Container Gardening
For most people, planting a garden is all about flowers but the foodie in me need a bit more. It does help that I spend about 10 hours a day working with gorgeous flowers any way and to be fair if I had the space I would have a huge floral garden as well, but living in Ocean Beach that’s not quite an option at the moment so I have to pick and choose what I can grow on my tiny patio.
I love birds and butterflies so I do have quite a few blooming plants that were specifically chosen to attract and host butterflies, here’s my list of butterfly garden plants . Those take quite a bit of space but I tried to create more planting space by layering the plants using vertical spaces with the help of different heights planters and plant stands and of course railing planters’ hooks.
When it comes to selecting what veggies to plant my two must haves are of course tomatoes and peppers. Both are super easy to grow and they thrive in containers.
Here are a few tips for growing amazing tomatoes in containers:
find the ideal location:You can place your tomato pots in virtually any location. However, choose a place where the plants will receive a minimum of six hours of sunlight. Also, don’t place your pots closely to each other and provide air circulation. This helps in reducing the spread of fungal diseases.
Chose the correct pot: Choose pots that will fit your tomato plants. For those who wish to go with the dwarf, bush types and vine -like cherry tomatoes, choose 3-5 gallon pots. For larger varieties, select larger pots, about 10 gallon.
Potting Mix over potting soil : growing your tomatoes in a nice quality potting mix will give the plants a well-drained, light, and fluffy environment to thrive. Garden soil is not just heavy but can be loaded with unwanted pests and pathogens that can cause soil-borne diseases.
Chose the varieties that are best suited for container gardens: Big Boy Bush Tomato, Bush Champion, Bush Goliath Tomato ,Celebrity Tomato, Early Girl, Patio F , Tumbling Tom, Roma, Principe Borghese, Manitoba, Sprite , New Yorker, sophie’s choice, Green zebra, Japanese Black Trifele , Stupice ,Paul Robeson , Brandyvine , Indian Sripe.
Chose Determinate Tomatoes: Grow determinate varieties of tomatoes if you’re short of space or growing tomatoes in containers. Determinate tomatoes aren’t usually too tall or wide (generally, 3-4 feet) like indeterminates. Both hybrid and heirloom cultivars are available in it.
Use the correct planting techniques: tomatoes must be planted deeply. Deep planting encourages a healthy and strong root system. At the time of planting, cover the bottom 2/3 part of your baby tomato plant with potting soil. For example, if your plant is 10 inches high, leave only 3 or 4 inches of its height from the top.
Feed Your Plants: Use Organic fertilizers to add nutrients to he soil. blood meal, soy meal, bone meal, and others. This will boost the balance of nutrients including phosphorous, nitrogen, and potassium.
Water Correctly: Water regularly to keep the soil slightly moist but not saturated. Also, avoid overhead watering because the wet foliage is more prone to fungal infection.
Pruning and Removing Suckers : Prune tangling branches that are blocking the airflow and penetration of sun. Also, remove suckers (emerging stems) up to 6-8 inches under each plant. This will improve the productivity of the plant.
Inspect Your Plants weekly: Inspect your plants weekly for any pests. This is because you do not want a small problem to get out of hand. Pests such as aphids are notorious and should not be ignored.
