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Senin, 13 Mei 2013
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Garden Fever Prt.2: Container Gardening
Rabu, 08 Mei 2013
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True to Ursula fashion, each year I am all-over-the-place excited to start my garden in spring, then comes vacation time... inevitably, my overly large garden takes a hit that it never fully recovers from. Some plants struggle to stay alive while I am out of town, or those insidious weeds make a power play for my poor little garden (and usually win), or worst Jack Frost comes to town early in the fall to rob me of part of my harvest! *sigh* However it happens, my garden has never quite made it to my dreamy ideal... This year I'm preparing to go to battle. My garden will be ready to pack a punch to whatever decides to attack this year! I'm going for work-free, self-watering, organic & natural, bug-repelling techniques, and I'm sharing all the how-to's!
Last week I shared how I started my seedlings here, this week, I'm focusing on the container part of my garden, then join me as I show you how to build raised beds here!
Last week I shared how I started my seedlings here, this week, I'm focusing on the container part of my garden, then join me as I show you how to build raised beds here!
Container Gardens For Less
A container garden is easy to prepare and care for, but can cost a lot of money when you need to spring for lots of large pots. Save some money by opting for plastic planters and painting it to suit your design. And of course, search thrift and hardware resale stores for pots first!
I found a ton of small plastic pots at a Habitat for Humanity Restore for pennies! Cha-ching! I also managed to find medium and large plastic pots at Walmart last year for $3 a piece as the planting season ended, you can usually find their large plastic pots for $5 - $7, so it is still a cheap find compared to ceramic pots.
Another fantastic idea is to use large buckets (like the ones you purchase in the paint section of the hardware store), or outdoor rubber storage bins.
Painting Plastic Pots
The terra cotta paint color on these thrifty plastic pots wasn't doing anything for me. Well I say, when design fails...spray paint!
Before
Turning Your Pots Into Sub-Irrigation Planters (SIP's)
The challenge with container gardening is ensuring your plants stay watered...or maybe that's just me! Either way, there are many benefits to creating sub-irrigation planters...
1. Eliminates the need for frequent watering
2. Aerates the soil
3. Waters plants from below, which helps most plants thrive and is especially good for plants such as tomato plants.
How SIP's Works
1. All SIP's require a space or container to store water under the soil in the base of your planter. Recycled milk or juice containers are often used, I use soup and butter containers...be sure to only use plastics rated at the safest EPA ratings of #2, #4, & #5.
2. Next it requires a pipe that goes from the surface to the underground container for you to fill your water storage container.
3. It requires a medium that will wick the water up through the soil to your plant. Although many people use cotton, the soil itself can be that agent and works best!
4. Last it requires a method of drainage to prevent over watering and let you know when your water storage container is full. This can be a drilled hole at a specific height, but for planters (where the holes are at the base), a container or plastic tarp barrier to hold the water until it can reach a certain height before draining is needed.
How-to Video
Here I will demonstrate how to turn your existing pots into sub-irrigation planters. It is a very easy process, and you can turn several pots into SIP's in an afternoon!
Tips and Frequently Asked Questions
Why is Drainage Important?
Different plants have different needs, but continuously over saturated soil can cause disease in even some of the most thirsty plants. So good drainage is key!
Alternative Drainage Materials: Using a plastic bucket just smaller than your planter is the easiest method, however thick vapor barrier plastic used for painters tarp will work as well. An alternative to purchasing plastic is using grocery bags. It has the same EPA rating as the tarp plastic, and best of all, it's free! Just check for holes, and layer several bags.
How Does the Water Flow from One Storage Container To The Next?
Are you scratching your head wondering why the fill container and the reserve container aren't connected? The strips you cut in the bottom of those containers is all it needs...the water flows out of the fill container across the floor of the plastic tarp or container into the reserve container, and the rest is leeched through the tightly packed top soil all around it. Don't worry, trust the science of it...it works. *wink* With a little time, both containers will fill with water, and as the soil above loses moisture the water will continue to be drawn up as needed.
Where Did you Get Your Water Storage Containers & Drainage Container?
The containers I'm using for water storage are recycled butter containers, sour cream containers, and soup containers you get from ordering take out! Look for safer plastics encircled by a #2, #4, and #5, which your thicker butter containers usually are.
The drainage container (also a safer plastic choice) was an old paint mixing bucket that had never been used...you can find buy them new in the paint section for about $2.
How Do I know When My SIP is Full or Requires Refill?
The water will begin to drain out of the base of your planter. Then you will know that the fill container, the reserve container, and the drainage container is full. For the first few weeks check deep in the soil for moisture so you will know when your SIP's are empty in need of a refill. In the future you will begin to get a feel for how much water it can take, and how much time passes before needing to refill.
Cap Your PVC Fill Tube:
Purchase caps to fit your PVC pipe. It will ensure that bugs and dirt can't get into your fill container. It will also prevent evaporation.
Container Gardening Details
Success in container gardening is in the littlest details... so here are a few things I recommend you do:
Choose The Best Soil
The benefit of container gardening is getting the soil right at the outset. Take that extra time to choose the best! In my family buying organic isn't usually a great financial option, so this is my chance to have organic fruits and vegetables!
Prevent Weeds
A couple minutes to add a bit of weed barrier will make life so much easier in the long-run, in addition it will help prevent moisture in the soil from evaporating as quickly increasing the effectiveness of your SIP's.
You can use weed barrier/garden cloth, some leftover plastic from your SIP project, or even a black garbage bag.
Place over top of your soil and your fill pipe, cut a hole to accommodate the fill pipe, then tuck the edges into the soil. Cut an X where you will plant.
For plants that require less moisture to maintain health, try different types of "weed barriers". Mulch, *gravel, or even *river rocks make a pretty barrier. These do require some maintenance, as weeds can still sprout, but it makes a difference as opposed to not using any barrier at all.
*Gravel or rocks can be used for plants that love heat only...the rocks will reflect sunlight onto your plants and absorb heat into your soil. Be careful to keep vegetables that "hang" off the rocks or they will burn.
Make Plants Movable
There are benefits of being able to move your plants as needed, and once you add water to your SIP it will be quite heavy, so adding a castors is beneficial!
I love the idea of placing all your small potted plants together in a garden wagon. Since I have a variety of pots too small to turn into SIP's, it is beneficial to have them all grouped together so they can be spray watered all at once. A wagon would make it easy to contain them, and to pull in and out of a garage or sun porch if needed! I'm keeping my eye open for wagon sales.
What great tips do you have for creating the ultimate container garden? I'd love to know! Next week, I'm adding raised beds to expand my container garden into my dream deck garden!
I found a ton of small plastic pots at a Habitat for Humanity Restore for pennies! Cha-ching! I also managed to find medium and large plastic pots at Walmart last year for $3 a piece as the planting season ended, you can usually find their large plastic pots for $5 - $7, so it is still a cheap find compared to ceramic pots.
Another fantastic idea is to use large buckets (like the ones you purchase in the paint section of the hardware store), or outdoor rubber storage bins.
Painting Plastic Pots
The terra cotta paint color on these thrifty plastic pots wasn't doing anything for me. Well I say, when design fails...spray paint!
IMPORTANT: When you spray paint your pots, please ensure your pots are empty, and please please do not spray paint the inside where your soil will go. ONLY paint the outside and the inner lip to where the soil will start. It is better to ensure you are not contaminating your soil. A layer of clear protective spray paint will help ensure the paint doesn't scratch off over time.
Before
After
Turning Your Pots Into Sub-Irrigation Planters (SIP's)
The challenge with container gardening is ensuring your plants stay watered...or maybe that's just me! Either way, there are many benefits to creating sub-irrigation planters... 1. Eliminates the need for frequent watering
2. Aerates the soil
3. Waters plants from below, which helps most plants thrive and is especially good for plants such as tomato plants.
How SIP's Works
1. All SIP's require a space or container to store water under the soil in the base of your planter. Recycled milk or juice containers are often used, I use soup and butter containers...be sure to only use plastics rated at the safest EPA ratings of #2, #4, & #5.
2. Next it requires a pipe that goes from the surface to the underground container for you to fill your water storage container.
3. It requires a medium that will wick the water up through the soil to your plant. Although many people use cotton, the soil itself can be that agent and works best!
4. Last it requires a method of drainage to prevent over watering and let you know when your water storage container is full. This can be a drilled hole at a specific height, but for planters (where the holes are at the base), a container or plastic tarp barrier to hold the water until it can reach a certain height before draining is needed.
How-to Video
Here I will demonstrate how to turn your existing pots into sub-irrigation planters. It is a very easy process, and you can turn several pots into SIP's in an afternoon!
Tips and Frequently Asked Questions
Different plants have different needs, but continuously over saturated soil can cause disease in even some of the most thirsty plants. So good drainage is key!
Alternative Drainage Materials: Using a plastic bucket just smaller than your planter is the easiest method, however thick vapor barrier plastic used for painters tarp will work as well. An alternative to purchasing plastic is using grocery bags. It has the same EPA rating as the tarp plastic, and best of all, it's free! Just check for holes, and layer several bags.
How Does the Water Flow from One Storage Container To The Next?
Are you scratching your head wondering why the fill container and the reserve container aren't connected? The strips you cut in the bottom of those containers is all it needs...the water flows out of the fill container across the floor of the plastic tarp or container into the reserve container, and the rest is leeched through the tightly packed top soil all around it. Don't worry, trust the science of it...it works. *wink* With a little time, both containers will fill with water, and as the soil above loses moisture the water will continue to be drawn up as needed.
Where Did you Get Your Water Storage Containers & Drainage Container?
The containers I'm using for water storage are recycled butter containers, sour cream containers, and soup containers you get from ordering take out! Look for safer plastics encircled by a #2, #4, and #5, which your thicker butter containers usually are.The drainage container (also a safer plastic choice) was an old paint mixing bucket that had never been used...you can find buy them new in the paint section for about $2.
How Do I know When My SIP is Full or Requires Refill?
The water will begin to drain out of the base of your planter. Then you will know that the fill container, the reserve container, and the drainage container is full. For the first few weeks check deep in the soil for moisture so you will know when your SIP's are empty in need of a refill. In the future you will begin to get a feel for how much water it can take, and how much time passes before needing to refill.
Cap Your PVC Fill Tube:
Purchase caps to fit your PVC pipe. It will ensure that bugs and dirt can't get into your fill container. It will also prevent evaporation.
Container Gardening Details
Success in container gardening is in the littlest details... so here are a few things I recommend you do:Choose The Best Soil
The benefit of container gardening is getting the soil right at the outset. Take that extra time to choose the best! In my family buying organic isn't usually a great financial option, so this is my chance to have organic fruits and vegetables!
Prevent Weeds
A couple minutes to add a bit of weed barrier will make life so much easier in the long-run, in addition it will help prevent moisture in the soil from evaporating as quickly increasing the effectiveness of your SIP's.
You can use weed barrier/garden cloth, some leftover plastic from your SIP project, or even a black garbage bag.
Place over top of your soil and your fill pipe, cut a hole to accommodate the fill pipe, then tuck the edges into the soil. Cut an X where you will plant.
For plants that require less moisture to maintain health, try different types of "weed barriers". Mulch, *gravel, or even *river rocks make a pretty barrier. These do require some maintenance, as weeds can still sprout, but it makes a difference as opposed to not using any barrier at all.
*Gravel or rocks can be used for plants that love heat only...the rocks will reflect sunlight onto your plants and absorb heat into your soil. Be careful to keep vegetables that "hang" off the rocks or they will burn.
Make Plants Movable
There are benefits of being able to move your plants as needed, and once you add water to your SIP it will be quite heavy, so adding a castors is beneficial!
- In the case of an unexpected frost, I like to move my plants into the garage.
- Newly planted seedlings can't take direct sunlight, so I may keep them in the shaded part of my deck until they are ready for full sun.
- To extend my gardening season I can start them early indoors (garage or sun porch), move them outdoors during the summer, then back indoors again during the winter months.
What great tips do you have for creating the ultimate container garden? I'd love to know! Next week, I'm adding raised beds to expand my container garden into my dream deck garden!
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Selasa, 07 Mei 2013
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if you need me, i'm be surrounded by boxes and packing paper.....my house is complete chaos and i've having a hard time focusing!!
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Kamis, 02 Mei 2013
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Garden Fever Prt.1: Starting Seedlings
Minggu, 28 April 2013
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It is definitely spring, and I've got garden fever! Yep, it is that time of year when I have gardening dreams of grandeur. And every year my plans fail miserably as I struggle to keep my unruly garden plot. Well this year I've decided to try something a little different... a minimal work deck garden! That means building raised beds that can sit on the deck, buying and prepping pots, and starting my seedlings!Hmm, I'm thinking it's time for another little series...how about a garden prep series! I'd love to share the process as I dream big but go practical this year.
So it's time to get to it! How about you? Have you started your indoor seedlings yet? If not, c'mon, it's time to get a jump on it...hmm, by now you might be better served to wait a few weeks and direct sow depending on the vegetable type and your zone.
Seedling Starters
I started the cucumbers, tomatoes, and peas two weeks ago and they are sprouting up fast! I have not yet finished building my raised beds that I'd like to their final home, so my choice for a quick seeding is to use my recycled plastics. These are old berry containers, and since they come with a cover, and a base with holes for drainage, they make for the perfect little "green house" to get my seeds started!
Of course, there are many different seed starters I use. I tend to use whatever I have lying around, or purchasing whatever I find for a few cents at thrift stores. A few of my other seeding containers of choice are peat pots for seedlings that will grow larger faster, gallon orange juice or milk containers also work well for large growing plants. Cut off the top, and poke holes in the bottom.
I also like using the Greenhouse Seed starter pellets. You hydrate the pellets, it is quick and easy, and they grow very well! Each year replace the pellets rather than buying the entire kit.
Consider creating your own greenhouse seed starter kit for a fraction of the cost using aluminum tins with corresponding cover.
Caring For Your Seedlings
I'm a busy mom, so I'm taking my time and staggering my seeding, and allowing the kids to have care of these fragile little plants. Of course, kids manage to make messes, even when it seems there is no possible mess to make all they need is thin air. *wry laugh*. So, I keep it simple, clean, and easy to keep my seedlings alive if possible... I allow the kids to water the newly sprouted seedlings with a small squirt bottle so as not to break the plants.
Another thing I love about using disposable aluminum tins, (besides creating a greenhouse effect for the seeds), is how simple and tidy it makes seed starting. The trays catch any water run off, makes it easy to move when it is time, and plants are clustered together to make watering as mess free as possible! I started my seeds in a sunny place in my laundry room, but will eventually moved them to a garage window where they can get the sunlight they need and begin to acclimate to the weather and more direct sun.
A little trick to aid with drainage is to place river rocks under your seedlings containers. It lifts them up a little so the water run-off doesn't pool around the base of your plants. I learned the hard way that I needed to do this for certain types of plants after my kids "drowned" a couple seedlings last year. If they were a little older and more careful with the manner they watered older seedlings, it wouldn't have been a problem. But once we graduate from the squirt bottle to a mini watering can, all bets were off so this made for a great solution!
Direct Potting
I love direct potting, there are no second or third potting necessary. Just be sure to choose the appropriate size pot for the plant. My potted plants are hanging out in my garage until the weather decides to cooperate. Keep your potted plants in a wagon and roll them out during good weather, and on days the temperature drops too low, roll them back in! This is a great minimal effort way to get an early start on your garden!
I even gave my pots a little facelift with spray paint, but I'll tell you more about that in the next blog post. If you are planning to create a potted garden, wait to seed your larger pots until my next post. I'm giving sub-irrigated planters (SIP's) a try! I need my garden to be as self sufficient as possible, because as the years have taught me, I am just not a reliable gardener come late summer. Yes, every year I have abandoned my garden for summer vacations away... this year, I have a plan! *hopeful grin*
Happy seeding!
Read Part 2 here.
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