Products for Container Vegetable Gardening

Containers

• As long as there are drainage holes in the bottom, any container can be used to grow vegetables. Root crops require deeper containers, while herbs do fine in small pots. Half wine barrels, large buckets, and plastic storage bins with holes drilled in the bottom are ideal for potatoes, tomatoes and peppers. Purchase 6- to 10-inch pots for smaller crops, such as green onions. Porous materials, such as wood or terracotta, cause soil to dry out quicker than pots made of non-porous materials such as glazed terracotta or plastic.

Soil

• The planting medium in which you grow your vegetables is the most important aspect of container gardening. It must be quick-draining yet able to hold enough moisture for the roots to drawn on. Soilless potting mix, composed of wood chips, perlite, peat moss and other items, is fine for growing vegetables. Mixes that include soil tend to hold water better than the soilless mixes. Look for one that contains compost or well-rotted manure to provide nutrients for the growing seed or transplant.

Fertilizer

• Purchasing fertilizer products may be confusing. Labels state that a fertilizer is one of the following: granular, liquid, water-soluble or time-released. Then there is the analysis number, such as 10-10-10, listed on the package. These respectively denote the percentage of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium in the fertilizer. When growing vegetables in containers, look for a water-soluble formula that you mix with water and apply to the potting soil. Fertilizer analysis depends upon which vegetable you grow. Commercial products specific to certain vegetables such as tomatoes, work well.

Pesticides and Fungicides

• Just because your vegetables are elevated off the ground doesn't mean they aren't susceptible to pests. Tomato hornworm, aphids and grasshoppers, among others, are just as active and destructive on container-grown vegetables. Organic pesticides, such as insecticidal soaps and those containing rotenone and pyrethrin are as effective as synthetic pesticides and safer for use on food crops. You may also need to purchase a fungicide spray or soil drench to deal with fungal pathogens. Those with sulfur and copper or horticultural oils are organic and effective, when used as directed.