Comments on: An Introduction To Container Gardening

By: Sayward

Sayward — Mon, 12 Jul 2010 04:07:30 +0000

@ Michelle Brown – No way do you need all that stuff! All you need is soil sun and water, really. If they’re dying I’d look into temperature/drying out issues before anything else. But if you really want to fortify (which would only help, so why not) there are tons of vegan options. A good vegetable-based compost will provide all sorts of minerals and nutrients. When I want to do a ‘real’ fertilization I use a kelp-based fertilizer, available at most gardening supply places. Good luck!

By: Michelle Brown

Michelle Brown — Thu, 08 Jul 2010 06:29:26 +0000

Hi I am about to start growing my own vegies in big self watering containers. I am using organic potting mix but the ‘instructions’ say to use blood and bone, manure and dynamic lifter to fertilise the container. I have tried finding alternatives to blood and bone etc and still cant come up with anything. My plants are dying in their little seedling containers as i can’t bring myself to buy blood and bone – goes against everything VEGAN to me… any suggestions???

By: Hope Hughes

Hope Hughes — Fri, 26 Mar 2010 20:26:15 +0000

Getting ready to start and herb box!! So excited!!

By: Sayward

Sayward — Mon, 15 Feb 2010 07:11:06 +0000

@ Laurel – Welcome! Glad you like the site. =)

Container gardening can be quite tricky. Remember to water often, and also to fertilize just like you would in the ‘real’ garden. Also, it may just take a grace period of getting used to. Good luck!

By: Laurel

Laurel — Sun, 14 Feb 2010 04:06:35 +0000

New to the website and blog here (stumbled on it accidently while looking for something homemade and “green” to use on over-processed hair, fragile hair) – love the info and forums! I’ve never had much luck with container gardens but I keep trying (my basil lasted about 3 months last year, the thyme half that, most times I plant spices I don’t get anything at all – pout) but I’ll keep trying!

By: Sayward

Sayward — Tue, 16 Jun 2009 19:17:28 +0000

@ Ginger Baker- You should do it! It’s a totally different type of gardening, and really fun. The boots/shoes I’ve seen have been unlined (as far as I can tell). If you wanted to put it inside, maybe consider lining it?

@ Meghan – Good for you for growing such a bounty! Good luck with the pests – I’m dealing with aphids in my broccoli as well . . .

@ Homegrown Texan – I hear you on the heat issue. I have the same problems when we get into full-on summer here, too. I’ve found my basil is especially susceptible to drying out – how do you keep it from wilting?

@ Valerie – Hmm, I haven’t run into that problem before, but my first inclination would be to work with the beastie, instead of against it. Like Meghan said, maybe some catnip, or even a makeshift litter box type area, especially for kitty. If you figure out how to make kitty go in one place, then you can just make sure that’s not where your plants are! =)

@ Anne – Wow, that sounds *wonderful*! Hooray for extreme container gardening! Also, it’s not impossible – I totally managed to kill my rosemary last year. Eek!

By: Meghan

Meghan — Sun, 14 Jun 2009 00:03:39 +0000

Bah! I seemed to have acquired fungus gnats, which I assume are similar or the same as mold flies! I picked up an organic spray this morning, and I’m hoping it worked! Earlier this season I did battle with aphids, but last season was the worst with spider mites. Pests! Booo!

With regards to cats… I don’t have any, but I’ve heard people mention in forums that I’m in that if you plant a few catnip plants the cats will menace those and leave the others alone. I’m not sure if it works, but seems somewhat reasonable!

By: Anne

Anne — Thu, 11 Jun 2009 18:41:52 +0000

I have to watch myself whenever I go by a nursery so I don’t buy the whole place! I currently have 2 tomatos (1 from last year that is now actually producing fruit, and 1 from this year with fruit but it’s all totally green still), a tree of some sorts, a dwarf lemon tree that doesn’t look like it’ll give fruit this year, 3 strawberries that I might just get rid of next year because they don’t seem happy at all! Chives, rosemary (you can’t kill this thing – I love it!), peppermint, basil, thyme. The most recent purchase was a couple of jalapeno plants, I’m not sure about their growing tendencies yet. I had some trouble with mold flies in the spring *gag* and had to dry out the plants, scrape off a couple inches of dirt and replace with beach sand (to further dry out the soil) and even still had to succumb to a spray. That was depressing and I lost my beloved cilantro in the process. I guess the cause was me overwatering *ops*. So, don’t overwater your plants! And buy earthworm castings and organic feed to secure produce, tomatos especially seem to need some encouragement. We live on the 2nd floor so don’t have cat problems (wish I could offer help!). Really, bugs seem to be the only problem. We tried all sorts of homestyle remedies but to no avail. Now I’m eyeing a dwarf orange tree, some bell peppers and some kind of lettuce.. I might run out of space first!

By: Valerie

Valerie — Wed, 10 Jun 2009 19:42:45 +0000

I have decided to make a container garden this fall when the Phoenix summer heat dies down. Right now I am researching what I want to grow and gathering supplies. One problem I have is that it appears that the neighbor’s cat likes to use our back patio (the only outdoor space we have) as it’s own personal place to do messy things. I am worried about it doing said messy things in my plants. Any suggestions on how to prevent this?

By: Homegrown Texan

Homegrown Texan — Wed, 10 Jun 2009 18:12:29 +0000

I live in the desert and can’t seem to get the hang of container gardening out here. Everything dries out *so* fast; between that and the heat, plants can cook *very* quickly. I *did* plant an herb garden in a little brick flowerbed that is outside of our patio. I have basil (3 kinds), tri-color sage, rosemary, and thyme. I’d like to add more basil, as I’m a big pesto fan and my 3 plants aren’t nearly enough! This fall I’m going to plant a full-out garden. Too hot right now!