Premature Planting

I first wrote this post back in the winter of 2013, after the excite of Christmas comes and goes I start looking ahead to the coming growing season.

I HAVE A BAD CASE OF PREMATURE PLANTING (PMP) SYNDROME
Are you going to be growing food in a container garden this summer? If you are you might want to have read, I think that I am on to one of the best in container gardening techniques.

If you are anything like me, endless days of cool and wet west coast winter weather can drive you a bit batty. I have pale hair, pale eyes and pale skin but despite my best genetic efforts I still can't seem to produce enough vitamin D to keep my pleasure gauge up at normal levels. My troubles are multiplied by the fact that my home is perched neatly on the north slope of a very steep granite knob, known as Cates Hill.

Not that I am complaining, in many regards our home on Bowen is turning out to be a perfect location for my family and our business: we are walking distance to the ferry; Lachlynn's (that's my daughter) preschool is 20 steps from our front door; we are on "can I borrow your car" terms with our neighbors; Pacific Permaculture's studio/classroom space is three doors down the sidewalk; there is an organic artisan chocolatier across street and a great cafe just across the square. Alas nothing is perfect, there is a serious, but tolerable, drawback. Due to the northern aspect the sun disappears behind Cates Hill in late November and doesn't show itself again until early February. Please see the diagram below to understand the lay of the land.

So when the sun finally does come out in early February, I get a bit excited. I have a chronic case of PMP (premature planting). This time last year I had 6 inch tall tomatoes in 4 inches pots growing under a lamp in my kitchen. I have kept things in good measure this year, by sticking with early season crops like: mizuna, pac choi, leeks, peas, broad beans, kale, cabbage, spinach and even some cold hardy lettuce. I have also focused more of my effort on setting up my containers. Last year my containers were an after thought, and I had way more seedlings than containers to hold them.

I am not really much of a container gardening kind of guy, since I started down the permaculture path seven years ago I have always had a bit of ground to grow on. The decision to move into an apartment was a tough one and made after much careful and well thought out deliberation. Last year I tried growing veggies in modified Rubbermaid bins. It was alright I guess, it kept Lachlynn interested and we had a few good salads and a solid crop of cherry tomatoes, but it just didn't grab me the way a garden does. I have always found it tough to keep the plants happy in the containers. I would much rather stick'em in the ground and let them work for it. Plants in the ground can send roots out in search of the necessities, gardening in soil is a forgiving exercise. Not so when gardening in containers. Plants in a containers need everything brought directly to them. All their nutrients and water must be right in the pot with them. In short, I am a set it and forget it type of garden who has never had much regard for the nutrient quality of my soil and intentional denies my plants irrigation, so they can learn to stand on their own roots. Container gardening on my patio is a real challenge for me on a personal level.

View from the Kitchen Door 2012

The Whole Patio 2012

It wasn't until I came across the work of Mark Ridsdill Smith and his website Vertical Veg that I really started getting keen on container gardening. Smith has documented his total annual production from a 9 foot by 6 foot patio, and 8 window sills. In the 2010 growing season he produced over $1400 worth of vegetables. I hate to say it, but I am running on shame at the moment. They say ignorance is bliss. Now that I know solid vegetable production can be achieved in containers I have no excuses. As it turns out, my patio is more that double the size of Smith's. Obviously gardening in pots is an intensive exercise, but with a potential ROI of $2800/year in vegetables the exercise is much more appealing to me. Thanks for putting me to shame Mark.

The sun peeks of over the mountain February 2013

My not so secret technique for working towards the veggie production goal is the "self watering pot," "Wicking Reservoir Pot" is a better name as the gardener is still required to water these pots on a regular basis. I was first introduced to the "self-watering pot" concept by one of my students, during one of our 2009 PDC courses. Since then I have never actually applied, nor entirely sold on the concept.

I have heard mixed reports on how well this type of pot works. Troubles with nutrient loads in the reservoir have been a common complaint. I have recently done some further research and have found that a reservoir pot is the only way to get good production out of vegetables in containers. Smith uses these types of containers, my permaculture friends use these types of containers and "The Vegetable Gardeners Container Bible" claims that this is the only way to grow good container vegetables. It is high time for me to can my skepticism and hop on the self-watering bandwagon.

What follows is my instruction, please keep reading to get the skinny on how to make your container gardening self watering.

In a normal pot the only place to store water is in the soil, this is fine for flowers and herbs. They usually have a low water demand. Vegetables, however, have much higher water demands, a tomato can consume 4 liters or more during a really hot day, in order to keep it producing well you may need to water two to several times a day. The solution is to put a reservoir container in the bottom of your pot. The key two features are:

• way to fill the reservoir; and
• some form of connection between the water in the reservoir and soil in the pot

The connection between the reservoir and the soil allows water to wick up into the soil by capillary action. The soil is keep consistently moist with constant water supply available for the plants. Be sure that your pot has a drain out the bottom so overflow from the reservoir can escape, plants do not like to have their roots completely submerged in water. A balance between air and moisture must be maintained, this form of watering system effectively achieves the moisture/air balance.

Once you grasp the basic elements of this concept any of your old pots, with drain holes in the bottom, can be converted into "self-watering " containers for patio vegetable production. This year I am trying out some interesting new cloth planters. Supposedly these planters prevent root circling and promote a healthier air composition in the soil, the end result is happier plants. I have added water wicking reservoirs to these planters. I am betting that these planters are the best of the best in small space container gardening, I am expecting big things from these beds.

Three 4L vinegar containers (12L of total storage)

Wicking Vessel lined with cloth and filled with soil

Planter soil filled and ready for planting (February 3rd 2013)

Broad Beans March 20th (First Day of Spring)

Broad Beans June 4th

Tanya enjoying a cup of coffee in the shade of pole beans July 21st.

These cloth planters worked out great I highly recommend them. A bit on the pricey side but certainly worth the expense