Nothing is healthier than home-grown veggies from a well-tended garden. Right? Well … it depends. I would like to share with you how people are discovering their soil is contaminated and the steps you can do to combat that. I also want to talk about container gardening. Planting season begins soon in my area of the Midwest, so if you’re not sure about planting a container garden this year, maybe this article will motivate you to do some research and plan for next year.
BLOG POST BY:
Gardening has been a part of my life since I was a child. I grew up with three gardens: the main garden was large and contained many of your common vegetables (we even grew peanuts one year), another garden had pumpkins and gourds to use for fall decorations, and a third garden contained rhubarb and strawberries for homemade strawberry-rhubarb pie.
Well, last year, I decided to give container gardening a try. This was in addition to the traditional in-ground garden that has been planted for years. My container garden consisted of 5- and 7-gallon grow bags on the deck floor and planter boxes that set on top of the deck rail (continue reading to learn more about grow bags). The planter boxes contained gourmet lettuce blend and dill, and the grow bags contained potatoes, beets, carrots, bibb lettuce, parsley, and arugula.
The larger garden contained items such as tomatoes (my favorite … especially yellow tomatoes!), green beans, and chives. The nice thing about chives is they are a perennial in zones 3-10 and will return each year in the spring. To know what hardiness zone you are in, CLICK THE MAP BELOW to access the USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map.
CLICK MAP to access the USDA Hardiness Zone Map
CONTAMINATED !! ORGANIC !! SOIL ... and other soil
I eat very healthy and prefer my vegetable garden to be planted in organic soil. Because of high food prices, I buy very little organic produce at the moment. Any produce that is not organic, I soak in a fruit and veggie wash (containing citrus essential oils) that I purchase from Trader Joe’s.
Before I delve into how to grow and care for a container garden, you need to be aware of something. BEWARE OF CONTAMINATED BOUGHT SOIL … INCLUDING ORGANIC. This is happening all over and it happened to my organic soil last year. My container garden was a disaster! And … my in-ground garden was the garden version of a Charlie Brown Christmas tree. It was a very bad year. I did everything I was supposed to, including appropriate watering and fertilizer. Something is going on.
WHAT HAPPENED?
I am a perfectionist and since it was my first time planting a container garden, I bought a book with a step-by-step guide to make sure it was a success. I just knew it was going to be a lush and delicious container garden. I even created a chart with plant and harvest dates, I sprayed leaves with neem oil when needed to prevent bugs and disease, fertilized, and so on.
My beet greens looked beautiful. I eat those, as well, sauteed with minced garlic. However, when it was time to harvest them, I pulled the first one and was in complete shock. There was literally no bulb whatsoever. The beautiful greens above the soil were deceiving and led me to believe I had beautiful red bulbs … AND it was time to harvest them. Since there was nothing there, I decided to not pull anymore for another month. Yet, still nothing. It was just the skinny root. I thought I was seeing things. What in the world was going on? This was the case with EVERYTHING I planted in my container garden. I lost everything. The only ‘luck’ I did have was with the carrots, but I was afraid to eat them.
SOIL TESTING
I told a friend of mine in Ohio about my epic fail and he said his friend owns an organic greenhouse and NOTHING grew in his organic soil. He then proceeded to tell me that this same friend knows eight other people who own organic greenhouses and NONE of them had any luck with organic soil, either. THE ORGANIC SOIL IS BEING TAMPERED WITH! That is a whole other topic, which I won’t get into because it may turn some of you off, but I know what I truly believe is happening.
Folks, test your soil! Organic or not, in-ground or store bought. I don’t know what contaminants the test can detect, but it will show you what is missing in your soil. My local soil and water conservation district has soil test sampling instructions on their website. Google to find a location near you.
HOW TO GROW AND CARE FOR YOUR CONTAINER GARDEN
Anyone can grow a container garden. They are especially nice for urban living and people with limited space, such as condo owners with a balcony. In my case, I planted a container garden on my deck, in addition to the in-ground garden.
PLANNING YOUR CONTAINERS
When planning your pots or containers, always remember that all soil isn't created equal. Potting soil, not garden soil or just plain ol' dirt, is the key to container gardening success.
Here is the high-quality organic soil I bought last year. I even replenished my container garden with fertilizer, as in time, the nutrients are depleted from all the water that runs through and evaporates in the containers.
ENSURE PROPER DRAINAGE
Proper drainage is essential to prevent plant roots from becoming waterlogged, which will lead to root rot and, eventually, death. So, before planting, always inspect pots and, if drainage holes aren't present, add them.
The container's material will determine the type of drill bit you need. For most plastic containers, a regular twist drill bit is fine. For terra-cotta and un-glazed ceramics, you’ll need a masonry bit, and for hard-glazed containers, you’ll need a glass/tile drill bit. Or, you can buy grow bags like I have where no drilling is needed. They are very nice and high quality. Here are the ones I bought online through Walmart. I also have gray felt-like ones that have worked well.
WATER WISELY
One of the very few downsides to container gardens is that they dry out quicker than in-ground gardens so be sure to water containers frequently — especially right after planting and during the hottest days of summer. Also, whenever possible, water early in the morning when plants are least stressed and evaporation is less of a concern.
ALWAYS ADD MULCH AND DON’T FORGET TO FERTILIZE
I was talking to a friend of mine about mulch (she has a wonderful garden), and I told her I was thinking of buying hay/straw for mulch and she showed me the straw she uses, so I took a picture of it. You want to make sure it is CLEAN straw without bugs or weeds. Many nurseries sell clean straw or you can buy some online.
Container gardens can benefit from a layer of mulch. Just as you wouldn't leave a landscaping bed bare, no planter is complete without a layer of mulch that not only serves as a decorative finishing touch but also preserves moisture (meaning you'll need to water less often) and discourages weeds.
GROW BAGS & HEIRLOOM SEEDS
Grow bag gardening utilizes lightweight, eco-friendly, fabric planter bags to grow great plants with minimal space and care. Here are pics of my grow bags with beets (beet greens) and potatoes. I had not mulched them at that time. You can see everything looks good and healthy, but there was nothing in the soil come harvest time. Just roots!
Don't be deceived by these pictures. Come harvest time, there was no food in my soil. Just roots!
Grow bags are perfect for urban, container, rooftop, balcony, and patio gardeners—but those with lots of property will find them useful, too. Grow bags fold flat for easy storage and are 100% frost-proof, so there’s no lugging heavy pots indoors for the winter. I brought mine into the garage. They can be used for many seasons and their mobility means you can easily move them around to maximize sunlight. Fabric grow bags offer gardeners a great way to grow that's cost effective, simple, and beneficial to plants. I love them!
I put into practice ‘interval planting’ where I planted the same vegetables every 2-3 weeks apart to have a steady flow of fresh food in the house. I did this until I ran out of bags.
HEIRLOOM SEEDS: I highly suggest buying heirloom seeds. You do not need to keep replanting each year. Collected seeds from heirloom plants produce a new generation that’s true to type which means not only do gardeners save money when they purchase heirloom seeds, if they collect those seeds to plant the next season, they don’t need to purchase seeds again after the first expense.
To the left is a screenshot from my Twitter account last year of a conversation on heirloom seeds. I even read of a lady who freezes her seeds. She said she had some frozen for five years and planted them and they grew like crazy.
FULL HOW-TO GUIDE
One of my favorite gardeners to follow is Kevin Espiritu from Epic Gardening. He has a huge following into the millions across social media. I encourage you to visit his website at https://www.epicgardening.com/. I have one of his books called “Field Guide to Urban Gardening … How to Grow Plants No Matter Where You Live”. It is this book where I learned the ins and outs of container gardening.
IN CONCLUSION
It would be smart to test your soil, whether it is organic or not, in-ground or store bought. Without healthy soil, you won't have a healthy garden; and with the stories I just shared with you, including my own, it sounds like what is happening is intentional. Be proactive and play it safe.
Have you tried container gardening? It is easy and a great complement to your in-ground garden or for urban dwellers whose outdoor space is limited. Just be sure to mulch, water frequently, and fertilize.
Design Realign Blog ... a Blog About All Things Home
Comments