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The Perennial Buzz by Shelley Pederson

 

“If words are seeds, 

let flowers grow 

from your mouth,

not weeds. 

If heart are gardens, 

plant those flowers

in the chest of the ones

who exist around you.”

— R.H. Swaney 

 

So you say you don’t have the space for a raised bed or an in-ground bed. Maybe you rent or live in an apartment. Can you grow a garden? Yeah, sure, ya betcha. First of all, you can use flower pots and even buckets with drainage holes. They are portable and often available at garage sales, or even used containers might be available at local garden centers. There are also some garden fabric containers you can use that work pretty slick. Have an old washtub? They work, even a small chest freezer would work; just be sure it has drainage holes in it. The freezer should have a plug you can remove.

I always thought a great way to recycle old chest freezers would be to put them in empty city plots. Remove the compressor, lid and drain plug and fill them up for the community to use. End to end you would have really nice weed-free beds. I saw a PBS show about a couple in Alaska; they kept the lid on during the winter and then propped it open and made a mini greenhouse with plastic over the top, and they grew a pretty good garden in a short period of time. 

The larger the pot, the more success you will have. For tomatoes, I like those white 5-gallon buckets, or even those yellow cat litter buckets. Drill a couple 3/8-inch holes in the bottom for drainage. You can put a couple crushed cans on the bottom or rocks — whatever is handy — to allow for additional drainage. Sometimes the rocks might help to keep the planter from tipping over. 

Buy a good-quality planting mix. And yes, you can reuse it year to year. Peat moss is not sustainable, so please don’t throw it out. Remember the sand test? Pinch the bag and if the soil inside feels like sand, that is what you are buying. Then simply add some worm castings or a cup of bagged manure each spring, mix it well and it’s good to go. Worm castings won’t burn, that is why I like it. You can put a tablespoon or so of a powdered fertilizer mix in the container, also. Just mix it in well and don’t over do it. Or you might want to add some osmocote to the planter in the spring. If it is Miracle Grow with fertilizer in it, that is good enough for the first season. 

What to plant? Compact plants work best. There are tomatoes hybridized for containers and they work best. No, they aren’t huge slicers and they don’t produce as much, but they do produce and they are pretty good eating. They have a heavier trunk and shorter growing habit. You will still likely need a sturdy stake to tie it to. One tomato to one bucket! Same with bell peppers. They need the room in pots and usually need to be staked. Jalapenos and habaneros, you can get away with two to a bucket. Herbs grow lovely in flower pots. You can make a really creative arrangement and set them on the patio and they help repel bugs. Just be sure to put water loving herbs together and dry loving herbs together in separate pots. 

Other plants include onions. Plant them in a wide, lower pot and pull them as you need them. Potatoes can be grown in burlap bags, dog food bags or car tires. Simply put a little soil on the bottom and plant the seed eyes. Roll the bag down and cover with a little straw. As the plant grows, add more straw and roll the bag up. For car tires, start the same and add a tire and straw when the plant gets taller. It’s fun and it works. 

Beans and peas can be grown in larger pots — beets, carrots, really almost any compact plant. There are also bush cucumbers that do well in a large pot. And some squash come in a bush variety; just be sure it’s a substantial pot, like a tree pot. You can trellis with an obelisk or homemade trellis. When the growing season is done, simply stack the pots inside somewhere, but if you have to leave them out, remove the soil into a big bag to keep and turn your heavy composite, heavy plastic and clay pots upside down. Plastic garden center ones will be fine. If you keep the soil in hard-sided pots, they will split and break. 

Your good quality soil mix holds moisture and doesn’t dry out as fast. This is key in container gardens. If you work, or hopefully, will be back to work soon, the plants need to go without water. If it is a windy, hot day, those pots will dry out. The better mix will hold onto that morning watering longer and keep the plant alive. I like to water in the morning. Sometimes I have to water my more thirsty plants when I get home in the early evening. Try to have a bucket of water or rainwater that is day temperature to water with. I have rain barrels, and I try to use it as much as possible. You can also water with water soluble fertilizers, like Miracle Grow, but I suggest you use it at a half rate, water first, then fertilize. 

There will be no greater satisfaction than eating fresh produce you grew in a pot on your patio or deck. You can do it. Be safe and be well. My prayers reach to each and every one of you for your health and healing. Please share this column to all who can benefit. 

 

Shelley Pederson is a perennially busy master gardener, lover of nature and student of life.