D.I.Y. Container Gardening

We’re big on local produce, whether it’s grown in the fields of our Northeast farming partners or on the patios of our shoppers. We teamed up with our local farmer friends to offer some useful information on growing vegetables in containers placed on windowsills, porches and patios. Read their helpful tips and use them to start your own container garden. You’ll be enjoying the “fruits” of your labor in no time!

Tips from Our Local Farmers

Casertano’s Greenhouse & Farms – Cheshire, CT

• For patio tomato plants, keep soil moist and water freely in dry weather. (Check your local Price Chopper or Market 32 for our 10″ caged patio tomato plants that are seeded and grown here in the Northeast!)

Reeves Farms – Baldwinsville, NY

• Be selective when choosing where to place your container. The best “full sun” area is often exposed to air movement, increasing the chances your plant tips over on a windy day.
• If you harvest ripe tomatoes, you may get sticky, dark resin on your hands that can be hard to clean off. Scrub your hands with a crushed green tomato; the acid will clean you up in no time.
• Tomatoes, peppers and eggplant love nitrogen. Add a small amount to the soil at the first sign of yellowing. Calcium nitrate is another combination that will also help increase the toughness of the skin.

Getting Started

Container: Whether you grow your vegetables in wooden boxes or barrels, window planters, buckets, metal wash bins or large pots, it’s important to consider size, color and drainage of the container. Larger pots won’t need to be watered as often while dark-colored containers absorb more heat, which can damage the roots of your plants. All containers need to have drainage holes at the bottom to release excess water.

Potting Medium: When it comes to container gardening, using a potting mix is your best bet. It takes the guesswork out of pH balancing and ensures the roots receive enough air and water.

Getting Started

Feeding: To ensure your plants are adequately fed, use a potting mix containing a slow release fertilizer.

Watering: Potted plants need to be watered more frequently than those grown in the ground. Check plants daily. Make sure the soil is always moist (but not wet) and never let it dry out completely. Only water the soil and not the leaves to prevent fungus and mildew. Add enough water to reach the roots at the bottom of the pot. A good indicator that you’ve watered enough is when the water begins to run out of the drainage holes.

Pest Control: Just like any other garden, container plants are susceptible to pests. Use insecticidal soap or horticultural oil to fight aphids, mites or whiteflies.

home.grown Planting Guide

Most vegetables are suitable for container gardening. There are dwarf varieties available, but most standard plants will grow just fine in the right size container. Plants can be grown from seeds sown directly into the soil or from transplants. Here is a guide to some vegetables commonly grown in containers and their needs.

Crop	Container Size	Spacing
Carrots	5 gal., 9-14 in. deep	1-2 in. apart
Cucumbers	1 gal., 18 in. deep	One plant per pot
Eggplant	5 gal., 14-16 in. deep	One or two plants per pot
Lettuce	1-5 gal., 7 in. deep	4-12 in. apart
Peppers	2 gal., 14-16 in. deep	One plant per pot
Tomatoes	8 gal., 18 in. deep	One plant per pot