Busy Vegetable Gardeners

Host: Gary Bachman, Ornamental Horticulture Specialist

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A garden that produces fresh, homegrown vegetables is a goal for most busy homeowners today on Southern Gardening.

Southern Gardening with Gary Bachman is produced by the Mississippi State University Extension Service.

With my busy schedule, I do most of my vegetable gardening with sub irrigated containers called earth boxes. Unlike plants grown in the ground, moisture is the single most crucial consideration when growing in containers. Since their roots are not in the ground, their plants are completely dependent on you for watering. Most container growing gardens must be watered daily, multiple times per day in the summer.

This is where drip irrigation is very handy and the off the shelf starter kits available make the set up easy. My earth boxes keep root zone moisture very consistent which makes easy which is important for the best harvest success. Whenever vegetables are going to be grown in containers, never use garden soil; always use Pete base container mixes. These mixes can have a variety of components like Pete moss, core, bark and forest byproducts that ensure a well-drained container. And because of using the container mix, adequate fertilization is required for a successful harvest. There are both inorganic and organic fertilizers with more choices every season. But these will need to be supplemented with another fertilizer like calcium nitrite on a monthly basis.

Since you will be watering anyways, I think using a water soluble fertilizer is a great choice. This water soluble fertilizer should be applied on a weekly basis. Growing in earth boxes keep my family and friends supplied with fresh vegetables all year round.

I’m horticulturist Gary Bachman for Southern Gardening.

Southern Gardening with Gary Bachman is produced by the Mississippi State University Extension Service.