Production of vegetables is not only on earth or in the gardens, but now is in the heart of the city or simply grown alone in the house with only a limited space.
If your house has an area with lots of sunlight - a prerequisite for growing vegetables, you can grow successfully. What are the places that can be used for the container garden? You can your patio, balcony, terrace, roof terrace, patio, window sill, trails, etc.
Be aware of the sunPrerequisite for any kind of culture. For leafy greens, should be required about four hours of sunlight during the day, fruit vegetables needed daily for at least 7-8 hours of sunlight, and root vegetables take about 6 hours of sun a day.
And even produce their own vegetables in a more secure attachment of the common pests and diseases can be greatly minimized. You can also improve soil conditions with the addition of soil additives such as manure, compost and other importantNutrients needed by plants.
Everything in your home, is considered trash by up to them to be used as compost. Even in your home wastewater can be used to irrigate your plants.
In other words, the tank in the garden on the practice that makes use of unnecessary things.
What are the ideal containers for container gardening?
Vegetable growing can be used in any type of container, such as running, cans, plastic buckets, dividedTires, cement bags, food bags, plastic bottles, cans, gallon, engine blocks, container of milk, cut bamboo or container, discarded. In addition, coconut shells, banana leaves, bracts, the coconut is ideal as a potting compounds, especially for short-season vegetables, such as pechay, lettuce, mustard, etc.
Good growing conditions, the ships have three fundamental characteristics as Relf (1996) has proposed;
1 must be large enough to support adultPlants.
2 You must provide adequate drainage.
3 You can not products, must be maintained for poisonous plants and people.
The containers, which can drain badly impact on the success of a container garden. It 'so important to the container floor or any support that will increase as the containers, pale, hollow blocks or something, offer to put under them, so that excess water drain away freely.
For larger installations, it should be for the small and large containerUse small plant containers.
Small containers (1-2 liters) are suitable for lettuce, spinach, mustard, peppers, radishes, onions, carrots, beans and tomatoes dwarfs. Medium-sized containers (3-10 gallons) are best for the eggplant, while in larger companies (more than 10 gallons) are good for cabbages, cucumbers and tomatoes.
For most plants, the containers must be at least 15 inches deep minimum, particularly for vegetables coup of the season.
Recommended and container type / Crop
5 galBox window - Bush beans, lima beans
1, plant/5gal.pot 3plants/15 gal pot cabbage, Chinese cabbage
5 gal window box of at least 30 inches deep - Carrot
1 plant / gal pot - cucumber
5 gal pot - eggplant, tomatoes, okra
Window 5 gal pot - Salad
Plant/2gal 1. Pot, pot 5 gal plants/15 - Onion
5 gal window box - pepper, spinach
Average composition of the soil
Plants grown in containers on the type of mixture of soil, for maximum growth performance. E 'a must that you can give the best possible composition of the soil media on the return of your work. It will provide the plants with the nutrients needed in the growth phase, the results were poor growth, stunted plants and lanky, the results of your failure.
The mix of land ideal for container plants, vegetables are the following:
1 Must be light and porous.
2 You must eliminate excess water with ease.
3 There should be a high waterCapacity.
4 It should be free from soil-borne diseases, nematodes and insects.
5 It should provide the right amount and balance of nutrients for plants.
The best soil mix media should dial the following synthetic mixture of horticultural grade vermiculite, peat, lime, fertilizer, and superphosphate.
Compost can also serve as an excellent growth medium.
In your country, in which these media are not available, you canYour own potting soil by mixing 1 part compost or manure sludge medium, 1 part river sand, fine coconut powder coconut.
If your country, the rice you can (charred), dry coconut coir and rice hulls to replace coal. But this must be carefully sterilized to some deadly microbes to kill harmful to plants.
Sawdust is another tool that could be used in preparing the growing medium in the absence of coconut powder and coconut should be sterilized.
SowingSeed planting and transplanting
Before entering the process of sowing, it gives maximum attention to the selection of the seed used as seed. Good quality seeds should be your first concern.
Seeds of good quality has the following characteristics:
1 No injury
2 more free to mix with other varieties
3 free from seed borne diseases
4 and with good strength and vitality.
To ensure high quality seeds and reliable, you should buycertified seed producers and seed suppliers.
All the vegetables, which undergoes the transplant excellent container for gardening. Transplants can be purchased from nurseries in your area or other local gardeners for success.
Before the transplant, or fill a plastic tray sprouting with the preparation of growing with the following ratio: 60% of rice husk charcoal (charred), 30% coconut coir dust, chicken manure 10% (60 - 30-10 ratio).
In the absence of these materialsHis country, you can use the old media land preparation - 1 part sand, one part compost and one part garden soil (1-1-1 ratio). Be sure to sterilize before sowing. This is due to some micro-organisms that can cause damage to kill seedlings.
You can also save a medium prepared Growell local agriculture in your country sells. Ask your country experts in your area.
Once the growing medium is ready to fill the holes in thegerminating soil or containers. Press the soil lightly with your middle fingers each well is half full. Then comes the sowing of seeds.
In some techniques, seed should be done to ensure germination:
Watermelon (Set) (Citrulis lunatus). Soak seeds 30 min .- 1 hour in water above. Incubate with a damp cotton cloth. Spread the seeds and cover. Located in a cartoon improvised for 24-36 hours. After this period, the sowing of seeds per hill I. Seed shouldLevel the soil with your finger or stylus to 1 cm deep. For the type of seedless procedure is the same as the top seed, but the peak in the vicinity of an embryo must be comfortable with a nail cutter cut before insertion into the ground. Cut the end accelerates seed germination.
Bitter gourd / Ampalaya (Momordica charantia). Soak the seeds for 30 min.-1 hour. Cut the tip near the embryo and sow the seeds with soil depth of ¾ to 1 seed per hole.
Upo (Lagenaria siceraria) andPatola (Luffa cylindrica). Stops up, the only near the embryo and seed a seed per hole.
Pumpkin (Cucurbita spp.) Soak seeds 30 min.-1 hour. Then pinch the tip close to the semen and embryos in one seed per hole.
Chilli (Capsicum annum L.), eggplant (Solanum melongena) and tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum). Plant the seeds directly in the tray with 1-2 seeds per hole germination.
Pechao / Pechay (Brassica Pechao), lettuce (Lactuca sativa), cauliflower (Brassica oleraceavar botrytis) and broccoli (Brassica oleracea var Italica). Sow directly to germinate seeds per hole of 1-2.
Cucumber (Cucumis sativus), honey dew / cantaloupe (Cucumis melo). Planting the seeds to germinate seeds directly into the tray with a hole.
Carrot (Daucus carota) and horseradish (Rafanus sativus). Sow directly to the field with 2-3 seeds per hill.
(Asparagus officinalis) and beans (Phaseolus limensis). Plant the seeds directly in the field at 1 seedsfor the hill.
Maize (Zea mays). Plant the seeds directly into the seed for a hill.
Papaya (Carica papaya). Soak the seeds sown for 30 min.-1 hour and then the tray of seeds germinate with 1 per hole.
Okra (Abelmoschus esculentus). Direct sowing in the field with 1-2 seeds per hill.
Dimensions of containers for certain crops.
or Medium - beans, lettuce, carrots, cabbage, broccoli
Big O - cuccumber, eggplant, tomatoes, peppers, okra, squash, papaya
or Small - onions,Parsley, radish
Light requirements
or Sun - beans, cucumbers, eggplant, tomatoes, peppers, carrots, okra, squash, cabbage, Chinese cabbage, broccoli, papaya
or twilight - lettuce, onion, parsley, radishes
Fertilizer requirements
For the right amount of fertilizer for vegetables, it is necessary to analyze the soil mix media. And if possible, should be organic or inorganic fertilizers are used.
Combination of organic and inorganic fertilizers would be verybetter with the correct ratio as a function of the system is required.
With the use of inorganic fertilizers, you should prepare a basic nutrient solution by dissolving 2 cups of fertilizer in one liter of warm water.
A growing solution is prepared by diluting 2 tablespoons of the basic solution in 1 liter of water.
Implementation begins with the fusion 2-3 tablespoons of the solution of growing on the ground around the plants at the time of transplantation.
The frequency ofApplication may vary from one culture to another, but only one application per day is sufficient. It is recommended to filter all the unused fertilizer from the soil mix once a week by pouring tap water due to the free flow through the holes in the bottom of the container.
This practice will prevent the accumulation of harmful substances in the soil media. If you want to use organic fertilizers, you should clean or use 2 / 3 compost in growing media.
If both organic and inorganic fertilizersused, must be at least a portion of the compost growing media and a tablespoon of the solution in growth can be applied at least once a day.
If you mix synthetic culture medium, which is already filled with super phosphate fertilizer and fertilization are enriched not used in subsequent requests circumstances, early maturing crop.
For the late ripening maize, growing daily application of the solution is required until maturity or just before harvest.
Water management
Water is theLife for container garden plants. It 'important that one should not neglect this requirement. Proper water management is crucial for successful container gardening.
Basically, an irrigation one day enough for container grown plants. But the demand for vegetables grown in small containers can, 2 times a day for irrigation.
Plants grown in clay pots require more frequent watering dishes are more porous and allowed to drain excess water from their sites.
If the growing mediumappears to be extremely dry and the plant shows signs of drying, the containers grouped together so that the foliage creates a canopy to shade to cool the earth and hold it.
Poor drainage of the growing media and containers can lead to water-logged that the results to plant death due to lack of oxygen.
So you always have a vigorous plant, if the container at least once a day and sometimes you hear two hot, dry or windy days and the earthto determine whether dump.
To reduce evaporation of water for potted plants, mulching material should be applied as mulch or put a plastic windshield.
You can also use wire or drip irrigation for plants starting point when you can visit your plant every day to think about.
Pests and diseases
The control of pests and diseases need careful evaluation in containers, because the misuse of pesticides can cause damage to the environment, in particularThe children, who often come close to your potted plants.
Actually, you should be implementation of integrated pest management (IPM). This approach is based on so-called systemic pesticides to prevent problems before they pests and diseases means seems concentrated.
How can you do this?
It 'done to continue to monitor pests, pest identification, and selection of a combination of control methods for the population of pests to a minimum. These methods are cultural,mechanical, biological and chemical methods.
Recommended practices ...
o Use insect and disease-resistant varieties of vegetables. To avoid attracting insects, plants in the garden, or those who are susceptible to parasites. Beans, peas, cucumbers, spinach, lettuce and squash are more resistant to pests.
or water the plants enough to keep them healthy. Fertilize the plants, thin to reduce competition for moisture and nutrients.
Remove the weeds or into the soil moistureand eliminate hiding places for pests.
o Promotion of natural enemies of pests, such as predators and parasites. Attract beneficial insects such as Western Bug Damsel, Lady Beetle, Green Lace Wing, and minute pirate bugs planted in your garden as a small flowering plants, daisies, cosmos, calendula and red clover. Be sure that flower in bloom throughout the growing season.
or not the same type of vegetables in the same place from year to year. A 4-year rotation cycleis recommended.
Exclude or parasites of plants with fibrous, row covers and other barriers such as plastic bottles and plant collars.
immediately affected, or remove portions of the plant. Remove all plant debris from the containers after collection, all cultures.
or the use of traps to stop mating cycles of insects. Adhesive surfaces yellow winged aphids take, whiteflies and leafhoppers.
or parasites, or handpick them knocking on plants with a stream of water from a garden hose.Kill insects by providing them with a soap solution.
o If all other methods failed to control, are less toxic insecticides such as neem and botanical pyrethrins control. Insecticidal soap, horticultural oil can also be used for pest control. Always identify the pest before choosing a pesticide and the use according to the label.
Vintage
The collection varies with the vegetables. Leafy vegetables are harvested when the desired page size for each application are requiredis determined. Other leafy vegetables after harvesting of the time required is met. Fruits and vegetables such as loofah, cucumber, eggplant, beans, okra and Upo are harvested when their size is large, but soft. For squash varieties are harvested and expanded to large, but delicate, depending on user preferences.
Cabbage, cauliflower and broccoli should be harvested when the heads are already being compact. Peppers and tomatoes can be harvested when the fruit must be startedmature.
If you're just growing vegetables container for home consumption, you can collect only a portion of the plant and keeps the rest for later use. But if you think you have more than enough for family use, you can collect or sell everything and give them to your neighbors.
Never allow the vegetables to flower before harvesting them, unless your purpose is to transport the seeds to grow future crops.
Indices of maturity of certain plants
Or white potatoesOnion, garlic - Top starts to dry out and fall
or Cowpea, Sita, green beans, Bata, sweet pea, winged bean - well filled pods that really snap
or Okra - Full-sized fruit with the tips that can be easily broken
or beans, peas, pigeon - well-filled pods that start losing their green
or Upo, loofah - Immature (if thumbnail can penetrate easily)
or tomato - Seeds of slipping when fruits, cut, or green color turning pink
peppers - Deep GreenTurn boring color
Musk Melon or - Shadow of the underside is yellow cream makes boring sacred sound when hit
or cauliflower - compact curd (too ripe, when opened, and bunches of flowers begin to loosen)
or Broccoli - Bud compact clusters (too mature, if less)
or kale - Heads Compact s (too ripe, when crack heads)
O sweet corn - exudes milky sap when the kernel enters thumbnail
or eggplant, ampalaya - desired size is reached, but stillOffer
or honey dew - white with cream taste
or squash - quite large, with leaves
Watermelon or - Dull hollow sound when hit, and the bottom yellow
Water spinach - part of their broader and longer
Problems encountered in the container gardening
In container garden you will meet some problems that may hinder the daily work. This is sometimes seen when the plants will not participate due to negligence.
However, it is possibleTo avoid these problems, if you religiously observe your plants closely. Small pests and diseases can not be seen in a visible, if you see the look close the plant. You see only the affected plants as soon as you get closer and actually touching.
Some, cause symptoms and remedies you should consider ...
or high, wiry and not productive. The plant gets enough sunlight and excessive supply of nitrogen. To fix, you should transfer to the containera place where there is not enough sunlight.
yellowing or below, the color and lack of vitality. The plant is getting too much water and low birth rates. To correct this, you must reduce the irrigation intervals and check the pots for good drainage.
plants with sufficient water or want. The plant has poor drainage and aeration. Correct, you should use a potting mix with a high content of organic matter. Increase the number of holes in the tank for goodDrainage.
or burning or burning of the leaves. The half of land with salt. To resolve this problem, you need to filter the container with tap water at regular intervals.
growth disorders or purple leaves and peaky. The temperature is low in phosphates and low. Correct, you must move the containers in a warmer area. Increased phosphate content in the basic solution.
or holes in the leaves and distorted in shape. Plants are attacked by parasites. Correct, you shouldNon-chemical insecticides or other biological control of pests.
or spots on the leaves, dead or dry surfaces rust or powdery appearance. The plants are suffering from an illness. To fix, you must use stakeholders illness or the entire system in a serious condition. You can use non-chemical pesticides, if the disease at an early stage of infestation.
