Home and Gardening

Vegetable container gardening is a great way to garden year round. Not only that, but it makes vegetable gardening a real option for many folks who might otherwise never try gardening. This would include people in an urban setting like apartment dwellers and high rise apartment owners.

One other major advantage to container gardening is that it can help extend the growing season. If you are in a hot and dry environment, you can more easily manage the moisture levels in a container garden, and there are even self watering containers that make it snap to put the plants in a container and not worry daily about the moisture levels.

But, in spite of the best efforts you can occasionally run into problems with vegetables growing in containers. So we’ve listed a few of the problem areas that can arise, and some tips you might try to get your vegetables back on track.

Plants growing tall and spindly – poor production: Almost always this is a lighting problem If your are using artificial lights be sure to put them very close to the plants, in many cases almost touching, as they are not as intense as the sun. Alternatively, you might just need to have them stay on for a longer period of time each day.

Your vegetable plants have stunted growth: Often this is a problem with lack of nutrient, specifically low levels of phosphate in the soil. This can be improved by changing the fertilizer. If your are growing warm weather vegetables it might also be caused by a low ambient temperature.

Wilting vegetable plants: Most of the time this is caused by inadequate watering. It might be either not enough water, or sometimes it can be due to inadequate drainage in the container. Be sure to check that the container’s drainage holes aren’t plugged. Check that your container has enough water for the plant, and be sure you are watering regularly enough. You may want to invest in a self watering container if this is a chronic problem.

Burned plant leaves: This can be a real problem is containers, and it often caused by high salt levels in the soil. It shows up as a crusty white layer on top of the soil. Try flushing the soil out with water, but be aware that in hard water areas the problem can be caused by watering with tap water. And refresh the soil each year to reduce this problem.

Plants leaves are yellowing, with some leaves dropping: Usually caused by too much moisture in the container. Try reducing how often you water, and once again check the drainage from the container. This is sometimes caused by low fertilizer levels.

Spots showing on the leaves: This is often some kind of plant disease. Take a sample to your nursery and try applying the appropriate fungicide.

These are the major problems you may find with container gardening. Hopefully these tips will get you on the way to a successful garden.