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How To Grow A Vegetable Garden On Your Patio.
Growing a vegetable garden on your patio
The best summer meals are made with the freshest ingredients. Anyone can create these meals with their own garden fresh produce. The vegetables best suited to growing in 5 gallon tubs are what you'll want to buy. These days with modern advances in horticulture, we aren't limited to patio tomatoes anymore, we can grow full size tomatoes and still grow a vigorous plant, teeming with an abundant harvest, all in a container by the front door.
The first thing you'll want to do, is make sure you pick sturdy containers, that have at least 4 drainage holes. Most vegetables will become stunted and don't produce well if the pot is any less than 20 inches in diameter. The general rule of thumb when picking containers for growing vegetables, is the bigger the better. The only exception to this would be containers for growing greens, or lettuce, which can tolerate long flat containers with a shallower depth.
Of course, by now, you know that the type of soil is going to make a big difference in your plant’s health and productivity. There are many types of soil on the market, but garden soil doesn't do work well for container grown vegetables. 100% garden soil tends to become too compacted, forcing oxygen out of the soil, and leading to poor drainage and unhealthy roots. For the healthiest plants, simple is best, buy Miracle Grow potting soil. For each 5 gallon container, you will need 5-6 gallons of potting soil. Also, if you plan to move the containers around, you should purchase dollies, as they will be quite heavy, and dropping them could severely damage your plants. Always position your containers so that plants receive a minimum of 6-8 hours of sunlight per day. Container grown plants need frequent watering, check them daily. Don't allow the soil to dry out completely, especially during the first week after transplanting, when roots are getting established. Always water after transplanting, or sewing seeds, and apply fertilizer to reduce transplant shock. After plants become established, fertilize again when they are halfway grown, and again when they bloom, or 3 weeks before harvest time. Liquid fertilizers work best, especially for use with a watering can. Miracle grow is the most balanced, and easiest to use.
Do remember that even though the containers are quite large, you don't want to over crowd the plants, or the roots won't have enough room to grow. My recommendation is to only plant two vegetables per pot, unless you are growing the big beefsteak tomatoes, then I'd only plant one vegetable per pot. Remember to check you plants daily for signs of insect damage, and treat the plants only when needed with insecticidal soap.
Below I'll list the most commonly grown vegetables for container culture, and the days to harvest for each vegetable. Please keep in mind that if you are starting your vegetables from seed, rather than from transplants, you will need to add another 4-6 weeks to the days to harvest. I'd recommend starting with transplants, unless you live in an area where it’s warm well into October.
Tomatoes- (Cherry, Grape, Patio, Better Boy, Early Girl, Big Beef) – 90-130 days to harvest- (Plant deeply, pinch off the lower branches, and plant at least half of the stem below the soil. This stimulates more vigorous roots to grow further up the stem, creating a healthier, more productive plant).
Beans- (Snap, pole, or bush) - 45-65 days to harvest
Cucumbers- (any bush variety) - 50-70 days to harvest
Squash- (Any summer, or bush variety) - 50-70 days to harvest- (one per pot)
Peppers- (any variety) - 90-120 days to harvest- (hot peppers can be planted closer together than Bell Peppers, so you can have 3-4 plants per pot)
Eggplant- (any variety) - 90-120 days to harvest- (eggplants produce star shaped purple flowers)-(one per pot)
Onions- (bunching varieties) – 80-100 days to harvest (do not plant onions near beans)- (8 per pot)
Carrots- ( Nantes, Thumbelina, or any of the shorter varieties) – 50-60 days to harvest ( 6-8 per pot)
Greens- (collards)- tolerant of hot weather- 60 days to harvest (4 per pot)
From Tara, Down The Lane, Volume 11, Issue 4.
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