Container Gardening: Great Results for Busy People

For producing a bountiful harvest with the least effort and time, container gardening and raised bed gardening are the best answer.

I differentiate between container gardening and raised bed gardening.  Container gardening is focused on growing in enclosed pots and containers such as flower pots, tubs, and even Earthboxes.  Raised bed gardens are built up from the ground but are open to the soil below.  I make this difference because container gardens are limited by the contents of the pot.  Once they are used up, the plant becomes stressed, stunted and quits growing and producing.  Because of this, constant watering and feeding (ie. constant care) are required of all container plants.  On the other hand, raised beds have more soil and the plants can even make use of the topsoil below the raised bed.  It's the best of both worlds, the benefits of less weeding and care of container gardening, and the increased production potential of ground-planted gardens.

Many people have been disappointed with their container gardens; both in the quantity and quality of the fruit, as well and the constant watering during summer months.  I can grow tomatoes in almost any size pot, but it takes constant watering and feeding.

There are over 40 tomatoes on this plant growing in a lick tub!

Hanging Basket with Two 3/4 Lb. Tomatoes

It is my opinion, raised beds are the best choice for those wanting the grow a good amount of vegetables but don't want or have time to plow, weed, and care for an in-ground garden.  From my experience, several 4x4 foot raise beds and add a good deal of food for the entire family.

Earthbox, 4x4 Raised Bed, Tub Tomato, Wire Trellis

The picture above shows several different type of container gardening options.  The Earthbox (shown in front) has a water reservoir in the bottom that eliminates much water and can be used to provide a constant liquid fertilizer charge.  The raised bed is built out of recycled lumber.  It contains 8 pepper plants, and a row of cantaloup and a cucumber plant.  The cantaloups and cucumbers are trained up the wire trellis maximizing space and minimizing care.  On the left of the raised bed, is a tub tomato.  At this point, I had already harvested a half dozen tomatoes, all of which were over 3/4 lb.  The tomato is tied to the trellis for support.

The raised bed in the background is planted with pole beans, bush beans, onions and a squash plant.

Strange Leaf Curl

The biggest problem I faced this year with my tomatoes was a strange leaf curl that started on the youngest, tender leaves at the top of the plants.  As it turned out, I don't think that the leaf curl affect blossom set or fruit production but here some stuff I learned about it.  Let me know if you found out anything different!

Strange Leaf Curl at Top of Plants

I searched the web for hours and most of the expert sites agreed that leaf curl on the tops of the plants was either pesticide drift damage or stress.  Since there were several folks around town with the same problem, I determined that it was not pesticide drift.  I thought it could be stress as it showed up right after a 7 inch rain but it persisted (and continued to spread) even after it dried out.

Finally I heard from the local extension agent.  An extension specialist from College Station said that it was most likely a microscopic mite that cause the problem.  It feeds on the chlorophyll in the plant and causes the damaged leaf to curl.  There is not visible damage to the leaf other than the curl and you can only confirm the presence of the mite by sending off a sample which takes time and money.  He suggest a foliar spray of liquid sulfur or pyrethrin.  Sevin dust does not work.  Since I don't use chemicals, I decided to try neem oil which is an excellent miticide, at least on red spider mites.  However, these seemed a little tougher than their more common cousin (assuming that the mite was the problem).  I did spray once with neem and the progression seemed to slow and eventually stop, I'm not sure that it was the answer.  I'm also not sure if the the little critters did enough damage to slow the plants down.  For a couple of weeks, I was harvesting around 10 lbs. of tomatoes a day!

At any rate, if you have this problem, you can give the liquid sulfur or the neem oil a try.  They are both very safe.

Great Year for Heirlooms

I'm really behind on my posts so expect a lot over the next few days (hopefully!).  I've taken pictures all along so I have lots of info and pics to share from the past couple of months.

It's been a great year for heirloom tomatoes - all tomatoes actually!  All 20+ varieties of tomatoes that I planted have produced well and provided me and my family a cornucopia of tastes, shapes, and sizes...just what nature intended.

It has been a wonderful spring with one of the largest tomato crops I've ever had including several dozen "pounders" and the largest, a Belgium Giant weighing in at 1 lb. 8 oz., just short of my record 1 lb. 10 oz. Watermelon Beefsteak from 2008.

Most of my tomatoes are in my tomato and pepper garden at The Green House.  Springtime at the store requires that my garden is very low maintenance so  I use a combination of no till and carpet for weed protection.  As with most organic gardens, with a little compost and organic fertilizer, the soil just gets better and better.  I had few pest problems (tomato horn worms of course; corrected with a little Dipel) and a strange leaf curl which didn't seem to affect production (I'll post another blog with details on this).

Here's some pictures from my garden by month:  April, May, and June.

The Green House Backyard Garden April 2010

TGH Backyard Garden May 2010

TGH Backyard Garden June 2010

You can tell it's getting hot but most of the plants are continuing to produce.  In the foreground is an heirloom squash and a couple of Jubilee watermelons with their vines trained along the carpet to keep away from weeds.  Just behind the squash is a couple tomatillos and a 4x4 box of potatoes.  To the left is a row of black-eye peas (seeds bought from the grocery store) and a row of bush green beans.  It seems that Strike is the best bush bean variety for our area.  The second row is a double row of Betty's (my mother-in-law) LaJoe giant jalapenos.  I have a special batch of seeds called #1 Sport which are doing fantastic.  Here's an example pic - and they are still growing!

LaJoe #1 Sports

To the back of the pictures are five rows of 4 tomato plants each; each a different variety.  Both heirloom and hybrids are represented but I haven't noticed the hybrids as having an advantage over the heirlooms in either production or disease resistance.

Hope you are having a great garden year too!

Organic Pest & Weed Control Lecture

I am speaking at the Mason Spring Round-Up which includes a variety of organic gardening and farming and sustainable living topics.  For those that attended, I promised to post the notes from the lecture.  Here they are.  Enjoy!

Reasons for Use of Organic Treatments

• Marketing/Certification
• Environmental
• Safety – Pets & Grandkids

• Works Best as Part of Total Organic/Natural Program

Myths of Conventional Agriculture

• Myth #1: Insects are “Out There” just waiting to Eat your Plants
• Insects are Designed to Seek Out Weak/Stressed Plants
• Myth #2: The Only Purpose of the Soil is to Hold the Plant Down
• There is More Life Under the Soil Than on Earth.  This Life Has a Symbiotic Relationship with Plants to Mutual Benefit.  Any Disruption of this Relationship Causes a Decline in Plant Performance

Treatment Considerations

• Even Organic Treatments Have Some Risk - Evaluating Level of “Safety”
• Selectively Targets Species Type/Non-Toxic – BT, Soap
• Non-Selective/Non-Toxic – Orange Oil, EPA GRAS list
• Non-Selective/Toxic - Pyrethrum

• Know What You’re Trying to Get Rid Of
• Texas Bug Book
• Make Sure You Need to Get Rid of It!
• Yes, you have bugs but are they eating anything?
• Understand Cause of Infestation
• Will Your Plant Grow Here?
• Well Adapted Species 
• Correct Amount of Water 
• Sun or Shade
• Soil Drainage
• Planted in the Correct Season
• If Yes to Above, Is There Environmental Stress (e.g., drought, excessive rain, etc.)?
• EX: Drought brings on stink bugs to tomatoes
• EX: Rainy season causes increase in fungal diseases or nutrient leaching resulting in discoloration
• Seasonal Change (e.g., increase/decrease in temperature, etc.)?
• EX: Early summer causes cool season veggie stress attracting harlequin beatles
• Plant Stress (e.g., heavy feeders or bloomers needing additional nutrition)?
• EX: Roses bloom themselves into exhaustion
• EX: Heavy feeders such as tomatoes exhaust soil nutrient supply
• If All of the Above Are NO, Then Soil Needs Attention
• Choosing the Best Treatment for The Job
• Insects
• Worms – BT or Dipel – Tomato Hornworm. Cabbage Loopers
• Aphids, Spider Mites, Whiteflies, and Lacebugs
• Mild Infestations “normal” for many Crops
• Large Infestations Sign of Soil Issue
• Treat with Water Blast, Soap, Fish Emulsion/Seaweed, Garlic-Pepper Spray
• Orange Oil – Non-Selective; Will Kill Beneficials as Well
• Prevention - Longhorn Farms story...
• Squash Bugs/Hard Shell Bugs
• Treat with Pyrethrin
• Give Bugs Weakest Plant to Eat
• Squash - Keep mulch away from plant
• Are Plants Out of Season?
• Stink Bugs
• Vacuum/Drop in Bucket of Water
• Are Plants Out of Season?  Stressed?
• Fire Ants
• Mound Treatment - Auntie Fuego Mound Drench
• Bait Treatment - G/L Fire Ant Control w/ Spinosad
• Orange Oil, Aspartame, other home-made treatments
• Diatomaceous Earth (DE) as a Barrier
• Grubworms
• Beneficial Nematodes or Sugar – 
• Indicates Need to Improve Soil
• Mosquitoes
• Eliminate Water Sources - Empty Standing Water
• BT Dunks or Granules for Water Troughs, etc.
• Slugs, Snails, Land-Bound Critters
• Hot Pepper, cedar flakes, DE
• Fleas
• In lawn, beneficial nematodes
• In home, boric acid in powder
• Citrus Oil in shampoo or area spray
• Cedar oil as barrier
• Grasshoppers
• Battery Acid or Flame Thrower
• Healthy Plants Will Still Resist!

Choosing the Best Treatment for The Job

• Fungal Diseases such as Black Spot, Powdery Mildew for Ornamentals & Vegetables
• Horticultural (Whole Ground) Corn Meal
• An Aggie Invention...
• For Vegetables and Ornamentals, Generously Sprinkle On Ground Under and Around Plants
• Won’t Remove Existing Spots
• Neem Oil
• India’s Medicine Tree
• Insecticide, Miticide, Fungicide
• Indoor/Outdoor
• All plants, herbs, shrubs, fruits, etc.
• Sulphur Dust
• Used extensively in grape production
• Watch sulphur content in soil
• Baking Soda/Potassium Bicarbonate

• Lawn Fungal Diseases such as Brown Patch, etc.
• Corn Meal at 20 lbs. per 1000 sq. ft.
• Compost - The Magic Elixer
• Alfalfa Meal or Alfalfa Meal Mixes
• Back to Nature - Nature’s Blend
• Chlorosis (Mineral Deficiencies) – 
• Texas Greensand
• History of Over-application of Phosphorous
• Medina 5-3-4 + Greensand
• Weed Control
• Non-Selective Pre-Emergent Horticultural Corn Gluten
• Must be 9-0-0 - Blends Do Not Work
• Apply at 1 lb. per 100 sq. ft.
• High Nitrogen Provides Timed-Released Greening
• Granular Much Easier to Apply
• Excellent for Grassburrs - Apply by March 1st
• TOO EXPENSIVE!
• Horticultural Vinegar – Natural Round-Up
• Should be 20% acid to work well
• Add surfactant – squirt of soap
• Apply on sunny/warm day
• Mechanical Weed Control
• Hoe & Mow
• Plastic Row Cover, Recycled Old Carpet, Newspapers, etc.

Prevention vs. Treatment

• Frequent Inspection - Key is to Catch Problem Early

• Best Defense is Good Great Soil
• Richard Polk’s Garden Story...

• Organic Soil Testing
• Texas Plant & Soil
• Use CO2 Acids that mimic plant’s action - increase accuracy
• Use Comprehensive Soil Chemistry Analysis (Albrecht System) to make recommendations/calculations
• Pages of personalized recommendations for your crop/soil profile

• Creating Biologically Active Soils
• Compost & Manures
• Actively Aerated Compost Tea

References

• Understanding how Plants Literally Signal Insects to Come Devour Them: Tuning Into Nature by Phil Callahan
• Identifying Pests and Organic Solutions: Texas Bug Book by C.Malcolm Beck and John Howard Garrett
• Soil Food Web and Compost Tea: Teaming with Microbes: A Gardener’s Guide to the Soil Food Web by Jeff Lowenfels & Wayne Lewis
• Organic Soil Testing: Texas Plant & Soil at www.TexasPlantAndSoil.com or call at 956-383-0739.
• For a copy of these notes, compost tea recipes and many links to natural and organic resources, visit my blog at www.NaturalGardener.blogspot.com