Gardening with Gary

Gardening Advice from an Expert

Growing Vegetables in Containers

Q. Any suggestions on growing vegetables in containers? Just starting container gardening.

A. Good for you. It is a great way to produce good, healthy fresh food in a small space, with some care.

Get large containers; those 1/2 wine barrels are great. Lay an inch or two of gravel in the bottom, making sure not to cover the drainage holes in the bottom. Broken shards of pots curved over the holes keeps them from being sealed.

Buy a good organic potting soil from a nursery or garden center. Do not use your garden bed soil, unless you do not want to spend the money. Also, buy those six packs of vegetables. Pick ones which the labels state a shorter height. Corn and zucchini are out of the question! Tomatoes, bell peppers, onions, carrot, green and wax beans, and lettuce are good choices.

Moisten the soil until water drains out the bottom. Space the plants according to the directions and grow in full sun.

Give them fertilizer for vegetables after they are established. Feed well every two to three weeks and make sure the water is plentiful, especially during the hot spells.

Keep dead and yellow leaves off and watch for bug attacks. Let me know if anything appears. Allow the fruit to ripen, but not to the point where they blister or crack in the sun. Herbs are also wonderful to grow in containers.

Enjoy and do not hesitate to ask me concerning their growth as the season progresses.