Container Gardening Tips and Tricks

Gardening in small spaces

Imagine wanting to grow your own homegrown vegetables. This practice can help you save money while ensuring that the food you consume is both healthy and free from chemicals. Almost any vegetable can be grown in a suitably sized container. For those who enjoy adding color to their gardens or living spaces, container gardening is also a great option for ornamental plants.

 

If you are on a budget, these basic tips will help you successfully grow your vegetables or ornamental plants.

What is it?  

Container gardening refers to the practice of growing vegetables and herbs in any container that can hold soil. This method is ideal for those with limited space around their home or yard, or for those who prefer not to set up a permanent garden bed.

Where can it be done?

Container gardening can be practiced in areas with sufficient sunlight, such as patios, front yards, backyards, or the sides of a house. It is especially suitable for individuals living in small spaces like apartments and townhouses.

What type of containers can be used?

You can use a variety of containers for planting. If you want to save money, consider using old buckets, pans, basins, kegs, barrels, old tyres, Styrofoam food containers, vegetable growing bags, or any other item that can hold soil. For a more aesthetically pleasing look, you might choose to buy plastic, ceramic, or concrete pots and planters.

BUCKETS

What can you plant?

A variety of vegetables can be planted. These include:

Vegetables: lettuce, pak choi, tomatoes, melongene, sweet peppers, and beets. 

Herbs and seasonings:- thyme, parsley, chive, celery, hot peppers, seasoning peppers.

CHIVES 

Getting started

Size of container

The size of the container you choose for your plants should be based on the type and size of the plants. Taller and larger plants, such as tomatoes, eggplants, and sweet peppers, have deeper roots and require larger and deeper containers. In contrast, shallow-rooted crops like lettuce and pak choi can thrive in shorter and wider containers. For herbs and spices, the container size will depend on the number of plants you intend to grow.

Drainage

Regardless of the type of container you choose, proper drainage is essential. If you purchased a container, it may already have drainage holes. For containers that lack holes, you can either drill or punch small openings at the bottom using a nail, ice pick, or similar tool, depending on the material. I recommend making several small holes rather than a few large ones. This prevents the growing medium from seeping out during watering. Be sure to place the holes around the outer edge of the container for optimal drainage.

 

It is also a good idea to cover the drainage holes to prevent them from clogging and obstructing proper drainage, as well as to keep the soil from escaping. While some people find that using gravel, stones, or broken bricks works well, I have had great success with broken-up or S-shaped packing Styrofoam. Using Styrofoam keeps my containers lightweight, making them easy to move around as needed. Additionally, Styrofoam does not deteriorate and can be reused multiple times.

Styrofoam

Growing medium (soil)

Using soilless media such as sawdust, Promix, rice hulls, coffee hulls, and bagasse, combined with sharp sand for drainage, is an excellent option for container gardening. These materials are lightweight and generally free from soil-borne pests and diseases. However, in Trinidad, these resources can be relatively expensive or difficult to find. Additionally, these media require significant amounts of chemical fertilizers for successful plant growth since they lack essential nutrients.

 

For those interested in organic gardening, a suitable potting mix can be made using a combination of soil, animal manure, composted material, and sharp sand, which should be sterilized before use.

 

When preparing the container, place the potting mix on top of the drainage layer and fill the container to about 2-3 cm from the top edge (rim). This helps prevent soil from spilling over the edge during watering.

 

Once the dry soil is in place, water it thoroughly and set it aside for planting your seedlings. You will know the soil has enough water when you see it draining from the bottom of the container.

Transplanting seedlings

You have two options for starting your plants: you can either purchase seedlings from a nursery or garden shop, or you can sow your own seeds. If you choose to sow seeds, make sure to do so 4-6 weeks before you plan to transplant them into their final containers, or when the seedlings develop 2-3 leaves.

 

When selecting seedlings, ensure they are healthy—look for signs that they are free from pests and diseases and have a strong root system. When transplanting, be careful not to damage the delicate roots and leaves.

HAPPY PLANTING