Do you have a container garden?

[jaderbee]

I'm looking for ideas on what to plant or what to offer as a selection to plant this September in 4 half wine barrels. We live in SoCal so does it matter when we plant? Though I've successfully managed a few flower beds over the years I've never done well with potted things. They are either over watered, dehydrated or crowded. My plan is to give each kid a planter to sow seeds and maintain. But what goes well together or how much can be planted in a wine barrel? Should we use seeds? Bulbs? Cuttings? Can we plant fruit or veg? Thanks for any info!

[Rosie_0801]

I'd plant herbs. Half a wine barrel's worth would be just the right amount of chives for me!

 

I have no idea what people should sow in SoCal in September. Peas? You could make a teepee for them to grow up and bung it on top. Carrots or potatoes? Purple ones of course. Cuttings probably isn't the best way to go if you want the kids to end up feeling positive about their gardening experience. :D Bulbs are almost fail safe though.

[Jamee]

You should be able to grow just about anything, providing you can give it enough water.  The wine barrels are really large.  I've been able to grow tomatoes, herbs, peppers, and cucumbers very well in a fraction of the space.  Check your library for some container gardening books.  They're great for showing you what grows well together and how to maximize space.  They'll also have calendars for when to plant what.  Have fun!  I've been really surprised at what we've gotten to grow in our planters.

[Cheryl in CA]

It really depends where in SoCal as the climate really varies.  Is your climate more coastal, inland, or desert?  I'm in the Inland Empire and when I grow in containers I have to be very careful to keep them well watered.  They also have to be pretty large pots (half wine barrels are good) because the roots near the edge of the container can get too hot.  When I gardened, I would mostly concentrate on fall crops and grow them during the fall, winter, and spring.  If you are going to plant something that tolerates shade, having a container in the shade will make it easier. 

[...................]

Well you just need to read up on particular plants and what they need.  We moved our rose bush from the ground into a container (due to a move) and we did everything "properly: :  We had gravel on the bottom, good soil, a HUGE gigantic container, and rose food mixed in, and we are watering it almost a full gallon almost every day and it is thriving.  At first, a friend told me not to water it unless the soil felt dry and it almost died!!! I couldn't figure out why!  Then my mother (bless her!) visited CA from NJ, and saved my rose bush.  Turns out they are VERY VERY thirsty.  Meanwhile, we were over-watering our fern, which only needs water once a week.  So that one is getting better too.  THe other plants pretty much like a little water every day (marigolds, forget me nots, pansies)

 

I think the key to successful container gardens is to have more supplies on hand.  GO to ACE Hardware, and buy those big plastic buckets with lids and fill them with extra soil and extra gravel.  Then buy a huge container of Flower Food at Home Depot.  Buy plenty of nice plastic pots.  Then, if a plant dies, you only have to get a new plant or new seeds.  

 

In the past, I think the main reason my container garden failed was because I didn't keep experimenting, and then when something died I didn't have the materials on hand to try again.  Who wants to go to the store every other month getting heavy items like soil and gravel?  So I really think you need to have two buckets of soil, one bucket of gravel, a whole container of flower food and extra pots on hand so you can learn little by little without having to exhaust yoursefl with multiple trips to Home Depot.

 

And, in San Diego, you should be fine pretty much year round for container gardening.  When it's really hot, you can water the plants more or move them so they get a little less sun. 

[...................]

Oh, and flowers are a lot easier to start out with than vegetables!  And get light colored pots, the bigger the better because most roots liek to stay cool.

[Sobeknofret]

I do bush beans, globe and cherry tomatoes, lettuce, spinach, hot and bell peppers, Japanese eggplant, cucumbers, and broccoli in containers. Japanese eggplant are hugely prolific- they love the warm and the sunshine! I can only do broccoli and lettuces in the cooler part of the year, early spring and fall, but they also thrive in containers. We're in New Mexico, so a similar climate to So Cal, only probably hotter and less humid :D Check with your county ag extension office as well; they'll have lots of tips and ideas for good container gardens.

 

Oh, and don't be afraid to experiment! I would never have thought that Japanese eggplant would go crazy here, but I picked one up at Wal-Mart's garden section on a whim, and it's got at least 8 small eggplants at the moment!

[Cheryl in CA]

Here you go :-) You can also call up your county extension office. They'll know exactly what you can do where you are.

https://www.grangettos.com/main/veggie-guide.html

 

OKBud, I have an entirely unrelated question to ask you.  What is your avatar?  Specifically, what is the white thing on the tree?  It has puzzled me for some time. 

[Cheryl in CA]

Underwear on a tree. I didn't take the pic, but it does tickle me.

 

LOL, that's what I was seeing but just wasn't sure.  I was imagining a female Ent doing a cartwheel ;)  I thought maybe it was a picture version of an ink blot so I didn't want to say underwear :lol: :lol:

[Sarah0000]

I like potatoes in containers because they are much easier to dig up.

[jaderbee]

You should be able to grow just about anything, providing you can give it enough water. The wine barrels are really large. I've been able to grow tomatoes, herbs, peppers, and cucumbers very well in a fraction of the space. Check your library for some container gardening books. They're great for showing you what grows well together and how to maximize space. They'll also have calendars for when to plant what. Have fun! I've been really surprised at what we've gotten to grow in our planters.

A calendar of what to plant when sounds like a great idea. I'll check the library. Thanks

[jaderbee]

It really depends where in SoCal as the climate really varies. Is your climate more coastal, inland, or desert? I'm in the Inland Empire and when I grow in containers I have to be very careful to keep them well watered. They also have to be pretty large pots (half wine barrels are good) because the roots near the edge of the container can get too hot. When I gardened, I would mostly concentrate on fall crops and grow them during the fall, winter, and spring. If you are going to plant something that tolerates shade, having a container in the shade will make it easier.

We're coastal. When you say fall crops, are you harvesting them in the fall?

[jaderbee]

Oh, and flowers are a lot easier to start out with than vegetables! And get light colored pots, the bigger the better because most roots liek to stay cool.

Thanks for this tip! When you said have extra gravel, soil, etc on hand did you mean if a plant fails I have to replace all of that before trying a new plant in the pot?

[Cheryl in CA]

We're coastal. When you say fall crops, are you harvesting them in the fall?

 

Yes.  There are two basic crop types: summer (tomatoes, eggplant, green beans, etc) and fall (peas, carrots, cabbage, etc).  Near the coast you should be able to grow most fall crops throughout the fall and winter.  Some things that need colder weather (brussel's sprouts, parsnips, and kale are some that come to mind) could probably be done but may not be as good.  Territorial Seed is a company that has seeds specifically for a more temperate climate (I think they are in the Pacific Northwest) and would be a good resource for things bred for a coastal climate.

[jaderbee]

Thanks Cheryl! I wouldn't have even thought about where the seeds come from.

[Cheryl in CA]

You're welcome :)

[helena]

We live in So Cal too.  We grow potatoes in our wine barrel. Super easy to harvest! 

I highly recommend growing Milkweed. It's what monarch's eat. We've watched the lifecycle a couple times now, and it's been awesome! This spring we had 2 cocoons right up against our classroom sliding door. It was like witnessing a  private beautiful thing. So cool, hard to kill, and it always comes back. :)

 

This year we'll also do garlic.

 

:lurk5:

[La Texican]

I mess around. I'm not very good at gardening yet. I have a 2 yr. Old pineapple top in a bucket. I guess they take a couple of years. The roots never get very big. Google says it takes more nutrition from its leaves so put a little potting soil right inside the leaves. The other thing I have is a bag of potting soil that I poked holes in one side and cut a square out of the other side and put a bunch Swiss chard and turnip seeds in it, not the whole packets. (yes, I keep trying stuff I see on Facebook). I've ate some Swiss chard from it already. There's two turnip plants in it that are looking good. Hope their bulbs are doing as good as their leaves. I just keep planting stuff and seeing what grows and what don't. I planted some ginger in the ground because it's supposed to be a beautiful flowering plant, but it hasn't grown yet. I let my son plant some garlic that sprouted.

[...................]

Thanks for this tip! When you said have extra gravel, soil, etc on hand did you mean if a plant fails I have to replace all of that before trying a new plant in the pot?

I really meant, like, when it's dead. The thing about gardening- any kind- whether container or regular- is that there is a good amount of trial and error. You will find yourself asking friends, calling your mom, even accosting nice looking old ladies at Home Depot.

 

But with regular gardening pretty much all you need is new seeds, and to adjust the water and get rid of the pests. With container gardening you have all of that PLUS needing actual soil, pots, gravel, and plant food. (No natural foods in the soils)...so it can be really discouraging of you keep trying to save a plant: and it dies. Having gravel and soil on hand is much better! Then, you can just order a few different seeds online and try again, without having to haul a heavy and exhausting Home Depot trip. :)

[Black-eyed Suzan]

I second the suggestion to call your county's extension office for location-specific informaiton. You should be able to find it at the link below. The Master Gardeners will have lots of information about planting in your area. 

 

http://ucanr.edu/Gardening/