HAWAII COOPERATIVE EXTENSIONSERVICE .College of Tropical Agriculture and Human ResourcesUniversity of Hawaii .GENERAL HOME GARDEN SERIES No. 32

CONTAINER GROWN GARDENS

By Wade W. McCall, Kenneth Y. Takeda, and Steven K. Fukuda*

Ap artment and condomin ium dwellers with eventhe smallest balcony can , with containers, growa good selection of vegetables. Every inch of spacemay be u tilized. Vegetables thrive in containersand attractive vegetable gardens may be designedwith in te resting containers filled with an assortedvari ety of vegetables. Such gardens are fun to planand develop, the only limit to their size is the spaceavailable and the am ount of sun .

Containers Suitable For UseThe container should be strong enough to hold soil,withstand freque nt wetting and drying, the pres­sure of growing roots, and be large enough for thedesired plants to be grown. The con tainer shouldbe large enough to allow full root development ofthe plant to be grown. For example, tomatoes, egg­plants and squash should have a 3 to 5 gallon con­tainer, while radish, green onions, bush beans orsimilar medium sized plants need 1% t o 2% gallonsized containers. Small plants such as parsley andch ives grow well in % t o 1 gallon size containers.Generally it is better to use a larger container thanon e too small.

The container should also have a sufficient numberof holes large enough to allow good drainage of thesoil in the container. Some containers suitable foruse are ; manufactured clay pots, ceramic pots,metal cans , old pots and pans, old automobile tires,trays, wh eelbarr ows, wooden boxes, etc. Woodenboxes may be constructed to fit the size and shapeof the space available. Containers located on bal­conies, decks, etc. , should be placed on bricks orblocks to allow aerati on t o prevent the base of theplants fro m becoming t oo hot. This Will also aiddrainage. It will help prevent the accumulation ofdirt and litter and allow easier cleaning of thatwhich does accumulate.

Soil For Co ntainersPlants grown in con tainers have the same needs asthose grown in the ground. This means the soil

should have good drainage, adequate aeration afterdrainage and an adequate reservoir -of availablewater after drainage. It should also have adequatesupply of plant nutrients and proper soil reaction(pH)l for the plants to be grown.

You may use commercial container mixes availablein garden shops and nurseries under a variety of

.brand names. Many of these mixes, especially thosethat are imported into Hawaii, have no true soilpresent in them. These mixes are designed to pro­vide the above desirable characteristics of drainage.However, most of these mixes do not contain thenecessary plant nutrients and will require fertiliza­tion for plant growth .

You may make your own container mix, by pur­chasing the different materials and mixing themtogether. Such mixes contain soil or be made with­out soil . A typical home mix may be made bymixing one part garden or top soil with one partsand or fine cinders and one part nitrogen stabilizedorganic material such as peat moss, tree bark, etc.Do not use the coral beach sand found here inHawaii as it will dissolve in the mixture. It is asource of lime rather than improving the physicalproperties of the mix. The black sand available inthe garden shops is an excellent material. Vermicu­lite or perlite may be used in place of the sand.Nitrogen stabilized organic matter is required toprevent decomposition and loss of its value in themix. Keep your mix simple. You do not need adifferent mix for each of your vegetables.

The mixture should be treated for control of orga­nisms. This eliminates soil borne diseases andinsects. The commercial mixes generally have beentreated for control of these organisms. If you usesoil in your mix, it should be treated- before use .

1See No.8, "Soil Reaction (pH)" and No. 18, "The pHPreference of Plants" in this General Home Garden Series.

2See No . 28, "Treatment For Control of Soil Organisms" inthis General Home Garden Series.

Issued in furtherance of Cooperative Extension Work, Acts of May 8 and June 30, 1914, in cooperation with the U.s. Depart­ment of Agriculture. Noel P. Kefford, Director of the Institute and Dean of the College, Cooperative Extension Service, Col­lege of Tropical Agrlculture and Human Resources, Universltyof Hawaii at Manoa, Honolulu, HI 96822. An Equal Opportu­nity Employer providi ng programs and services to cit izens of Hawaii without regard to rac e, color, national origin or sex.

Placing Soil In ContainersContainers should have good drainage. Holes one­fourth inch in size and three to five inches apartat the bottom of the conainer should provide ade­quate drainage. The holes Should be protected toprevent the soil from washing out when watered.Use any porous material, such as broken clay pots,pieces of lava, etc., to protect the holes. Fill thecontainer to within two inches of the top so it willhold enough water for the soil in the container. Ifit is less than this, it may require waiting for thewater to drain into the soil and then adding morewater to drain through the soil.

FertilizationFertilizer should be added to the soil at the rate ofone ounce of 10-30-10 or similar analysis per gal­lon of soil before placing in the container. Addfertilizer three weeks after germination at the rateof 1 teaspoon (4.7 grams) per one gallon size ofcontainer and then every other week. Add10-30-10 or similar analysis and mix with topinch of soil in the container.

WateringThe soil should be kept moist but not wet. Duringsunny days water is usually needed every day.

During cloudy days watering every other dayshould be adequate. If the plants are in an areaexposed to the wind, you may need water moreoften. Check the surface of the soil. If it is dry tothe depth of 1Az inch, water until drainage occursfrom the bottom of the container. If the porouscontainers are used, watering will be required morefrequently than for non-porous containers.

Plants grown in containers are subject to the samediseases and insects as those grown in the garden.If you have damage from these pests apply thenecessary insecticide, fungicide or other treatmentnecessary.

For fUrther information see your County Agent.

*Soil Management Specialist, Vegetable Specialist, andCounty Agent, respectivley.

NOTE: The use of trade names is for the convenience ofreaders only and does not constitute an endorsement ofthese products by the University of Hawaii, the College ofTropical AgriCUlture and Human Resources, the HawaiiCooperative Extension Service or any of their employees.

July 1982