Growing Vegetables in Pots

Many gardeners, me included, like to grow at least some of their vegetables in containers which are at least five gallons or more in size. Such containers are also great for starting trees from seeds or acorns. Growing vegetables in such a medium greatly reduces weeds, and separates the plants for better visibility, air circulation and overall control. There are, however, several aspects that should be taken into consideration when growing in containers.

First, make sure the container has adequate drainage holes. If not, drill more holes. Slightly elevate the container for better drainage, particularly if the container will be placed on the ground. When a container is flat on the ground, it tends to drain much more slowly than if elevated an inch or so, thus water-logging the growing medium.

Many containers for sale are dark colored, which makes it more difficult to control heat in the root zone. Additional watering is already required when growing in containers, and dark colors only increase the amount of water required. A light colored container or a dark container with a light covering reduces this heat.

Don’t just dig up soil and put it in a container. For some reasons that I don’t fully understand, soil doesn’t function the same in a container as it does in the ground. It tends to become much more dense and heavier. You can buy potting soils/mixes and compost to blend and place in the container. Do not add mulch, as it will pull nitrogen out of the mix.

Don’t use fillers in the container bottom to reduce the amount of growing mix required. All they do is cut down on the available space for roots to grow and feed. They also move the saturated wet zone at the container bottom up into the root zone.