Container vegetable gardening tips

I have a small vegetable garden plot in my backyard. This year I'm growing four different varieties of tomatoes, two varieties of peppers, cucumbers, carrots and a few flowers to attract pollinators.  We're lucky to have excellent, black soil for growing a veggie garden.  But we still don't have a lot of sunny spots in our yard to grow a couple rows of sweet corn, for example.

That's why I was so excited to find the new patio sweet corn variety from Burpee this year. Not sure if you can tell from my photo, but I'm growing the sweet corn in a galvanized feed bucket, which I bought for less than $20 at the local farm store.  My hubby drilled a couple of holes in the bottom for drainage.  So far, the corn has been growing well.  It's actually tasseled since I took this photo.  About the only issue is that the corn started to "fire" or turn yellow at the base of the stems.  I figured that the corn is probably sucking up nitrogen with its recent growth spurt, so I gave it a dose of all-purpose fertilizer. 

I've actually had really good luck the past couple years growing tomatoes, peppers and strawberries in 5 gallon buckets instead of planting them in the ground.  What I love about container gardening is that I control how much water and fertilizer the plants get.  And I can move the containers around whenever I want to change up the look of my garden.

This year, I took the advice of a local farmer and planted a ground cherry plant in a container.  When I bought the plant, it was just a tiny stem.  Look how it's bushed out!

I've also planted a "bush" summer squash variety in a bucket.  It's the first time I've planted squash in a container.  So far, it's growing good.  Every morning, it's loaded with squash blossoms, but I don't see any tiny squash forming yet.  But that's kind of up to whether the pollinators are finding the blossoms or not.

I'm also growing a sweet 100 cherry tomato in a bucket. Again, this little tomato was just a stem with one leaf when I bought it.  It's really filled out since then.

The only thing to remember when growing flowers or veggies in pots is that you need to keep the containers well watered, because they will dry out much faster than if you plant in the ground.  We're going through another dry spell this July, and I water the pots every day in the early morning before I drive to work.  The veggies also do well with a dose of all-purpose fertilizer once every two weeks.

While I'm sharing tips about my garden, I might as well share a few of my favorite photos from the garden as well.  The hollyhocks are blooming like crazy this year.

And I just had to share this photo of the garden gnome my husband bought me for my birthday.  I've got my soaker hose well positioned to give this little guy a "shower" every once and a while.  It makes me giggle everytime I see him out in my tomato patch.

I'm using the soaker hose as a cheap alternative to drip line irrigation in my garden.  I move the hose to a different spot in the garden whenever needed.  Veggie gardens need about 1 inch of water per week.  We haven't had a measurable rain in more than 2 weeks, so things are looking pretty crispy outside. There's rain in the forecast tomorrow, though, which is a good thing.

How's your garden growing this year? Do you have any container garden tips to share?

Hot pink flowering strawberry

A few weeks back, I stopped by the Iowa Arboreteum's spring plant sale.  I only planned to buy a couple new hostas, but I ended up buying more than a couple!  I couldn't resist the unique plant offerings, including this strawberry plant -- with hot pink flowers!  The plant tag explains that it's an ornamental and edible ever-bearing strawberry that you can plant in a regular pot; it doesn't grow runners.

Unfortunately, the tag doesn't say what the strawberry variety is called.  I did a quick Google search and found this Toscana strawberry, which looks pretty close to what I bought.  I was so thrilled to find such a new-to-me strawberry variety, but then a few days later, I found the same strawberry plant at my local Fareway greenhouse.  So maybe it's not that unusual!

I'll keep you updated on how the strawberries turn out.  Have you ever grown a pink-flowered strawberry?  Have they been around for a while and I just have never heard of them?

Garden update: May 2013

It's an understatement to say that the weather hasn't been very cooperative this spring.  Right after I took these photos, an unseasonably late storm covered my tulips in 3 inches of snow.  I can't complain, though, because we need the moisture after last summer's drought.

We're doing a lot of yard work this spring. We finally cut down the old wisteria vine that tore the shingles off our back porch.  I'll miss the spring blooms, but I won't miss how the vine covered the back of our house every summer.  Anyhow, that's why our yard is looking a little rough in my photos. That, and the snow.

I planted a few lettuce and radish seeds back in April.  Because the temps dropped right after I planted them, it took a month before they popped out of the ground.  But they're growing a little bit every day.

To get myself in the gardening mood, I bought myself a fancy pair of gloves at the farm store.  Don't worry. They'll get dirty soon enough!

I stopped at Holub greenhouse in Ames before Mother's Day and was surprised to find a nice selection of strawberry plants.  I planted them again in Stack-a-Pots. I had good luck with the everbearing strawberries last year. As long as I kept them watered and fertilized regularly, I had strawberries to pick all summer long.  I never really get a lot of strawberries, but it's still a fun backyard project.

Just for fun, I bought two varieties of ever-bearing strawberries: Fort Laramie and Tristar.  I'm curious to see how different they will be from each other.

My tulips are about done blooming now, but they were beautiful while they lasted.  I planted yellow, orange and red tulips to match my neighbor's same-colored tulips.  I wish the tulips would bloom all year!

How's your garden growing this spring?  Did the unusually cold weather slow or alter your gardening plans?  I still haven't planted my potted flowers yet, because the temps were close to freezing this last weekend.

Container gardening: Peas in a pot (or bag)

I've been having a lot of fun, and some unexpected success, at growing vegetables in containers. Yes, I have to water the container vegetables constantly.  But I also can move them around the garden if I want to change the look, make room for something else or give the vegetables more sun or shade.

This winter, I ordered a pack of Peas-in-a-Pot seeds from Burpee.  I've never had much luck growing spring peas, for some reason.  But I did have some success last year at growing lettuce in a grocery bag, after seeing it at a Discover Garden in southern Iowa.  So I decided to plant peas in a bag!

Guess what?  It worked!  I got about a handful of peas from the seeds I planted in the reuseable grocery bag.  Next year, if I do this again, I'm going to grow two bags so I can get a few more peas.

I've also been enjoying a crop of early tomatoes, which I planted in buckets way back in April.  I tried a new yellow pear tomato variety this year, and I've been amazed how many little tomatoes are coming off the plant.  And the little yellow tomatoes look so colorful in salads.

If you're interested in container gardening, in a 5 gallon bucket or bag, I have just a few suggestions.  Make sure you poke (or drill) holes in the bottom of the container for drainage.  Use potting soil (not "garden soil").  Fertilize every two weeks with Miracle Grow or an equivalent.  Don't let the containers dry out.  I water the pots once a day when the weather gets hot, and about every other day when the temps are closer to 70 degrees.  If we get a rain, I'll also wait a day or two to water.  Finally, I recommend using some type of fungicide to prevent tomato wilt and stem rot.  I found an organic fungicide/insecticide/miticide at our local Earl May Garden Center that works great.  One of the main ingredients is Neem Oil, a natural fungicide.

Have you tried container vegetable gardening in your own backyard?  Do you have any advice for those of us who are still learning how to make it work?

Garden expansion

My husband and I finally bought bags and bags of mulch to cover our perennial garden.  Actually, we put down a layer of newspaper, then covered the newspaper with the mulch.  We had quite a weed problem, so the mulch will make our garden look so much better.

However, my husband also surprised me by digging up our yard and expanding the garden space so I can plant more tomatoes this year.  We both hate to mow the yard, so we're happy to turn our yard into a vegetable garden.  Plus, it's the only sunny spot in the yard.

It's time to plant tomatoes, because our cool-season lettuces are ready to pick. The clematis vines also bloomed like crazy last week, but a strong wind has already knocked most of the blooms off.  Glad I took pictures!

First peonies in bloom!

Are you planting tomatoes this year?  What variety are you planting?  My sister wants to start a vegetable garden this year, and she wants to grow cherry tomatoes, since her husband doesn't like tomatoes.  (Can you imagine not liking BLTs?)

Garden update: April 2012

Well, my garden has slowed down a bit because of the cool, rainy April weather.  It's quite a contrast from March, when we were enjoying 80 degree temperatures and the tulips seemed to pop up from the ground and bloom almost overnight.

I still have quite a few tulips that are blooming, which is a nice surprise.  I guess it helps to plant different varieties that bloom early and late in the season.  It stretched out the tulip season for more than a month!

I couldn't resist buying a couple tomato plants when I saw them on sale at the Earl May garden center.  These tomatoes are supposed to be perfect for container gardening.  I'm going to plant them in buckets when the weather warms ups.  One is a regular red tomato; the other is a yellow pear tomato.  I'm trying to grow a "rainbow" vegetable garden this year, so I'm hoping the yellow tomatoes are a success.

I also planted a few more carrot, lettuce and radish seeds before the warm weather arrives.  So far, the seeds I planted in mid-March are growing well despite the early April frost.  In fact, the biggest threat to the radishes so far are the rabbits!  Those little buggers have nibbled up quite a few radish tops.

Lettuce and radishes are slowly growing.

Those pesky rabbits have gobbled up a row of radishes!

I'm also keeping a close eye on the strawberry pots I planted in early April.  They still haven't grown much, but there are a few blooms that may yield strawberries if the weather warms up next week.

My two strawberry stack-a-pots.

My husband's favorite clematis vines are also blooming right now.  But with the high winds, the blooms blow away pretty fast. Yesterday, we had 40 mile per hour winds!

One of the biggest surprises of the week:  My husband found half a dozen morel mushrooms under our back deck!  Unfortunately, they were too dried up to pick and eat.  But maybe next year?  Can you see the morels in the shadows?

 It will be interesting to see what the weather will be like in May.  Will it be cold and rainy like April?  Or dry and hot like March?  I'm hoping for something in between.  Just as long as the winds calm down.  I can't hit the bike trail when the winds threaten to knock me down!

Fall garden update

I'm happy to report that my garden is still going strong, despite a couple of frost scares earlier this fall.  In early October, we've been enjoying 80 degree temperatures. Last year at this time, we got our first snow!  My husband and I are taking advantage of these unseasonably warm days by spending a lot of time on the bike trail and lake.  Needless to say, my garden and house aren't as spruced up as they should be, but we figure we've got all winter to work on household chores.

However, I did manage to remember to plant a few lettuce, radish and spinach seeds back in late August for a third-season garden crop.  The warm weather really helped these little seedlings along.  Unfortunately, the weather has also been dry.  We've gone almost two weeks now without rain!  But these little plants are still hanging in there.  The radishes are small, but I think they are ready to pick this weekend.

Please ignore the weeds. I've been too busy biking to spend time in the garden.

I'm really excited to share a little "experiment" I've been trying out in my garden.  At a recent community garden open house in Osceola, I learned about "bag" gardening.  I decided to give it a try.  I had a reuseable shopping bag that had ripped at the handles (the grocery bagger guy told me this happens all the time).  I wanted to find another use for the bag, so I thought why not use it in the garden.  I filled the bag with potting soil, sprinkled lettuce seeds on top, placed it under a shade tree (since lettuce doesn't like the summer heat) and then kept it watered regularly.

 Sure enough, I ended up with "bagged" lettuce!

The annual flowers in my garden are also looking pretty good, despite the cool temperatures at night.  I love these marigolds.  They are from a free seed packet I received in a goodie bag for a 5K race.

Even more surprising, the ever-bearing strawberry plant is doing even better in fall than it did in the spring and summer.  I've got lots of berries forming.  Unfortunately, the bugs have discovered the fruit, so I haven't been able to eat them.  Still trying to decide if I want to try to overwinter my stack-a-pot strawberries, especially now that I'm worried about bringing bugs into the house.

Strawberry Stack-a-Pot

I'm so proud of my little backyard garden.  It produced the best tomato and pepper crop that I've had in years.  And it still looks pretty and is productive in the fall.  I love three-season gardening!  I think I'm also going to start a herb garden in my kitchen this winter.

How are all your gardens growing?  Have you done a lot of canning and freezing with your garden produce?

Garden update: July 2011

Oh dear!  I'm so, so far behind in sharing this garden update.  I've just been so busy this summer traveling, biking and enjoying the warm weather.  I took these photos on July 1, and my little backyard garden looks a lot different now. But here's a recap of what I've been up to so far.

In early July, my container tomato started wilting from leaf spot, or early blight.  It was fading fast, and I couldn't stand just seeing the leaves yellow and die off, especially when the plant was already setting fruit.  So I broke down and bought a fungicide at the local garden center.  Now my tomato plant has bounced back, and I'm being more careful to keep the leaves dry when I'm watering it.

My container strawberry plants are still growing and flowering, but the birds get to the fruit before I do.  I haven't decided if I'm going to overwinter the plants or just use my stack-a-pot to grow herbs next year.

I love my herb pot.  I bought Christmas basil, purple basil and curly parsley at the Des Moines Farmers Market.  They are all growing very well, and they look so pretty!  So much fun to brush past the basil plant just for the fragrance.

I planted begonias in these little pots my Mom and sister gave me for my birthday a couple years back.  I love the pink flowers in the pastel-colored pots.

I've been having really good luck at planting cucumber a little later than normal, about mid-to-late June.  It seems like they miss out on the moth season and avoid getting attacked by insects.  Plus, the cucumbers grow really fast in the summer heat.  They are already crawling up the trellis now.

I planted broccoli and cauliflower for the first time this year.  Right away, they were eaten by rabbits.  So I bought more seedlings and "caged" them inside cut-off buckets.  The plants grew fast, but unfortunately, they didn't produce much.  The cauliflower never formed, and the broccoli heads were small and went to flower right away.  Not sure if I'm going to plant these again next year.  Not really worth the space in such a small garden.

As a happy accident, I spilled a package of lettuce seeds when I was planting flowers.  And the lettuce grew in the middle of my flower patch.  So cute!

 

So far, I haven't harvested much, other than the lettuce, a few pea pods and a few radishes.  The radishes and peas didn't grow very well this year.  I think next year I'm going to try different varieties, although I'm sure the weather (and the rabbits!) are partly to blame.

I'm almost embarrassed to share this garden update, because I've discovered so many wonderful garden bloggers with gorgeous edible gardens.  But I try to remind myself that the important thing is that I try.  And I really do enjoy spending time outside tending to my little garden.

So how are your gardens growing?  Do you have any ripe tomatoes yet?  I've got lots of green tomatoes, and no red ones yet.