I am a very slow, hunt & peck typist, that will enable me to post articles every other day or so.  :)
Let's begin.

1.  Take an empty gallon-jug plastic milk carton, turn it on its side, & cut it approximately in half.  With a sharp knife, cut a slit just below the bottom end of the handle.  Then either continue cutting around the jug with the knife, or insert any regular pair of scissors into the slit and do the same.  The top half (without the cap) can be used as a mini-greenhouse.  You'll need two bottoms.  With the tip of the knife, cut holes in the lowest portion of one of the bottoms to facilitate drainage of excess water.  Nest that one inside the second bottom, which will serve as secondary containment of excess water.  Even though the bottoms basically are the same size, they are so flexible that the nesting is done easily...the inner bottom will crimp in places so that it fits into the outer one.  This new "pot" would be one to use on your first transplant from a germinating tray or a small cup.

[I don't mind that my containers have the old labels on the outside--- vinegar, Creamland Dairy, or whatever.  If you're into both form and function, you can always paint the outside of the homemade pots, or attach decorative cloth to them, or do something similar.]

2,   Take an empty two-quart plastic vinegar bottle and follow a similar procedure as described above.  The primary difference is that your container is not cut in half; the cutting takes place about two-thirds of the way up toward the top...where the jug starts to narrow.  If it has a built-in handle, the first slit would again be just below the bottom end of that handle.  Punch holes in the lowest portion of the bottom again, but this time you'll have to find a lid, or saucer, or tray of some sort to use as a catch basin for excess drainage.  [I've never tried nesting two of these pots, but maybe it's possible.]  This is another home-made pot that would be good for your initial transplant of some seedling out of the germinating tray or small cup (after the true leaves have developed).  Again, the top portion of the original container can be used--- without the cap --- as a mini-greenhouse...for seedlings recently germinated, and perhaps in an area that's sometimes a bit too cool.

3.  Do the same procedure with any size Miracle Whip or Mayonnaise jar...the smallest ones can be used as germinating cups, the largest ones used for your initial transplant from a germinating tray or cup.  This time, though, unless you have some heavy-duty scissors, all the cutting will have to be done with a sharp knife.  Those jars are a much heavier plastic.  Wear gloves and be especially careful not to stab yourself...cutting a round container with a sharp knife can be tricky.

More to come.

Happy Trails, and Be Well

Container Gardening Overview

You can do this!  We'll show you how.  I'm using "We" not only in the editorial sense, but also because it's my hope that people with gardening experience will comment on this venue.  Actually, whether you're experienced or not, please join in the conversation.  If I recall correctly, one has to "join" Blogger in order to comment; that's true on most venues.  Unfortunately, I suspect it discourages some folks from participating.  If you don't care to join, you may email me: abstractcowboy@gmail.com and I'll summarize your views and/or answer your questions in a future posting.
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If you don't have a "Mother Plant" from which to take cuttings (& later put in soil), then you start with seeds.  I like to experiment, so I have a variety of different seeds---Heirloom, Organic-certified, and plain old seeds off-the-rack, so to speak.  Don't use Monsanto seeds; more on that later.  In any case, it helps if you soak your seeds from 6 - 8 hours before planting.  That way, they germinate a lot faster.  [That's especially true in the case of Sprouting-for-Food.  Don't ignore Sprouting; sprouts are delicious on a sandwich or as a salad.]  Then let them dry out enough to where you can separate and manipulate them for planting in soil.  A seed has three basic components:  the plant embryo, endosperm (mostly starch, some protein, enzymes, & oils), and a covering.  It doesn't need light to germinate, but some warmth is required.  I mention all this because it's important to avoid planting seeds too deep.  With green plants, the embryo has to pierce the surface of the soil, shed the seed covering, and unfold the seed leaves before it runs out of endosperm (nutrition for growth).  It's better to plant too shallow than too deep.

You'll need a variety of containers...many you can recycle from your kitchen.  I'll give lots of specifics on that in the next post.  If you germinate seeds in a tray of some sort, I've found that it's not necessary to cut holes in the bottom of the container.  It doesn't take much watering to germinate seeds that have been soaked.  If you germinate in a cup (which usually has more depth than a tray), then it's best to cut holes in the bottom of the container.  That's because gravity will pull most of the water to the bottom of the cup, out-of-reach of the seed/embryo/seedling/root.  You'll have to water more often than you would with a shallower tray; we have to get rid of the excess drainage, hence the holes in the bottom.  Don't forget to have a saucer, old lid, or something else to capture the excess water...so you don't stain your window sill, or deck, or wherever your container resides.  After the seedling has pierced the soil surface, the first two leaves you'll see are the "seed leaves"; before transplanting to a somewhat larger container, wait for the "true leaves" to be in full "flower", so to speak.  They almost always are a different shape than the seed leaves.  The goal is to eventually get your plant into a fairly large container...its permanent home.  Opinions vary as to how many transplants will be required.  Many people say only one.  I think at least two, which means three different-sized containers...each one progressively larger & deeper.  But don't panic--- transplanting is easy, and most of these containers you own already.

There are different types of soil, and we need to be aware of them.  Some container and raised-bed gardeners pooh-pooh the use of natural, un-sterilized, outdoor soil.  I see their point relative to possible soil pests and harmful bacteria, but farmers have been using natural soil for thousands of years.  It can't be all bad.  A good outdoor soil is about 45% minerals, 25% air, 25% water, and only 5% humus (partially decayed organic matter).  To me, that 5% humus is the main drawback to its use in container gardening.  Plants in containers need more humus (nutrients) than that because they don't have the advantage of having nutrients added naturally (by animals, falling leaves, decaying ground vegetation, soil being washed down from higher places, etc.) the way outdoor plants do.  I've put a shallow layer of outdoor soil in the bottom of my largest containers---thus saving on potting soil to a degree---and I see no ill effects thus far.  So for your containers, I suggest that bottom layer in the largest ones, then add a mixture of mostly potting soil plus some mulch (plant litter) & even a little compost closer to the surface.  Compost is humus that you make yourself.  For container gardening, you don't need much (perhaps make some in a 5-gallon bucket), or really, you don't need any at all...because potting soil is rich in humus.  If you do make some compost in a bucket (or in a pile out back), though, make certain you aerate the layers every so often...or else you'll get harmful anaerobic bacteria.  Aerate those layers by turning them over every so often.  Finally, though not totally necessary, it's somewhat helpful to have some litmus paper strips (or a small soil testing kit) in order to test your soil for its pH level---alkalinity versus acidity.  The pH scale runs from 0 to 14, 7 being neutral; less than 7 means increasing degrees of acidity...more than 7, increasing degrees of alkalinity.  Plants vary as to which pH level is optimum for them; sometimes the back of the seed packet will tell you the optimum level.  If it doesn't, you have the world's greatest library right in front of you.  :)  Honestly, though, I've never worried too much about pH levels.  In general, soils in the West (USA) usually are alkaline to some degree, while those in the East (USA again) are acidic to varying degrees.  The MidWest is all over the place.  In a future post, we'll go into how to alter the pH of your container soil.  Potting soil usually is not either extremely acidic or extremely alkaline...that's one reason I've never been too concerned with pH.

As to watering, never water so much that the liquid is pooled on the soil surface.  That's too much.  On the other hand, except for a germinating tray, give your container plants and soil a good soaking when you do water.  Don't water every day; the soil needs to alternate between being watered and being allowed to get almost dry.  That cycle helps with disease and soil compaction prevention; it also helps soil aeration.  Your plants will show you when they need to be watered; at the first sign of wilting, water again.  For larger plants in the largest containers, that might be only once or twice a week...maybe three times, depending on a bunch of variables (temperature, humidity, type of plant, wind---if they're on a deck or patio, etc.).  If they aren't already there, don't forget to have holes punched in the bottom of your containers.  Finally, in the case of fruiting plants (say, tomatoes, as opposed to lettuce or basil), once those yummies come into being, your plants will need a bit more water...that is to say, they'll have to be watered more often because of the "fruit".

Happy Trails, and Be Well

Brief Introduction...and Stimulation

At the site individualsovereignty, I've been on blogspot for a little over nine years.  That site is devoted to politics, economics, and government.  As you can see, I'm changing horses.  We're going to explore how to significantly improve our lives...one container at a time.  Please join me.

Not counting sprouting (which I've done for decades), I've been doing container gardening for only a short time.  Nevertheless, because I now have about 50 plants in containers and perhaps because of my background and experience in related matters, we're going to learn a ton of useful information here.  Plus, if you're new to gardening, you'll find the "work" (really, FUN) very mentally and spiritually refreshing.

We'll begin with a short, general overview of the whole process and then go in-depth on topics such as seeds, soils, mulch, containers, organic fertilizer (mostly home-made), more containers (ones you've already paid for), transplanting, and watering.  The great thing about container gardening is that you essentially eliminate two of the biggest pains relative to gardening:  weeds, and insect pests.  In addition, you virtually eliminate (in most cases) wind damage, rain damage, and hail damage.  Any worry over the weather is 99% gone.  We'll learn how to garden at the absolute lowest cost...both stress-wise and monetarily.

I have two videos (more to come) on my YouTube Channel about container gardening, but it's difficult to go into very much detail there because people expect relatively short clips.  If interested, do a YouTube Search for:  Scott Haley container gardening.  [If you use only my name, you'll get a gazillion clips on Haley Scott, a female actor & singer:]  On this venue, we can go into much more detail.  I'll do my best to post a piece at least three times a week...barring unforeseen circumstances.

Take up gardening.  This kind of it can be done by anyone living anywhere.  It will boost your spirit, clear your mind, and save you money.

Happy Trails, and Be Well.

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