#26. Growing Vegetables in Containers
It is possible to grow almost any vegetable in a container garden. In fact, often people with garden space choose the container gardening method to grow their own vegetables. Container gardens generally live up to the gardener's expectations. However, you need to know what you're doing to save yourself frustration and expense. One of the best reasons to container garden is you don't have to deal with weeds!
The following list of important factors to be considered is mostly generic to all plants. Make use of them for starting your container garden.
Sunshine: most vegetables require plenty of sunshine. They need full sun or direct sun for at least eight hours a day. You may need to use a sun calculator to time how long direct sun hits the places you have chosen for your container garden. That's how important sunlight is for your plants.
Water: is another absolute essential for your garden. You will require plenty of water to grow your vegetables. You can test the soil's moisture content by grabbing some in your fist and squeezing hard to see if there's any moisture. Alternately, dig into the soil with your hand; you will soon see how moist the soil is. If it feels very dry, add some water and come back to check the moisture level later. During peak summer months you will definitely need to water your plants daily, and possibly twice a day.
Soil: you need good quality potting soil for your vegetables, don't settle for anything less. If you are thinking of saving some money by using garden soil, better not to. It will compact in the container and there will be insufficient drainage as well. You may want to consider using organic potting soil; there are several proven benefits in growing organic vegetables such as higher percentages of phytochemicals and antioxidants.
Fertilizer: your plants need to be fed nutrients to thrive and that means fertilizer. You can use an organic granular fertilizer, but mix thoroughly into the potting soil in each container. You can feed your plants a little diluted seaweed fertilizer every fortnight.
Drainage: excess water needs to be able to drain freely away. If the water cannot get out you will end up with soggy soil. Ideally, containers should have one big and several small holes.
Containers: selecting the right containers can be mind boggling. There are so many out there on the market today. The important thing to remember is the drainage. Bigger containers are better because they make maintenance easier. Bigger containers hold more moisture and that's a good thing for the vegetables.