Growing Vegetables in Pots

Many gardeners, me included, like to grow at least some of their vegetables in containers which are at least five gallons or more in size. Such containers are also great for starting trees from seeds or acorns. Growing vegetables in such a medium greatly reduces weeds, and separates the plants for better visibility, air circulation and overall control. There are, however, several aspects that should be taken into consideration when growing in containers. First, make sure the container has adequate drainage holes. If not, drill more holes. Slightly elevate the container for better drainage, particularly if the container will be placed on the ground. When a container is flat on the ground, it tends to drain much more slowly than if elevated an inch or so, thus water-logging the growing medium. Many containers for sale are dark colored, which makes it more difficult to control heat in the root zone. Additional watering is already required when growing in containers, and dark colors only increase the amount of water required. A light colored container or a dark container with a light covering reduces this heat. Don’t just dig up soil and put it in a container. For some reasons that I don’t fully understand, soil doesn’t function the same in a container as it does in the ground. It tends to become much more dense and heavier. You can buy potting soils/ mixes and compost to blend and place in the container. Do not add mulch, as it will pull nitrogen out of the mix. Don’t use fillers in the container bottom to reduce the amount of growing mix required. All they do is cut down on the available space for roots to grow and feed. They also move the saturated wet zone at the container bottom up into the root zone. Getting Rid of Stumps In reviewing the literature for possible gardening subjects, I recently came across and article containing several ways to get rid of a stump. Most were ridiculous; one was expensive; and one was just dangerous to future plants. If you’re in a hurry, you can always choose the most expensive option and hire someone with a stump grinder to remove the stump, fill in the area with soil and plant whatever you prefer. The first method involved digging down and cutting off the stump below ground before drilling numerous holes in the top of the stump. Nothing wrong so far, but then they said to fill each hole with undiluted Roundup. Make sure the cambium layer gets wet. Well, there’s no doubt the stump will not survive, but I not so sure about growing anything in that area for a few years. Also, other plants or trees accessing the dead material for nutrients may get a RUDE awakening when the find the Roundup residues. Other methods suggested using all sorts of chemical tree stump killers. Again, these will work, but they cost a lot more than the simplest option. One suggested that after filling the holes, the entire stump top should be covered tightly and the entire stump covered up. Now, you wait several months before digging up the stump and removing it before refilling and planting your preferred plant. If you’re not in a big hurry, drill holes (3” to 4” deep & 1/2”-1” in width) in the stump and fill with Epsom salts (Check some of your “stump killers,” and you’ll find they usually contain Epsom salts at a greatly increased cost!). Water and repeat watering just before the holes’ water goes dry is gone. This is probably the cheapest, although not the fastest, way to remove a stump.