Container Gardening - Vegetables and Fruits

[shel]

Asking for a friend: What vegetables or fruits might grow well in containers, especially in and around the NYC area? Maybe even in a window box or small flower pots.

shel

[JackBlack]

Hi Shel,

I have a blog on urban simplicity, which includes inner city gardening. Because I haven't posted more than 5 times on this site it won't allow me to leave a link to it. But if you go to my bio page you can find a link to it there (you can find my bio at An Open Letter to Gordan Ramsay...I saw you posted on that thread).

Peace,
Joe

[KYHeirloomer]

Shel, anything that can grow in the ground can be grown in containers.

The only difference between a container and a raised bed is that the former has a bottom and the later does not. This leads to the nuances in growing techniques. But most are self evident.

Basically, you have to monitor your moisture and nutrient levels more carefully, because containers tend to dry out more quickly, and nutrients tend to leach out. The smaller the container, the larger a problem this becomes.

In small pots and window boxes I would confine myself primarily to herbs. Lettuces and greens also can do well in them. But stepping up to something as small as a 5-gallon bucket is all you need for tomatoes, peppers, eggplants, etc.

Many people find those 18-gallon Rubbermaid tubs to be ideal gardening containers. If your friend has enough room for them, that's what I would choose. Or, if he wants to be a little fancier, to have a pottager effect, it's no big deal to make planting boxes out of wood that the lumberyard will cut to size.

One little mentioned aspect of container gardening. Drainholes should be drilled an inch or two up the sidewalls, rather than being confined to the bottom. Bottom holes tend to clog up, with the result that the bottom of the container becomes a swamp.

There are numerous books about container gardening. And the web is full of info. I would recommend he explore some of that to get an idea of what's needed.

But, as with virtually all gardening, the only real teacher is hands-on experience, to find out what works and what doesn't work for you.

[shel]

Thanks KY .... my friend doesn't have internet access, so I'm his on-line connection.

I didn't realize that just about anything could be container grown. That's very good news as Arnold will be living on a small, fixed income, and growing some herbs, fruit, and vegetables will be a big help to him.

The drainage tip is especially interesting. I've grown a lot of plants in containers and never thought of that solution to drainage. I'll have to try it myself at some point.

What do you call the type of planter that's tall and has several sreas along the sides in which you can plant things?

kind regards,

shel

[OregonYeti]

There's a lot here to check out:

The Official Site of Square Foot Gardening and Mel Bartholomew, Originator and Author

[OregonYeti]

Originally Posted by shel

What do you call the type of planter that's tall and has several sreas along the sides in which you can plant things?

I know them as strawberry planters, and I think Israel has used those a lot.

[KYHeirloomer]

I've always known them as strawberry pots, Shel.

They come in a number of sizes, and various grades. The poorly made ones merely have openings, or very shallow lips on the side-holes. The well made ones have very distinct cups.

They are ideal for creating a complete herb garden in a pot. You just have to select carefully, so that the tall, straight growing ones are in the mouth, and others, particularly trailing ones, are in the cups.

A strawberry pot or six would be perfect for your friend.

[shel]

Thanks Yeti and KY ... much appreciated.

scb