Container Gardening

You have spent the long winter months planning your gardening projects and dreaming over seed catalogs. And now it’s time to work the soil. Studies show that mowing the lawn and planting trees takes the same amount of energy as a round of golf.

It is important, therefore, to begin with light and easy activities because, as with other activity, overly enthusiastic gardening will make you susceptible to injury.
Another tip that will prevent gardening injuries is to make sure to use tools that work for you.

Everybody is different and making sure the tool is the right type for the gardening
activity and length for your body will reduce strain.

If you have heavy tasks to accomplish intersperse them with lighter activities. When performing tasks that require bending or kneeling make sure to vary your position for comfort and give your knees a break by kneeling on a soft pad.

Raised beds are a great way to reduce the amount of bending, but make sure the centre of the bed can be easily reached
without stretching.

I like my raised beds. The soil warms faster and they make weeding easier. If you make a ledge around your raised beds you can sit while you are weeding or harvesting.A definite plus!

Lori

Many bulbs can be forced to bloom indoors. Daffodil bulb varieties such as Dutch Master (yellow) and Salome (white) and among tulip bulb varieties, Triumphs and some Darwin hybrids are the easiest to force. Only purchase Hyacinth bulbs that have been specifically prepared for forcing into early blooming.

The bulbs should be planted from mid October to early November and will need a minimum of 12 weeks of cold treatment. Once the bulbs are planted, the containers should be placed in an unheated place about 4 - 8 Celsius. The refrigerator is a good place if you have room.

Water only when the surface of the soil begins to dry out. The soil should not completely dry out, as the roots will be damaged. If bulbs are over-watered they will rot. Check the containers weekly and use containers with good drainage.

When the bulbs have top shoots, about an inch high, take the bulbs out from the cold storage and place them in a spot out of direct sunlight.  Let them slowly adjust to the warmer temperature and fertilize each time you water. It will take about another 3 to 4 weeks before they bloom.

Lori

Tags: Bulbs

Selecting the right plants for your landscape projects will greatly reduce frustration and maintenance requirements. Consider the following points when choosing plants for your garden:

* Select hardy, pest and disease-resistant varieties for minimal maintenance.
* Choose plants suited to your area’s climate zone. The Okanagan Valley zone is 4/5.
* Carefully consider the various sites in your garden (sun exposure, soil type, drainage and rainfall), then select plants that will thrive in each environment.
* Determine the mature size of the plant before you position it in your garden to ensure it has adequate space to grow to full size, and consider whether the mature plant will be appropriate for your long-term landscape plan.
* Consider the plants’ seasonal aspects: bulbs are spectacular in the spring; annuals, perennials and flowering shrubs show best in the summer; and maples provide dazzling colour in the fall. Try to create seasonal balance in your landscape.
*Native plants are increasingly being used in home landscapes. Planted in appropriate sun exposure, soil and moisture conditions, native plants also provide habitat for many other organisms, conserve water and soil, and are low maintenance.

Lastly, consider purchasing local grown plant materials as they are generally better acclimatized than imported plants.

Garden quote:

"Gardening is about enjoying the smell of things growing in the soil, getting dirty without feeling guilty, and generally taking the time to soak up a little peace and serenity."

Lori

Tags: plant selection

Begin transplanting when the first true leaves unfold, which is usually 2 to 3 weeks after sowing. As the seedlings grow, the cotyledons (the first leaf or one of the first pair or whorl of leaves developed by the embryo of a seed plant) will wither and what are called the first true leaves will form. This is when your seedlings begins actively photo-synthesizing.

Because the seedling is growing in a soilless mix, you will need to give it some supplemental feeding. I use a fertilizer that is high in nitrogen and potassium. This is to encourage good roots and healthy growth.

Before transplanting, water the seedlings well. This will aid the seedlings to easily separate when taken out of the container. Hold the seedlings carefully by the stem when transplanting, fill container with soil and set the seedling at the same level it was in the seedling flat. When firming the soil avoid injuring the tender stems.

Immediately, after transplanting, water each seedling container thoroughly. Wilting at this point can damage young plants severely.

Spacing is important. Plant quality suffers from crowding too many plants into a small area, crowded seedlings become weak and spindly and are more susceptible to disease. In this photo the tomato seedlings should be transplanted to a larger container. Wider spacing or larger containers permit stronger growth. As a rule of thumb, to produce high quality plants, space them so that the leaves of one plant do not touch those of another.

For many of you it’s fun to get a head start on the upcoming garden season by starting seedlings indoors. Sometimes, growing your own may be the only way to obtain the new or special variety you want.

A soil-less potting mix is best for germinating seeds. These mixes are made from peat and vermiculite or perlite and are mediums that are sterile and drain well. Using garden soil increases the likelihood of damping-off diseases that attack seedlings and should therefore be avoided. Look for soil mixes with terms like germination mix, plug mix, and starter mix.

Various containers can be used to germinate and grow transplants. Previously used flats, trays, and pots should be cleaned and disinfected before use. Wash and disinfect them in a solution of one part bleach and nine parts water.

When sowing seeds in flats, fill the containers with the growing medium to within 2 cm of the top, firm the medium and seed thinly, cover the seed only enough to make it disappear from view, rule of thumb is 2x their diameter, and water thoroughly. Cover the container with clear plastic and put in a warm place. Remove the plastic as soon germination occurs.

Once the seeds have germinated, move the seedlings to an area with slighter cooler temperatures and direct sun. Transplant the seedlings into individual containers when the first true leaves appear. To avoid leggy plants, supplement natural light available through windows by hanging one or two fluorescent light fixtures about six inches above the seedlings. As the plants grow, raise the fixtures. A mix of cool white and warm white bulbs will provide the right quality of light for plant growth. Or, you can also use grow lights.

Water your seedlings well before and after transplanting. Seedlings growing in soilless mixes need to be fertilized when the first true leaves appear. Feed at every other watering with a water-soluble starter fertilizer to encourage good roots and healthy growth.

Lori

Over the winter, I keep geraniums, one of each colour, on the windowsill. A great way to multiply the number of plants in your garden is to take cuttings of your current plants. This week I took cuttings of my geraniums. Geraniums are easy to grow and they stand up to the hot Okanagan summer.

To take a cutting, remove a 5 to 6 cm section of the plant’s stem with a sharp knife. Pinch off the leaves from the lower half of the cutting and dip the cut end into a rooting hormone. Rooting hormones are sold in powder or liquid form. I use the powder number 2 or number 3.

Stick the cuttings in a moist, well drained rooting media. Nothing beats a good commercial medium because it is sterile and free of unwanted weed seeds. I also like to put cuttings in individual pots.

Ideally, cuttings root best in a moist, warm environment. I don’t cover the cuttings because in my experience they rot if the humidity is too high. The pots should be placed in bright but indirect light. Check regularly to insure they remain moist and not too wet. If your medium is too wet your cuttings will also rot.

The cuttings will root in about 6 weeks. Pinch shoot tips back to force branching and prevent spindly growth. At this point, it is time to start fertilizing, choose a good liquid fertilizer and use a weak solution once a week. Fertilize only lightly. Excessive amounts of nitrogen will promote leaf growth at the expense of flowers.

Last Tip: *Geraniums in containers bloom better when they are slightly root bound.

When starting gardening it is common for people to think big and bit off more than they can chew. A large vegetable garden growing everything from tomatoes to sweet corn will be a lot of work, something that may be difficult if you’re just starting out.

That’s why I recommend that you first start growing in containers and slowly expand your garden as you need to. Container gardening can be so beneficial and also gives you a step up on the ladder to success.

If you start with a few pots growing your favorite vegetables and then slowly adding more containers of plants as you begin to feel more confident. Then once you have some experience and confidence you can start outside.

Start small and slowly build up to your perfect garden.

When designing your container garden, the most important part is – you guessed it- the container! Choosing the right type of container will allow your plants to grow and thrive. The wrong type of container could be harmful, so follow these guidelines when choosing for your garden.

You need a sturdy container with drainage holes. Cheap plastic pots can be effective, but will not withstand the weather for multiple seasons. Terracotta pots are very difficult to keep moist enough, as the water is absorbed by the clay and then evaporates. The best type of pot is a glazed ceramic pot, with multiple drainage holes. Found containers can also be an interesting addition to your garden. I’ve seen planters made from shoes, tires, even an old bathtub! You’re truly only limited by your imagination.

Pots are not the only option, however. If you are handy, you may be able to build wooden containers that are perfect for your needs. I once built a modular garden on the sidewalk outside my rented apartment. Each plywood box nested against the other, and provided me with a convenient garden, although I lacked a traditional yard. The containers were transportable, although heavy, and I was even able to take my garden with me when I moved! Wooden containers can be custom built to the size and shape you desire, and can be very convenient. Avoid pressure treated lumber, and be aware that without proper drainage, your wooden container can and will rot

When choosing containers for your garden, be creative and keep drainage requirements in mind. You’ll be amazed at the imaginative ideas you have, once you begin to look for potential containers. Happy Hunting!

In a sense, all gardens are container gardens. Just some containers are bigger than others. We can start by learning a little bit about ecology. A container garden is a mini ecosystem. To make a container garden work, you have to pick plants that “get along together.” This may be a new concept to some people, but just think about it for a minute. Not all plants need the same amount of water, or sunlight or even the same nutrients in the soil. It is a beautiful rule of nature, perhaps just like all fingers of a human are not equal. Let us now ponder upon few important facts of a container garden.

As long as you remember that container gardens are plant communities, and you make sure that your plants have common interests in how much sun they get, and how much water they get, you can have a successful container garden. The very way that we human need food and water for a living, keeping in mind that plants are living species, therefore for a successful making of a container garden one must give special attention to the sunlight and water needs of a plant.

When designing a container many people dwell on plant colors and plant heights, rather than on the needs of the individual plants. You wouldn’t plant a water lily in a window box, now, would you? Drainage is an issue to most plants. Make sure that the container garden has proper drainage for the plants you choose. The second most important factor of plant compatibility is the Ph of the soil. There are plants that thrive in alkaline soils which would kill other plants. Similarly, there are plants that would die in acidic soils.

Pick compatible plants and you will find that if your plants are happy with their neighbors the gardener can also be happy with them.

Contacting your local council is the first step that needs to be taken when getting an allotment. The council will be able to inform you of where the nearest allotment plots are located. If no plots are available upon your request, you have the option of putting your name on a waiting list. You will then be notified when a plot becomes available.

Privately owned plots are also available. A privately owned allotment is not protected from disposal. If the allotment that you end up renting happens to be closed, you will most likely receive a twelve month notice. This will allow you time to find a new allotment. When your allotment ends tenancy, you should also be reimbursed.

Since you will need to spend a lot of time at your allotment garden, pick a plot that fits your time schedule. You can pick a full plot or a half plot. A full plot is about three hundred square yards. For a beginner it might be wise to just rent a half plot until you have more experience. Only rent an allotment as big as you can handle.

An allotment garden can contain herbs, flowers, fruits, or vegetables. Since gardens require a lot of energy, as well as time, it is advised to keep your allotment simple. Ask a friend or a neighbour to look after you allotment if you need to be away for a few days. This will help deter intruders from entering your allotment. Also, your friend can water your allotment if needed.

A shed or greenhouse should be on the allotment site that you choose. Keep your out buildings locked whenever you are away. Also, never keep items of great value on your allotment site. Rent an allotment that has assessable water supply, security, and clear pathways. Some allotment sites contain toilets and garden centers. A garden center is convenient if you need to buy a tool in an emergency situation. Having a garden center on site will save you time.

Some basic tools that you should purchase are a hoe, fork, spade, power cultivator, and clippers. Choose a lightweight material that will last. These tools might be more expensive, but it is worth the extra cost.

The more time you spend in your garden the better the chance is that your garden will be successful. Time is required to create the look you desire in your allotment garden. Each time you visit your allotment garden do a small portion of work. It is very important not to wear yourself out. Doing all the work at one time could be harmful to you and your garden.