Conta
well

IMAGINE picking fresh,
homegrown tomatoes almost
without having to get up out of
your chair. You can. All you need
are some tubs and boxes, a few in-
expensive supplies and a little
tender loving care to produce
baskets of food.

How do you do this? The
method is called container garden-
ing. Container gardening can satis-
fy your instinct for working the
good earth and extracting its
bounty, even if you have little or
no property.

Once started, you will find that
it offers a lifetime of enjoyment.

As you contemplate what to
grow, take a look at some of the
special varieties of vegetables
developed by the seed companies
for container gardening.

They are called bush-type or
restricted vine vegetables, and
varieties-include squash, tomatoes,
cucumbers, peppers, melons and
eggplants. Anything except jumbo
varieties will grow beautifully in a
well-tended container.

If you’re ambitious, you can

grow a whole salad garden in one.

bacony box. For example, centre a
container with onions, surround
the onion with leaf fettuce, and
edge with radishes. ;

If you" don’t want to get that

“complicated, you can just plant a
ting of leaf lettuce, spinach or
cabbage around a single tomato
plant.” -

‘> Crops. not recommended for
containers are corn and

“watermelon. They’tl. grow, but

‘they. won’t produce enough to
make it worth the effort.

When selecting containers, go
with big ones (approx. 16 inches
deep) made of plastic or wood.

| The extra depth will allow more

room for vigorous root growth..
Plastic or wood containers are

cheaper and hold moisturc better.

Make sure your containers have
holes in the bottom to allow excess
water to escape. Cover the holes
with some screen or broken pottery
before adding growing medium.

Locate your containers where
they'll get a minimum of six hours
of sun each day.

Growing medium is probably the
key clement for successful con-
tainer-grown vegetables. Buy
specially prepared commercial soil
mixes. These mixes are sterile and
free from soil-borne diseases, and
provide excellent drainage.

If you’re growing something
tall, such as tomatoes, then they’ll
need support. Install a tomato cage
or wooden stake while the plants
are still small.

Container-grown vegetables

ner garden works
on baicony, patio

must be fed regularly to reach their
ful! potential. Feed with a com-
plete liquid plant food containing
trace elements. Apply at the rate of
Y: teaspoon per gallon of water
every time it is watered.

Pour the mixture over the leaves
and into the growing medium. The
leaves will absorb some nutrients
and the rest will be absorbed by
the roots.

An initial application of liquid
plant food at pianting time will get
the plants off to a good start.

Keep your container vegetables
well watered. A good rule of
thumb for watering is to water
deeply when the soil feels dry to
the touch.

Learning to grow vegetables in
tubs is like riding a bike; once you
learn how, you never forget.

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