Transcript Intensive organic container gardening

Intensive Organic Container
Gardening
Pattie Louche
Lisa Harty and Lisa Stefanick
Soil Preparation
• Reasons not to use outside dirt from your yard.
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Too sandy, too much clay, too heavy
No nutrients
Weeds, seeds, diseases, insects
Chemical fertilizers may be present
• Reasons not to use soilless mix
– Too light, not strong enough to support plant roots
– Sterile and contains very few nutrients
– Small amts of synthetic fertilizers and wetting agentsnot organic
• Read the label
– “Certified organic”
– Approved by OMRI (Organic Materials Review
Institute)
– Some peat moss or limestone treated with
prohibited material
– Unreliable amounts of compost- 20-50%
– Should contain only natural plant and animal
derivitives
Recipes for soil mix
• 1 part peat moss or mature compost
• 1 part garden loam or top soil
• 1 part clean builder’s sand or perlite
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½ cubic yard peat moss
½ cubic yard perlite
10 lbs bone meal
5 lbs ground limestone
5 lbs blood meal
*note if using own compost make sure it is mature (made
last summer for this spring planting)
Soil testing
• Soil testing ahead of planting will let you know
what to add
– Saturated Media Extract test
– Offered by most university and commercial
horticulture labs
– 1-3 week turn around
• Fill pot ¾ full and add
organic fertilizer to top
3 inches of soil and you
are ready to plant!
Containers
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Types
Preparation
Sizing for particular plants
How to fill with the proper blend of
soil/organic matter etc…P/K/N
Plant combinations
• 5 gallon: tomato/peppers/eggplant or
tomato/cilantro/onion (successive planting)
• 2 gallon: strawberry/spinach/chamomile
• 1 gallon: cabbage/garlic/green onion or
lettuce/cukes/green onion (successive
planting)
To fertilize or not?
• Soil testing before planting is your key to what
your garden needs
• Increased demands from intensive practices
• Use organic fertilizer, fish emulsion, worm casting
or tea, compost and/or compost tea
• Increased risk of overfertilizing – water
thoroughly each and let drain through
• Adequate drainage is a must!
• Clump containers together-
Pest and critter control
• Diligence is key! Prevention and early
treatment is a must
• Beneficial bugs, partner plantings
• Most pests are variety or crop specific
• Keep on balcony or porch (keeps bunnies and
squirrels away!)
• Blast with water, soapy water, Neem or
horticultural oils or cover with Remay cloth
Harvesting
• Trellising, supports, training upward or trailing
downward, interplanting, successive planting,
rotating plants, replacing with new seedlings
often help prevent bolting and always having
something new to grow and eat.
• Themes (Italian, Greek, salsa…) and partner
plants
• Enjoy!