Veggie Gardening in Tight Spaces

Gardening by the Yard : Episode GBY-804 -- More Projects »

Master gardener Paul James discusses how to yield bountiful crops in small-space container gardens. "Millions of Americans across the country have little more than a courtyard or balcony to grow a garden. So how do you garden when you don't have a yard? Create garden spaces with containers!"

Container gardening is great for all kinds of people regardless of how much space you have. "In fact, even though I have just under two acres, I still grow all kinds of things in containers," says James, "and I'm especially fond of edible goodies."

Figure A

Just about any container will do, from plastic and clay pots to troughs made from fiberglass or wood. However, James recommends matching the size and shape of the container with the crop. For example, a bunch of culinary herbs do just fine in a standard six-inch pot. But larger plants like peppers, eggplants or even tomatoes need a larger pot. Bowl-shaped pots and troughs (figure A) have a lot of surface area and are good for greens of all kinds, as well as onions, turnips and strawberries.

Once you've decided on the container, make sure it has at least one to three drainage holes. Without drainage, your crops are doomed, says James. To get your container crops growing, you need a planting mix that drains well, too. Thankfully, there are all kinds of packaged products to choose from. But if you're gardening on a balcony, blend one to two parts perlite or vermiculite with the soil to lighten the load.

Figure B

"I'm going to plant one of my favorite culinary herbs of all time, Petroselinum crispum neapolitanum or flat-leaf parsley, which I use by the truckload," explains James. Fill a pot with soil, tamping it down as you work. Create a small hole in the center, and carefully remove the plant from its container. Tease the roots a bit, and place the plant in the hole (figure B). Don't be afraid to plant a variety of herbs in one container, just make sure that you consider the growth habits of all the individual plants so they don't crowd each other as they grow.

Figure C

Figure D

Figure E

James plants some parsley, chives and thyme in a terra-cotta bowl (figure C). Here, for example, the chives and parsley will grow more upright without competing with one another, whereas the thyme will stay low and eventually cascade over the sides of the container.

For a change of pace, James plants some spearmint in a unique wooden basket, which he lines with moss and fills with potting mix (figure D). "Now, believe it or not, this one little plant will quickly fill the entire basket," notes James, "providing me with plenty of mint for cooking and for adding a little something to various beverages" (figure E). As a matter of fact, because mint is highly invasive and can quickly take over a yard, containers are a great way to grow this excellent, underused herb. And in time, it will spill out over the sides of the basket to create a waterfall of mint.

Figure F

Figure G

In this fiberglass trough, James opts for onions (figure F), using three different colors of sets. He pushes the sets in the soil until only the tips are exposed and spaces them about two inches apart since he'll harvest them as scallions. James also transplants some young onion plants in a wooden trough. After firming the soil a bit, he makes holes with his finger, places the transplants in the holes, and spaces them about four inches apart so they'll have room to develop into full-sized onions. He snips the tips with scissors to make them a bit more presentable (figure G).

Next, James transplants some baby broccoli, which was developed specifically for growing in containers. If you shop around, you can find all kinds of vegetables developed just for container gardening, including cucumbers, melons and tomatoes.

Figure H

Finally, James plants some mesclun, a tasty mix of greens to make a salad really sing. To plant, fill the container with soil, tamp down and then broadcast about two dozen seeds onto the soil directly on top of the planting mix (figure H). Gently firm the seeds in place, water and in about a month you'll be munching on mesclun.

Of course, container gardens do require some maintenance. Water well and often, perhaps everyday in the summer. Feed the plants with a dilute solution of compost or manure tea, once a week or so. If the plants wilt in the middle of the day, or if you notice tip burn on the leaves, move the container so that it gets four hours or so of morning light followed by afternoon shade.

Also in this Episode

Gardening by the Yard : Episode GBY-804
•	Veggie Gardening in Tight Spaces
•	Gardening Q & A: Evergreens, Outdoor Light and more
•	Raised Beds for Easy Gardening
•	Easy ZZ Plant

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