let's finish the discussion on Container gardening.  We've covered the rationale for growing in containers, as well as the types of containers to use.  We've talked about keeping it as inexpensive as possible by not going fancy or high-tech.


If you are going to re-use containers from last year, and are going to grow peppers, tomatoes or eggplant, it is a good idea to bleach the pots first, to eliminate any possibility of bacterial, fungal or viral diseases carried over from the previous season.  Though not the most fun gardening task, it can be made pretty easy and quick by partially filling a large trash can with water and adding half a bottle of bleach.  (be sure to use gloves....I also do this outside).  I dip the pots into the dilute bleach, and use a brush to lightly scrub the bottom and sides of the pots.  Rather than rinse with clean water, I then just invert them in the sun to allow for the pots to dry.  They are then ready to go.


As to what to fill the pots with:  this is the one area that I don't "go cheap".  I also don't reuse the potting mix year to year for tomatoes, peppers or eggplant, starting with new material each season - again, to minimize possibility of diseases.  I use 2.5 cu ft bags of soil-less mix, such as Miracle Gro, mixed with 25 lb bags of composted cow manure - both available at the big home stores like Lowe's or Home Depot.  The reason for the soil-less mix is its lightness and porosity.  Because it doesn't compact and turn to muck when wet like soil, it makes for happy plants.  Of course, if you have access to supplies of nice fluffy compost, you could use that instead of the soil-less mix.  At the end of each season, I empty the pots into a pile, with the used mix fine for flowers or herbs or mulching the garden beds the following season. 


As far as feeding, I like to grow my tomatoes quite lean and actually don't add anything for a few weeks; after that, I use a slow release, balanced granular food such as Vigoro or Osmocote.  If the plants look like they need a boost while in mid-season and growing vigorously, I will use the "blue stuff" fertilizer - Peter's or Miracle Gro soluble plant food.  Don't forget - when growing in pots you need to water frequently, so nutrients can leech out of the mix quite quickly.


Once I settle my plants into the growing medium (being sure to plant deep, as tomatoes will root all along any buried parts of the stem; I do this to peppers and eggplant as well), I put a heavy layer of mulch into the container, covering the medium completely to a depth of 2-3 inches.  I use fresh grass clippings (we don't treat our lawn with anything).  This layer of mulch helps conserve soil moisture, and breaks down to feed the plants as well.


Finally comes the matter of supporting the growing plants. It is difficult to grow indeterminate tomatoes in the middle of a patio or driveway because of the inability to pound a sturdy stake in or near the pot.  That's why I grow mine at the driveway edge, with an 8 foot stake pounded into the ground next to the pot into the lawn.  If you are growing determinates or dwarfs in pots, then a relatively short stake (4 feet or so) in the pot should work fine - and you can always use the metal tomato cages that you can find in garden centers that are 3-4 feet tall.  When using stakes, I use twine to tie the plants to the support.


To remind on watering.....the worst thing you can do to plants grow in containers is to let them dry out for an extended period, especially if there are fruit on the vine.  This is a sure way to end up with blossom end rot on the developing fruit.   Plants tell you when they need water - if they look really wilted on a hot day, give them a drink!  If you use good planting medium, as I described above, you can't really over-water!  In the mid-summer, with mature plants, I actually water each morning and each late afternoon, letting the hose run into each pot for 20 seconds or so for a 10 -15 gallon pot - water will run out of the bottom, which is fine. 


So there you have it - in three parts, quite a lot of information on growing tomatoes, peppers and eggplant in containers.  If you have any additional questions, ask!

One of my main gardening beliefs is that it should NOT be an expensive hobby.  Yes, I know - all of the fancy gadgets that are on display at garden centers or adorning pages of glossy catalogs look pretty seductive.  


But is it essential to buy expensive gadgets and pots?  Nope.  Think about it - the essentials of gardening are seeds (then seedlings), something in which they grow, something to hold that in which they grow, water and sun - and perhaps some additional nutrition as the season wears on and the plant exhausts the nutrients in its immediate vicinity.


Seeds are pretty inexpensive, and even in many cases free - if you have friends who are avid seed savers and have far more than they need.  If you want to start with seedlings, there is some cost involved, though, again, savvy shoppers can find good deals.  The "dirt" - that is an area that I don't want to skimp on if growing my plants in containers (poor drainage and/or disease can end many a gardener's dream of a bountiful harvest).  


As to what to put the soil and seedling in, you can purchase expensive containers and pots at stores or in catalogs, or you can go with the least expensive option, or reuse containers that shrubs or trees or perennials come in.  I've been known to stop by the side of roads to gather nice large black plastic pots that either flew out of someone's truck, or were tossed there by someone who obviously didn't need them.  Then there are Grow bags - inexpensive, reusable, and pretty easily portable, as long as they aren't too large.


I've found that saucers aren't needed, and color, though it could have minor effects, isn't really all that important.  I think it is wise to avoid clay/terra cotta, due to its porosity, hence poor water retaining ability.  Drainage holes in the bottom are essential.  Bleaching prior to use is recommended, in case there are soil borne diseases embedded in the walls of the container.  I've found that plants in containers sitting right on my concrete driveway, perhaps due to the baking heat of the direct sun, out grow (in speed) and, in the case of eggplant and peppers especially, out-yield those grown in the garden soil.  


Below are an array of the different types of pots I am using - 10 to 15 gallon large ones for indeterminate tomatoes, smaller 5 gallon pots or grow bags for peppers, eggplant and dwarf tomatoes, and very small - half gallon - black plastic pots in which to grow hot peppers sufficiently large to give them a good test.

I am sure that many of you have all sorts of questions about container gardening.  Please be sure to either post a comment, which I will respond to, or send an email.  A few things to be covered in my next Container Gardening blog post - what to put in the pots, fertilizing/mulching/watering, and providing support.


I hope that this is helpful to you!

We used to have a driveway.  But I figured out that the place in our yard with the best sun exposure is even better suited for an additional garden.  So, between mid March (when we use it for our Seedlings) and mid October, our driveway becomes a perfect place to grow tomatoes, peppers and eggplant in pots.


Aside from being the location in our yard that gets the most direct sun, there are other reasons why I've gone in the direction of container growing.  First is the ability to control the quality of the soil that the plants grow in.  After growing tomatoes in our main garden for more than 10 years, soil borne diseases were increasing to the point where a substantial portion of each year's plants were dying prematurely and yield per plant was decreasing at an alarming rate.  By using pots that can be bleached each season and using sterile soil less mix, the plants have a significantly better chance at making it through the season sufficiently healthy to provide a decent crop.


Second, and this pertains primarily to eggplant and peppers, my theory is that these heat loving plants enjoy having their root zone baked in the hot sun.  I've found that yields are far higher with container grown plants than when grown in the ground.


Finally, having the plants right outside my garage door provides an ability to make closer and more frequent observations of the plants and fruit.  On my way out the door to work, and following my return home, the plants are right there in my face, making it easy to spot problems and progress.


Of course, no gardening activity works perfectly....but I will save the issues of container/driveway gardening for another blog entry!

Where did the week go?  One minute we are at Sunset Beach, and...whoosh!...it is Friday and I am back lugging bags of Miracle Gro potting mix and filling Gro Bags!  It was a busy week at work, but a good one, and we are looking forward to a relaxing (if HOT) weekend of gardening and making great meals with the greens, beets and squash we are harvesting.


One thing we did do this week that was incredible - another memorable concert at the North Carolina Museum of Art, where Sue and I were lucky to be in the front row center for the Buddy Miller/Patty Griffin concert.  We knew nothing about Buddy prior to the concert, but he is an incredibly gifted musician, both on guitar and as a singer and song writer.  Despite and lingering ringing in my ears (it is LOUD in the front row...), it was an event Sue and I will not forget.


So - the garden is coming together.  Though there have been a few issues, most everything is looking pretty good, and today I finished the Gro Bag dwarfs in the driveway.  There are some pics below of how the driveway garden is looking.  Next jobs are staking all of the driveway plants (especially the indeterminate varieties), planting the garden front row dozen dwarfs, pulling dirt over the second row of potatoes (the initial mulch post-emergence), and then, clearing out the back rows and putting in more indeterminate varieties.  


Take a look!