How to Grow a TIPS AND TRICKS FROM

MY FIRST YEAR OF

Container Garden in GARDENING

Texas
By: Tiffany Ondracek

TECM 2700

Fall 2010
Table of Contents

INTRODUCTION 5

CHAPTER 1: EVALUATING YOUR LOCATION 7

WHAT DO PLANTS NEED? 7

UNDERSTANDING OUR WEATHER 8

CHAPTER 2: PICKING YOUR PLANTS 11

WHAT DO YOU WANT TO GROW? 11

WHAT CAN YOU GROW? 12
WHEN DO VARIOUS PLANTS GROW BEST? 13
SUMMARY 13

CHAPTER 3: SUPPLIES 15

CONTAINERS 15
SOIL 16

CHAPTER 4: PLANTING YOUR PLANTS 19

SEEDS VS. PLANTS 19

STARTING SEEDS INDOORS 21
PLANTING INTO CONTAINERS 23

CHAPTER 5: DAILY/WEEKLY MAINTENANCE SCHEDULE 26

WATERING 26
FERTILIZING 27

CHAPTER 6: EXAMPLES OF EASY TO GROW PLANTS 35

BANANA PEPPERS 35
BASIL 37
CILANTRO 39
LETTUCE 41
CARROTS 43

CHAPTER 7: COMMON FUNGI AND VIRUSES 45

GRAY MOLD 45
MOSAIC VIRUSES 46
POWDERY MILDEW 46
RUST 47

CONCLUSION 49
Introduction
Imagine stepping outside in the early evening and filling a basket with the ingredients of tonight’s
salad: lettuce, basil, peppers and tomatoes. The satisfaction from growing your own food is amazing
and the process is fun every step of the way. Even if your only “garden” space is tiny, I’m betting you
have room for a container or few, and with even a few containers and a little planning, you can do
amazing things.

This guide is about growing good things to eat, and doing it in containers. I wrote this for those who
aspire to have garden-fresh food but no yard in which to grow it. I personally have lived in
apartments and rented houses for the last seven years and I understand your pain. This year I
decided to go for it, to plan a garden and just go for it.

How to get the most from this guide

Here’s a quick guide to how the parts of this book are arranged:

 The first two chapters are designed to help you organize your thinking. All gardens involve
some sort of trade-off between what you want and what is possible, and in many ways the
delicate balance is even more delicate with container gardens. In these first two chapters we
will look at the aspects you need to consider: what kind of environment you have and what
you would like to grow.
 In the next two chapters we will deal with the how-to’s of making a successful garden.
Subjects addressed will be the supplies you will need and the methods of planting your
garden.
 Next, I will give you some examples of easy to grow plants. I have personally grown all of
these and will share my knowledge on the subject with you.
 Finally, I will address some of the most common problems faced in growing the selected
plants. Although there are many pests and diseases that you may face, I believe these to be
the most likely.

The desire to watch something grow, to help it along, is a powerful impulse. So too is the yearning to
link ourselves with nature, to know that some part of the natural world, no matter how small, is just
over our shoulder. All of these threads come together in making a garden. I hope that with this
guide you will find the inspiration and encouragement to create a garden even if you have no land.
From you own container garden, you will soon have the very great delight of serving a meal made of
fresh things, grown with your very own hands and heart.
Chapter 1: Evaluating Your Location
Every gardener has to begin from the same starting point: evaluating the physical characteristics of
the garden space itself and the environment that they live in. The challenge is then making the most
of what you have to work with. In this chapter we will discuss:
 What do plants need?
 Climate

There are resources available to help you pick the right plants for where you live and we will discuss
them later in this chapter.

What Do Plants Need?

There are several locational factors that affect the health of your plants and some of them are more
controllable than others. It is important to consider all of these carefully when deciding where to
create your container garden. Luckily, as the conditions change throughout the day and throughout
the year, containers can be moved to make the most of the conditions available to you.

Light

Light affects plants in two ways.

 First, it is essential for photosynthesis-providing the energy to split water molecules, take up
and fix carbon dioxide, and synthesize the building blocks for growth and development.
 Second, light creates heat. Most plants enjoy large amounts of heat and light but some, like
lettuce and cilantro; can become overwhelmed by high temperatures. It is the energy
absorbed from sunlight that affects the temperature of the plant.

You cannot control factors such as cloud cover, moisture in the air, and the ozone layer are factors we
gardeners can't control-affect light and temperature, but you can adjust light by changing where you
choose to put your plants.

Daylength

Closely related to light is day length, which varies based on the direction faced and the time of year.
Day length is a critical factor in regulating vegetative growth, flower initiation and development, and
the induction of dormancy. The long days of summer add substantially to the potential for heat to
have a profound effect on plant survival. In most perennials there is a strong correlation between
temperature and day length and this is not a controllable factor in most home gardening situations.
Air Movement

While a gentle spring breeze can "cool" a plant through transpiration as it does us, fast-moving air on
a hot day can have a negative effect, rapidly dehydrating it. Air movement in a garden is affected by
natural features such as proximity to bodies of water and the presence of surrounding vegetation, as
well as structures such as buildings and roads. You can reduce air circulation by erecting fences and
planting hedges.

Surrounding Structures

If the environment is wooded, transpiration from trees and shrubs will cool the air. On the other
hand, structures of brick, stone, glass, concrete, plastic, or wood will emit heat and raise the air
temperature. Gardeners wanting plants to produce early or survive during will often place them on
the south side of a brick wall. Obviously, this would not be a good place for a plant at the southern
limit of its heat zone!

Understanding our Weather

There are several guides that provide assistance in understanding the weather patterns in Texas.

The Plant Hardiness Zones

The Plant Hardiness Zones, developed by the

U.S. Department of Agriculture, divide the
United States and Canada into 11 areas based
on a 10 degree Fahrenheit difference in the
average annual minimum temperature. For
example, the lowest average temperature in
Zone 2 is -50 to -40 degrees Fahrenheit, while
the minimum average temperature in zone 10
is +30 to +40 degrees Fahrenheit. Suitable
hardiness means a plant can be expected to
grow in the zone's temperature extremes, as
determined by the lowest average annual Figure 0-1: Courtesy of the USDA

temperature.

By using the map to find the zone in which you live, you will be able to determine what plants will
"winter over" in your garden and survive for many years. Today nearly all American references
books, nursery catalogs, and gardening magazines describe plants using USDA Zones and suggested
hardiness zones are usually indicated on packages of seeds and plants purchased from your local
garden center. Make sure that the plants you choose to grow will grow well here.

Keep in mind that local variations such as moisture, soil, winds, and other conditions might affect the
viability of individual plants.

The AHS Plant Heat Zone Map

Although the Plant Hardiness Zone is the most common indicator of plant suitability, there is another
guideline that has become more popular lately and is just as helpful to these living in the southern
parts of the country.

Cold isn't the only factor determining whether our plants will survive and thrive and the effects of
heat damage are more subtle than those of extreme cold. Heat damage can first appear in many
different parts of the plant:

 Flower buds may wither

 Leaves may droop or become more attractive to insects
 Chlorophyll may disappear so that leaves appear white or brown, or roots may cease growing.

Plant death from heat is slow and lingering. The plant may survive in a stunted state for several years.
When desiccation reaches a high enough level, the enzymes that control growth are deactivated and
the plant dies.

That is why, although the Plant Hardiness Zone is the most common indicator of plant suitability,
there is another guideline that has become more popular lately: The AHS Plant Heat-Zone Map.
Use the AHS Plant Heat-Zone Map in the same way that you do the Hardiness Map.

Figure 1-2 Courtesy of the American Horticulture Society

1. Start by finding your town or city on the map. The larger versions of the map have county
outlines that may help you do this.
2. The 12 zones of the map indicate the average number of days each year that a given region
experiences "heat days"-temperatures over 86 degrees. That is the point at which plants
begin suffering physiological damage from heat.

The zones range from Zone 1 (less than one heat day) to Zone 12 (more than 210 heat days).

Thousands of garden plants have now been coded for heat tolerance, with more to come in the near
future. You can find the heat zone designations joining hardiness zone designations in garden centers,
references books, and catalogs. Use this information to choose suitable plants for a successful
gardening experience.
Chapter 2: Picking your Plants
There are two main questions that you will need to answer to pick what kind of plants to grow:
 What do you want to Grow?
 What can you grow?

Also important is what can grow during the time of year you want to garden.

What do you want to Grow?

If you don’t know where to start, a seed catalog or a trip to the garden center can be helpful. The
catalogs organize their inventory alphabetically. This is helpful for experiences gardeners who know
what they are looking for but can be a bit daunting for beginners. Still, a quick run though is a good
way of seeing all of the possibilities. The next step is to narrow down the possibilities to a
manageable number of choices.

The most important rule is: Be Honest. Do you really like spinach or do you just want to grow it
because it’s good for you? If you don’t really enjoy the taste of something, you’re unlikely to feel
differently just because you grew it yourself so it is okay to go ahead and cross those items off your
list.

My advice is to pay attention to what you eat. If you are always asking for Banana Peppers at the
sandwich shop, maybe home grown peppers would be fun. If you love mashed potatoes and eat
them all the time, maybe potatoes would be a good crop to grow. In the end, I picked my first plants
based on good but odd logic. I decided to grow things I was tired of seeing go bad in my refrigerator,
namely cilantro because it spoils in just a few days and basil because it comes in such a large quantity.
The basil had the added advantage of being something a little too expensive for me to purchase as
often as I would like and the thought of growing my own and turning it into pesto on a regular basis
was very exciting. The logic of growing things you cannot afford to buy tends to only hold true with
herbs which are highly price at a local grocery store. When it comes to fruits and vegetables, high
prices tend to come for a reason and often these produce items are either difficult to grow, don’t
grow well in this climate or require expensive machinery to do so.

My last little bit of guidance is to try to pick things that go well in a meal together. It is often less cost
effective to grow your own vegetables if you have to then purchase many other ingredients in order
to enjoy eating them. Stables like herbs, onions, garlic, and peppers go well with almost anything and
are great choices to satisfy most taste buds and wallets.
What can you grow?

The second aspect of deciding what to grow understands what your garden can support. Research
the items on your growing “wish list” and compare what the plants need with what you can give
them. Take in to account:
 Climate
 Sunlight
 Level of work needed
 Time before harvest

For example, many vegetables need at least six hours of sunlight a day. If your only garden space is a
balcony that is blocked from all directions by tall buildings it is going to be very difficult to grow
tomatoes and peppers but you could grow an amazing collection of salad greens with all kinds of
gourmet lettuces and Asian greens. On the other hand, if you are planning on growing on a large
concrete patio, lettuces will quickly wilt and require more water and energy than it is probably worth.
Keep in mind that concrete stores and reflects heat raising the temperature directly above them to
well above 100°F during a hot Texas summer This last year when temperatures were 107°F outside, I
decided to measure the temperature of the soil near the bottom of my containers and found that it
was reaching as high as 127°F. At this temperature, root systems will burn and plants will suffer from
stunted growth. These are problems that can be worked around with solutions such as raised
planters but all of this will need to be taken into consideration.

One thing that cannot be worked around is the level of work needed to grow certain crops. It’s just a
fact: some plants are high maintenance. If you know you do not have time to prune and water your
garden every few days or if you go out of town frequently and there is nobody to check on your
plants, you will never successfully grow high maintenance plants, especially in the harsh and
unpredictable weather we frequently deal with. If a plant goes without water for too long or too
often, even if it does not die, its roots will become dehydrated and collapse. After that it will never
be able to draw water at the same capacity and even if it looks healthy, it is slowly dying as it
struggles to get enough to drink. If certain vegetables are not harvested in a timely manner the peak
production level will be drastically reduced. It is important to maintain plants at the level they
require, or at least pretty close to it. There are many low maintenance plants like onions, garlic and
many herbs that are a better fit for someone with a very busy schedule. Besides, gardening should be
fun, not a chore!
When Do Various Plants Grow Best?

Unfortunately, most plants can only grow successfully during certain parts of the year. Although
there are many factors that go into deciding when to start your plants, the following chart can offer
guidance about what time of year is the best for planting certain crops in North Texas.

Crop Start Seeds Indoors Start Seeds in the Ground

Beans Mar 18-Apr 1
Beets Feb 24-Apr 8
Broccoli Jan 20-Feb 3 Feb 24-Mar 3
Brussels sprouts Jan 20-Feb 3
Cabbage Jan 20-Feb 3 Mar 10-25
Carrots Feb 10-24
Cauliflower Jan 20-Feb 3 Mar 10-25
Celery Jan 20-Feb 3
Corn Apr 1- 8
Cucumbers Feb 17-Mar 3 Mar 25-Apr 1
Lettuce Feb 3-17 Mar 10-Apr 1
Melons Feb 17-Mar 3 Apr 1- 8
Onion sets Feb 17-24
Parsnips Feb 24-Mar 18
Peas Feb 3-17
Peppers Jan 20-Feb 3
Potato tubers Mar 18-Apr 1
Pumpkins Feb 17-Mar 3 Mar 25-Apr 1
Radishes Mar 10-25
Spinach Feb 3-17
Squash, summer Feb 17-Mar 3 Mar 25-Apr 1
Squash, winter Feb 17-Mar 3 Mar 25-Apr 1
Tomatoes Jan 20-Feb 3

Summary

Basically, when planning your container garden examine the factors discussed above and follow
where they may lead. A good plan of action is:

1. Start with what you know you enjoy eating.

2. Leave some room on your list for experimenting with new things.
3. Eliminate whatever your garden space will not support.
4. Eliminate whatever your climate and other environmental conditions will not allow.
5. Eliminate whatever your lifestyle will not support.
Chapter 3: Supplies
Your first venture into a large garden center can be overwhelming; there is simply so much stuff, how
can anyone now what’s what? In this chapter I will help you sort it all out and focus on what you
really need.

Containers

Nearly all containers are made from one of five materials:

 Clay
 Plastic
 Wood
 Paper Pulp
 Metal

Each has its own advantages and disadvantages. The key is to pick the one that works best for you. I
find that the two most important factors are aesthetics and price range. Personally, I have
experience working with mostly clay and plastic so I will discuss those two here.

Clay

Clay pots come in both glazed and unglazed. . Unglazed pots are porous, which is both good and
bad. It is good because air circulates more easily to the root zone; it’s bad because soil moisture
evaporates more rapidly and you’ll need to water more often. Even this evaporation, which does
lead to more work, has its advantages. The process of evaporation creates a cooling effect so that
plants in clay pots are provided with some summertime protection against ultra-hot soil which can
burn the roots.

Another variation of clay pots is glazed. The glaze serves to give the pot color and also seals the clay,
creating a smoother surface. Because glazed-clay pots are less porous, evaporation is less of a
problem than with unglazed clay. The primary attraction of these pots is their beautiful colors and
artful designs. Glazed clay pots are usually quite a bit more expensive than the equivalent sizes of
plain terra-cotta.

ADVANTAGES:
 Terra-cotta pots are aesthetically pleasing to many people. They are easy to mix and match and
still create a neat, well-planned garden area.
 They are often inexpensive and come in a variety of sizes.

DISADVANTAGES:
 Clay pots are heavy and relatively fragile; they break and chop easily.
 In the winter, wet soil or even water trapped in the pores of the pot can freeze, expand, and crack
the container. This isn’t a problem that we face in Texas to often but it does happen for a few
months out of the year. This is less of an issue with glazed clay pots than unglazed because the
glazed variety is less porous.

Plastic

ADVANTAGES:
 Inexpensive
 Lightweight
 Non-breakable
 Nonporous (holds water well)
 Available in a variety of shapes

DISADVANTAGES:
 Often less aesthetically pleasing, although they have improved in the recent years.
 They have a less consistent appearance sometimes resulting in a haphazardly planned garden
space.

Soil

In a garden, everything begins and ends with soil quality. Good soil allows both fast drainage and
moisture retention. This is accomplished with the right blend of ingredients that provide both
qualities while still having adequate nutrients and the right structure to allow good aeration.

When it comes to choosing potting soil for containers, there are basically two ways to go: dead easy
and almost as easy. Dead easy is selecting a high-quality potting soil and using it straight from the
bag. Almost as easy is buying any all-purpose potting soil and adding other things to it to fit your
specific needs. The first option is generally easier; the second option is generally less expensive.

Broadly speaking, commercial potting mixes are a combination of:

1. A material that holds water well (often peat or ground bark)

2. A material that keeps the soil from compacting (Often perlite, vermiculite or pumice)
Mixes may have regional variations depending on locally available materials and sometimes include:
earthwork castings, compost, ground fir bark, sand. The possibilities are countless. One item that
you will not find in a commercial potting mix is actually “soil”. Potting mixes do not usually contain
soil as it is found on the ground in your front yard and we only call it soil out of habit.

THINGS TO AVOID:
 Potting mixes for one specific type of plant (roses, rhododendrons, orchids) unless you are
growing that particular plant.
 Bags of topsoil (garden soil), which is too dense for container gardening.
 Using actual soil, straight from someone’s yard. Even if its nutrient rich and well balanced, the
very structure of garden soil presents some special problems for container gardens. Because
it is very dense, water will not drain well from a container. It also compacts easily, limiting the
amount of oxygen that is able to reach the roots of the plant.
Chapter 4: Planting Your Plants

Seeds vs. Plants

Planting seeds is not hard; you learned how in the first grade. Neither is setting out transplants; we
discuss this later in this chapter, but the fact is it’s pretty self-evident even if you’ve never done it.
What is not so obvious is deciding whether you should start with seeds or transplants.

BUY SEEDS IF:

 The items you want, or the varieties you’re interested in, aren’t available any other way.
 The items don’t transplant well: beans, peas, carrots, beets and radishes, for example.
 You’re trying to stretch your budget, especially if you can split seed packets with another
gardener.
 You don’t mind that you’ll have to start some seeds indoors (a fairly tricky operation) in colder
climates.
 You enjoy the convenience of making small repeat sowings of things like lettuce, radishes,
cilantro, and spinach; just tuck in a few seeds whenever an empty space appears.
 You don’t want to miss the fun of witnessing a very accessible miracle.

BUY TRANSPLANTS IF:

 Your growing season is short.
 You want to grow your plants with a long maturity. In many cases this means that they need
to be started indoors early, and you may rather have someone else—like a commercial
grower—do that part.
 You want only one or two of certain plants, not a hundred.
 Something dies and you need a fast-track replacement.

As a practical matter, nearly everyone is better off with transplants—either from our own windowsill
or a commercial greenhouse—for these plants:

 Tomatoes
 Peppers
 Eggplant
 Basil
 Chives
 Perennial herbs
 Pansies, violets, violas
And you usually have to start these from seeds:

 Peas
 Beans
 Carrots
 Beets
 Radishes
 Sunflowers
 Cilantro

Generally, these plants grow equally well regardless of

the method you choose to start them. It is not hard to
grow these plants from seed, provided the growing
season is long enough.

 Cucumbers
 Squash
 Scallions
 Lettuce and other salad greens
 Leafy green vegetables
Starting Seeds Indoors

Inside your house or apartment, it’s nice and warm even when the outside temperature is chilly. You
can get a jump on the season by starting seeds indoors, then transplanting them into your outdoor
containers when the weather is right.

In general, plants have two requirements for good germination:

 Even moisture
 Heat

Here are the steps for starting seeds indoors:

1. Figure out when to plant the seeds. In general, you want to plant far enough in advance that the
seedlings are ready to go into outdoor containers when the weather is ready to receive them—
and not before. A common mistake is starting the seeds too soon; they hit the transplant time
before the weather is warm enough. Unless you take special protective measures they will die
outside; and if you try to keep them indoors longer, they’ll get leggy, rot, or succumb to fungal
diseases. You need to be aware of the seeds’ approximate germination time. The following chart
offers some suggestions:
Nighttime Lows Start Seeds ahead
Basil 55°F 30 days
Cucumbers 50°F 30 days
Eggplants 55°f 50-70 days
Lettuce 35°F 20 days
Peppers 55°F 50-70 days
Squash 50°F 30 days
Tomatoes 55°F 50-70 days

2. Collect Your Equipment. Essentially you need:

 Seed-starting medium. In order to make the process the easiest, buy a bag of mix specifically
designed for starting seeds. It will be labeled as such. This mix is very lightweight and
contains very finely milled bits of peat or perlite or both—nothing large enough to thwart a
tender seed trying to unfurl.
 Something to put the medium and seeds into. Small pots made of dried, compressed peat
(round or square in several sizes) are handy. When the seedling is ready to go outside, plant
 the whole thing, pot ad all; the roots grow right through the side of the pot, thus minimizing
transplant shock.
 You can also reuse small nursery containers that you saved from last year, as long as you clean
them thoroughly with a mild bleach solution to kill any residual pathogens.
 A very simple alternative is a product called Jiffy pellets, which are circles of compressed beat
encased in very fine netting. These serve as both and soil, and they go straight into the
garden without any repotting, which is easier on you and the plant as it avoid transplant
shock. When dry they are flat, about the size of a silver dollar. Soak them in water and they
expand to about 2 inches high, with a little dimple on the top where the seeds go.
 A drip tray to catch the excess water.
 Clear plastic to hold in the humidity while the seeds are germinating.
 Something to label the containers with (all baby seedlings look alike).

3. Plant the seeds. First, dampen the seed-starting mix thoroughly and let it drain. Then add the
seeds and cover lightly with more damp mix. Put the seedling pots on the drip tray.

4. Cover loosely with clear plastic. This will help keep the surface of the seed-starting mix from
drying out. Use chopsticks, pencils or small twigs to prop up the plastic and hold it away from
direct contact with the soil and the tinny sprouts. The plastic should not be airtight; you want air
to circulate.

5. Make sure the seed-starting mix stays moist. If you have covered the pots with plastic, you can
easily tell if they are moist because water beads will form on the inside of the plastic. When the
mix gets dry, water gently with a mister; it’s important not to disturb the surface while the seeds
are germinating. You can also pour water into the drip tray, and it will be absorbed up from the
bottom.

Note: Up until this point, light has been irrelevant. Seeds sprout in the dark. But one a seed
has sprouted and form it first set of true leaves, the process of photosynthesis, upon which all
green plants depend, has begun, and sunlight is necessary for it to continue.

6. Remove the Plastic and ensure good light. Carefully lift the plastic so it doesn’t disturb the
growing seedlings, and check your light source. If you don’t have good sunny windows, move a
fluorescent lamp close by. Special full-spectrum grow lights are available but not really necessary.

7. Thin the seedlings, if needed. If you planted lots of seeds for insurance and they all germinate,
you will soon have a crowded forest of baby seedlings. You have to sacrifice some of them, or
none of them will do well. The roots are extremely tender, and pulling out the seedlings can
 injure the ones you want to keep. A better technique is to snip off the discards, at the soil line,
with something like manicure or embroidery scissors.

8. Protect against disease. Very young seedlings are particularly susceptible to a fungal disease
called dampening-off. It’s a greenhouse version of sudden death syndrome: one minute the
seedling looks fine; the next minute it has keeled right over. This fungus is rarely a problem with
direct seeding, but it seems to find an easy foothold in the indoor environment. The best way to
prevent damping-off is to water from the bottom by filling the drip tray with water in which you
have dissolved a fungicide. For a homemade organic version, brew a batch of chamomile tea and
water the seedlings with it; chamomile contains a natural fungicidal ingredient.

9. Move seedlings into a larger pot if necessary. Sometime seedlings grow to an intermediate size
while it is still too cold to put them outside. This is a common dilemma with heat lovers like
tomatoes, eggplant, and peppers. If they stay in the original indoor seedling bed too long, their
root growth will be stunted and they will never develop into healthy, thriving plants. At this point
you can also start feeding the baby plants with a balanced fertilizer dissolved in water.

10. Gradually adjust plants to the outdoor climate. Don’t move tender seedlings directly into their
outdoor containers; the shock of drastically different temperatures can be too much for them.
Instead, adjust them gradually, in the process known as hardening off.
 Day 1: set them outside for one to two hours and then back into a sheltered location
 Day 2: Set them outside for three to four hours, then back inside.
 Days 3-5: Continue to increase time by an hour or two each day.

After 4 or 5 days, they should be ready to stay outdoors and can then be transplanted into
larger containers.

Planting into Containers

Whether you are starting with plants straight from the nursery or transplanting your own seedlings,
the process of actually planting your plants is relatively simple. There are some basic steps to follow:

If planting seeds directly into the container where they will grow,

1. Fill the container almost full with soil and follow the instructions on the seed packet for how
deep to plant them and how far apart. A seed should usually be planted as deep as its own
largest dimension. That means that very tiny seeds should just get pressed down into the mix
with your fingers while very large seeds, like beans, might need to be planted at a depth as
much as an inch.
 2. Keep the soil watered well
3. Once the seedlings tart to sprout, thin them with small scissors.

If planting transplants:

1. Before planting your seeds or baby plants, fill the containers with potting soil up to about 2
inches from the top and water them thoroughly.
2. Make sure the mix in the container is lightly and evenly damp; also thoroughly water the small
pots holding the baby plants and let them drain while you proceed.
3. With your trowel, dig a hole about as deep as the small containers.
4. Slide the fingers of one hand around the base of the baby plant, and turn it upside down so
that the plant and all its soil slide out into your other hand. If the plant doesn’t come right
out, tap the rip of the small pot against something solid and try again.
5. Try to keep intact the soil ball around the transplant. If you see a thick mat of roots twisted at
the bottom, untangle them with your fingers and trim back the longest ones.
6. Fit the plant and its soil ball into the hole you prepared, and fill it in with the extra potting mix.
7. Tap the soil lightly with your hand and move on to the next plant.
8. When everything is planted, water the entire container to help the plats settle.
Chapter 5: Daily/Weekly Maintenance Schedule
Compared to traditional gardens, ongoing maintenance in a container is not as work intensive. There
are two main tasks that you will need to worry about:

1. Watering
2. Fertilizing

However, these two areas are absolutely critical.

Watering

In the ground, plants have a wide soil area from which to draw moisture. Even more important, the
surrounding soil acts as an environmental buffer for the plant roots, tempering the drying effects of
wind and hot sun. In a container, a plant has a limited area of soil, and there is nothing beyond the
container but air. If that air is hot and dry, it will quickly pull moisture from the plant and soil. In the
dead of summer, it is not at all uncommon for containers to need to be watered twice a day.

In order to be successful with containers, especially in Texas, you must be prepared with a good
irrigation system and the discipline to use it. The system does not have to be high tech- a simple
watering can is perfectly acceptable- but it does have to be used consistently.

Some items that will make watering easier:

A hose:

Your life will be easier if you can run a hose to the area where your containers are. This may take
some ingenuity on your part but try to think of all possibilities. For example, if you live in an
apartment and only have a balcony available for gardening, consider adding a Y-shaped fitting to the
water pipe that goes to your washing machine. You can then run one side of it to the washing
machine and attach a hose to the other end. Your local hardware store should be able to help you
find the right parts and show you how to install them.

Also, a rigid wand extension that fastens to the end of your hose can be extremely helpful for
reaching hanging g containers. It will also allow you to switch from a hard, tight spray to a brad mist
that is more suitable for delicate plants.
If a hose is not possible, a watering can will do! You will just have to make several trips to refill it
each time.

Moisture-retaining elements

Moisture-retaining elements are fairly new on the market and can be an inexpensive way to lessen
the work load associated with keeping plants watered. The majority of these elements are very
small, moisture-retaining polymers that start out the size of course salt. Once in the soil, they absorb
water every time that you water, swelling a size that is many times that of their original size. They
then slowly release the absorb moisture back into the soil. To use these crystals, mix them into the
potting soil before planting your plants.

A variation on this idea is a thin mat made of similar material that absorbs and then gradually
releases water. To use this mat, cut the mat to the size of the bottom of your container and put it in
place before adding the soil.

Using these products is no substitute for watering, but they may buy you a little extra time, and that
couldn’t hurt.

Self-watering pots

Several companies offer so-called self-watering pots. These are containers with a built-in water
reservoir that can hold several quarts of water. The water is then gradually wicked up into the soil.
These containers are more expensive than plain pots of equivalent size, but are a good solution for
people who travel often.

Fertilizing

Fertilizing is how container gardeners make up for the limitations of natural nutrients found in the
soil. These nutrients are elements that the plant needs to live. Carbon, hydrogen and oxygen are
absorbed from air and water. The rest of the elements, called nutrients, are absorbed from the soil.
Supplemental nutrients supplied in the form of a fertilizer allow plants to reach their maximum
potential.

How to use this section:

1. Read and become familiar with the most common nutrients and their properties.
2. Reference this section when diagnosing problems found in your plants.

It may be tempting to only reference the parts that you need to diagnose problem but it will greatly
reduce your chances of being a proper diagnoses.
Catagories of Nutrients

Nutrient can be classified into one of two categories: mobile or immobile. Understanding these two
categories can make it easier to diagnose nutrient deficiencies in your plants.

Mobile Nutrients

Mobile nutrients are able to move from one portion of the plant to another as needed. For example,
nitrogen accumulated in older leaves moves to younger leaves to solve a deficiency. As a result,
when a plant is deficient in a mobile nutrient, the symptoms appear on the older, lower leaves first.

Examples:
 Nitrogen
 Phosphorus
 Potassium
 Magnesium
 Zinc

Immobile Nutrients

Immobile nutrients doo not translocate to new growing areas within the plant. Instead they remain
deposited in their original place in older leaves. As a result, when a plant is deficient in a mobile
nutrient, the symptoms appear first in the upper, new leaves on top of the plant.

Examples:
 Calcium
 Boron
 Chlorine
 Cobalt
 Copper
 Iron
 Manganese
 Molybdenum
 Silicon
 Sulfur
The Two Most Important Nutrients

Although many nutrients are required for plants to grow and produce at their full potential, there are
two that are the most important and are never found naturally in high enough quantities: Nitrogen
and Phosphorus. It is important that a container gardener if they want their plants to produce a
bountiful harvest.

Nitrogen

Flowers and vegetables love nitrogen and require high levels of it during vegetative growth but lower
levels of it during the rest of their lives. Nitrogen is easily washed away and must be replaced
regularly, especially during vegetative growth. This is true for all gardeners but especially those who
chose to garden in containers as nutrients tend to be washed away faster than in a regular garden.

WHAT DOES IT DO FOR THE PLANT?

Nitrogen is essential for the production of amino acids, enzymes, nuclei acids, chlorophyll and
alkaloids. It is mainly responsible for leaf and stem growth, as well as the overall size of the plant.
Nitrogen is most active in young buds, shoots and leaves.

SOURCES:
 Ammonium (NH4+) is the most readily available form of nitrogen. Be careful when using too
much of this form; it can burn the plants.
 Nitrate (No3-) is the nitrate form of nitrogen. It is much slower to assimilate than ammonium.
Hydroponic fertilizers use this slower-acting nitrogen compound and mix it with ammonium
but it is also found in many multi-purpose fertilizers.

WHAT ARE THE SIGNS OF DEFICIENCY?

The visible symptoms of nitrogen deficiency include:

 Slow growth
 Older leaves yellow between the veins while the veins remain green. This happens because
the leaves cannot produce chlorophyll and is known as interveinal chlorosis.
 Yellowing progresses through the entire leaf and older bottom leaves turn entirely yellow.
 More and more leaves yellow. Severely affected leaves drop.
 Progressively younger leaves develop interveinal chlorosis.
 All foliage yellows and leaf drop is severe.

**Stems and the leaves’ undersides may turn reddish-purple, but this can also be a sign of
phosphorus deficiency.
TREATEMENT:

Treat deficiency by fertilizing with N or a Complete N-P-K fertilizer. You should see results in 4-5 days.

Organic sources of nitrogen include:

 seabird guano
 fish emulsion
 Blood meal.

Gardeners also report excellent results by adding bio-fertilizers to stimulate the uptake of nitrogen.

TOXICITY

An overdose of nitrogen will cause excessively lush foliage that is soft and susceptible to stress,
including insect a fungal attacks. The stems become weak and may fold over easily. The vascular
transport tissue breaks down and water uptake is restricted. In severe cases, leaves turn a brownish-
copper color, dry out, and fall off. Roots develop slowly, and they tend to darken and rot. Flowers
are smaller and sparse. Ammonium toxicity is the most common in acidic soils and nitrate is more
prevalent in alkaline soil.

The visible symptoms of nitrogen toxicity include:

 Excessively lush, green foliage
 Weak stems that fold over
 Slow root development
 Flowers become wispy
 Leaves brown, dry and fall off.

TREATEMENT:

The best treatment for nitrogen toxicity is to flush the soil of the affected plants with a very mild,
complete fertilizer. Severe problems require that more water be flushed through the soil to carry
away the toxic elements.
1. Flush a minimum of three times the volume of water for the volume of soil in the container.
2. Do not add more fertilizer that contains nitrogen for one week. This allows the excess
nitrogen in the foliage to be used.
3. If the plants remain excessively green, cut back on the nitrogen dose.
THE TAKE AWAY

Remember, nitrogen is very mobile and it dissipates quickly. It must be added regularly to sustain
fast-growing gardens. In the hot summer, nitrogen will easily be washed away because of the
extreme amount of watering that must be done. A good guideline for Texas gardeners is to multiply
the recommended dosage by 1.25 if it is given in terms of time (Example: every 14 days). If the
recommended dosage is stated in frequency (Ex: every 4th watering) follow the recommended
suggestion. If you see signs of nitrogen toxicity, reduce usage.

Phosphorus

Fast-growing annuals use the highest levels of phosphorus during germination, seedling, the taking of
cuttings and flowering. “Super Bloom” fertilizers, designed for flowering, have high levels of
phosphorus.

WHAT DOES IT DO FOR THE PLANT?

Phosphorus is necessary for photosynthesis and provides a mechanism for the energy to transfer
within the plant. It is one of the components of DNA, enzymes and proteins. Phosphorous is
associated with overall plant health and seed production.

The highest concentrations of phosphorus are found in root growing tips, growing shoots, and
vascular tissue.

SOURCES:
 Bat guano
 Steamed bone meal
 Natural phosphates
 Barnyard manure

WHAT ARE THE SIGNS OF DEFICIENCY?

A lack of phosphorus causes stunted growth and smaller leaves. Leaves can also turn bluish-green
and blotches often appear. Stems, leaf stems (petioles) and main veins turn reddish-purple starting
on the leaf’s underside although this reddening is not always well pronounced.

The leaf tips of older leaves turn dark and curl downward. Severely affected leaved develop large
purplish-black necrotic (dead) blotches. These leaves later become brownish purple, dry, shrivel up,
contort and drop off.
Flowering is often delayed, buds are uniformly smaller, seed yield is poor and plants become very
vulnerable to fungal and insect attack.

Deficiencies are somewhat common and are often misdiagnosed. Deficiencies are most common
when:
 Prosperous deficiencies are aggravated by clay, acidic, and soggy soils.
 Soil pH is above 7 and phosphorus is unable to absorbed properly
 Soil is acidic (below 5.8)
 There soil has a shortage or excess of zinc, an element that is necessary for proper utilization
of phosphorus but cannot be tolerated in large concentrations.
 There is an excess of iron in the soil.
 The soil has become fixated with phosphates.

THE VISIBLE SIGNS OF PHOSPHORUS DEFICIENCY INCLUDE:

 Stunted and very slow-growth plants
 Dark blue-green leaves, often with dark blotches.
 Smaller overall plants
 Blotches that overcome leaf stem and leaves that turn brownish purple, contort and drop
form the plant.

TREATEMENT:

Treat Phosphorus deficiency by:

1. Prevent problems by mixing a complete fertilizer containing phosphorus into the soil before
planting.
2. Lowering the pH of the soil to between 6-7 for clay soils and 5.5-6.5 for potting soils so
phosphorus can become available.
3. Make sure to use finely ground fertilizers that are readily available to the plants.

Fertilizer Application

In order to determine if plants need to be fertilized, do one or more of the following:

1. Make a visual inspection
2. Take an N-PK soil test
3. Experiment on test plants.

No matter what method is used, remember that plants in spall containers use available nutrients
quickly and need frequent fertilizing, while plants in large planters have more soil, supply more
nutrients, and can go longer between fertilizer applications.
Visual Inspection

If plants are growing well and have deep-green, healthy leaves, they are probably getting all
necessary nutrients. The moment growth slows or leaves begin to turn pale green, it is time to
fertilize. Do not confuse yellow leaves caused by lack of light with yellow leaves caused by a nutrient
deficiency.

Taking a N-P-K soil test

Taking an N-P-K soil test will reveal exactly how much of each major nutrient is available to the plant.
The test kits:
1. Mix a soil sample with a chemical.
2. After the soil settles, a color reading is taken from the liquid and matched to a color chart.
3. The appropriate percent of fertilizer is then added.

This method is exact but can be more trouble than it is worth.

Experimentation

Experimenting on two or three test plants is the best way to gain experience and develop
horticultural skills. Cuttings are perfect for this type of experiment.
1. Give the test plants some fertilizer and see if they green up and grow faster. You should notice
change within three or four days. If a fertilizer is good for one plant, it is probably good for all
of them.
2. After it has been determined that the plants need fertilizer you must decide how much. There
are two strategies here: either mix the fertilizer as directed and water as normal or dilute the
fertilizer and apply it more often. In the winter months when watering is less frequent, go
with the first option; in the summer months when watering is more frequent, go with the
later.
Chapter 6: Examples of Easy to Grow Plants
Although there are a variety of plants that I could have chosen from, here are the ones I have
personally experimented with. I will provide you with what I know, both from research and from
personal experience.

Banana Peppers

Pepper Basics

Peppers are among the most decorative of vegetables. They are Difficulty: Difficult
covered with pretty white flowers before they produce fruit and Lifecycle: Annual
the foliage is handsome enough to pass for a houseplant even Plant Size: 12 to 16 inches
before the flowers begin to show. They are great container plants Start With: Transplants
because they stay at a manageable size throughout the growing Frost Hardiness: Tender
season and in general, peppers suffer relatively few problems. The Days to Germinate: 20
main concern is keeping the soil and plant warm enough to Days to Harvest: 70
produce fruit but not so hot that they burn. This is easy with Sun Requirements: Full Sun
container gardens as you can simply move them in and out of the Watering Requirements: Average

sun. Peppers are very successful in containers. Although the plants Type of Soil: Rich
Recommended Plant Spacing:
will stay smaller, they often will produce fruit earlier because of
14 inches
the ability to manipulate their environment.
Sowing Depth: Surface
Minimum Soil Depth: 8 inches

Planting

Pepper plants are tricky to grow from seedlings and although it

might mean limiting your choice of varieties, you may decide it’s simpler to buy transplants than to
start your own. At the garden center choose the healthiest, strongest young plants- not tall and
leggy, but dense and compact. Don’t allow yourself to be taken by large pepper plants in gallon
containers, with several flowers or even tiny fruits already showing. Although it would seem like
these are the best because they have a head start, if you transplant a young pepper that is already
showing fruit the growth curve has a potential to hit a dead end and the plant might never recover. If
you do purchase plants with flowers or fruit, clip them off before you transplant.
Success with Peppers

The greatest success from peppers comes from managing to

do two things at once: keep them warm and preventing
them from getting too hot. Peppers love sunlight and thrive
on sunny days but if it too hot they will shut down for a
period of time and simply work on surviving. Often books
on the subject will say in a heat wave, move any pepper
plants that already have fruit into the shade. Don’t let this
fool you; keep in mind that to many in the country
temperatures in the mid to upper 90s is considered a heat
wave. In Texas that can be considered a cooler day in July or
August so make sure to keep a close eye on your plants,
provide them with plenty of water and make sure they have
all the nutrients they require to help them survive the hot
weather. If you do, you will be rewarded with a very bountiful harvest.

Harvvesting

When to harvest peppers is somewhat a matter of personal taste. Early in the season green peppers
can be picked when they reach a goods size, around 3 inches, and will be deliciously crisp in salads
and pasta. It is good to harvest the plant frequently, the more you pick from it the more production
you will get.

In the later part of the season, it can be fun to let the peppers stay on the plant until they are fully
ripe; until they reach their mature color. It is a little known fact that red, yellow and green peppers
aren’t actually different kinds of plants. Instead, all peppers start out green and then slowly change
colors the longer they stay on the plant. Although it is most noticeable in varieties like bell peppers,
many banana peppers will change colors also, from green to yellow to a deep, deep purple that is
delicious. Just be careful, after purple comes black… and rotting.
Basil

Basil Basics

In most of the country, basil is considered to be an annual. In Texas,

Difficulty: Easy
it can be grown year round if you have a sunny windowsill for it to
Lifecycle: Annual
live on during the winter or are willing to carry it inside at night. It
Plant Size: 12 to 16 inches
craves heat, and simply will not start growing vigorously until hot
Start With: Transplants
weather settles in to stay. However, if you can provide the warmth, Frost Hardiness: Tender
you’ll find basil easy and rewarding to grow in containers. The Days to Germinate: 15
plants mix well with other herbs and flowers, and make nice little Days to Harvest: 50
borders at the edges of large containers of taller plants. Basil is an Sun Requirements: Full Sun
ideal herb to grow around your tomato plant. Watering Requirements: Average
Type of Soil: Rich
Planting Recommended Plant Spacing:
14 inches
Basil presents a perfect example of the classic seeds-or-plants Sowing Depth: Surface
dilemma that gardeners so often face. Starting with the premise Minimum Soil Depth: 8 inches
that you will want to try several different varieties and that you’ll
probably want just one plant of each, I believe that it is easier to
purchase small plants at the garden center in late spring.
Unfortunately, some f the newest and most interesting varieties will
not be available at your garden center, so you will have no choice but to buy seeds and start them
yourself, which means that ultimately you’ll have a million little seedlings to deal with. At that point
you have two choices: select the best-looking ones for yourself and let the other ones die or you can
put the extras in small temporary containers and share them with friends.

Starting seeds yourself means reading the catalog or seed packet description about the germination
period, and then back-timing from the date your true summer usually arrives. To give you a rough
idea, it takes about 90 days from the time you plant seeds of the common variety called Sweet Basil
until you can begin harvesting the leaves. However, you must remember not to start the process to
early or you’ll have seedlings hat are ready to go outside before the weather is warm enough.
When it comes time to plant the basin in your big container (either your own seedlings or the ones
form the nursery), start with an all—purpose potting mix with a bit of sand and dolomite lime added.
There’s nothing particularly special about planting basil.

1. Set it into a planting hole in the container at the same level it was in the starter pot.
2. Firm it in, water just enough to settle the new soil.
3. Let it grow!

Success with Basil

Like many of the most popular herbs, basil is a Mediterranean plant

and develops its best flavor when the temperature is sizzling hot
and it is allowed to go slightly dry between watering. Big, lush
plants with soft leaves and stems may be pretty, but they are not
the most flavorful.

To ensure strong, healthy basil plants, don’t plant them too early.
Wait until the nighttime temperatures to not dip below 50°F. If you
simply cannot wait, you can cheat a bit by covering the young plants
with a protective cover on those nights when the weather is a little
too cold.

Feed ones when first planted, then again about mid-summer, with a
high-nitrogen plant food. Also, take a light hand with watering. Water the young plants very
sparingly until they tart to show signs of new growth. Then water enough so that the plants don’t
wilt, but be on guard against overwatering.

Keep an eye on the weather conditions as summer draws to an end. Cold temperatures just stop
basil in its tracks, and even the merest hint of frost can be fatal. The first time you come outside in
November and see your beautiful basil has turned black overnight, you’ll never forget it and you’ll be
very watchful thereafter. This is particularly important in Texas where it seems to get cold suddenly,
over a period of a day or two. The combination of sudden weather changes and a plant that is likely
to die suddenly gives a gardener reason to be watchful.

Harvesting

To harvest enough basil for tonight’s supper, simply snip off a few leaves. To keep the plant bushy for
the season, pinch off an inch or so of the growing tips as each new branch develops. This forces the
plant to grow side branches, which will give you even more tips to harvest. Eventually the plant will
flower and the pretty flowers are also useful, but the most flavorful part of the plant is the growing
tips, and you can keep them coming by regular harvesting.

Cilantro

Cilantro Basics

This annual herb gives us two harvests. Cilantro is the name we give Difficulty: Easy
to the leafy part of the plant. At the end of the season, the plant Lifecycle: Semi-annual
flowers and make seeds that wee call coriander. Many people Plant Size: 20 inches
consider coriander a spice rather than an herb, thus complicating Start With: Seeds
the old debate over the difference between the tow. The plant Frost Hardiness: Tender
does very well in the cooler parts of the growing season (late spring Days to Germinate: 10
and early summer); in hot weather the lush, leafy growth fizzles out Days to Harvest: 40
as the plant moves into seed making mode, eager to reproduce Sun Requirements: Full Sun

itself before the season ends. Watering Requirements: Average

Type of Soil: Rich
If you wish, you can allow a plant or two to produce flowers. They Recommended Plant Spacing:
are quite lovely—little pink or white-hued clusters that wave atop 14 inches
graceful stalks. Sowing Depth: Surface
Minimum Soil Depth: 10 inches
Planting

Cilantro is best grown from seed because a maturing plant forms a

significant taproot that doesn’t like to be transplanted. Out in a
garden, the taproot anchors the plant and helps it survive periods of dry weather. In an undersized
pot, the taproot can hit the bottom and result in a struggling or stunted plant; be sure to sow cilantro
in a fairly deep container to avoid this problem.

You certainly can start seeds indoors to get a jump on the season, but transplanting takes careful
handling, especially of the taproot. So all things considered, you’re probably better off starting seeds
directly in the container where they will grow.

Sow the seeds in early spring in a shallow furrow or hole, and cover them lightly but firmly with about
half an inch of the potting ix. They will germinate in about two weeks in cool soil (60°F or so). When
they are a few inches high, thin out the little seedlings to the remaining have room to grow. If you
started your seeds indoors, move them to outside now.

If you’re purchasing plants, your best bet is to go for the ones that are still small and show no signs of
flowers or flower bud development. One way to avoid transplant shock is to simply keep them inn
the pot you bought them in if it is deep enough, or to cut out the bottom and sink the whole thing
into a slightly bigger pot.

Success with Cilantro.

For the best flavor and lush, attractive foliage, cilantro must have panty of sun. Set on a bright
windowsill indoors, or place in a sunny location on your deck or patio. Because the plants are loose
growing and somewhat floppy, they appreciate a little shelter from tossing breezes, which can also
dry out the plants. As for water, make sure there is always enough. Cilantro is a greedy drinker but
keeping it hydrated will lead to succulent, delicious leaves.

If you’re growing this plant so you can harvest the leaves, you will have to be especially vigilant.
Cilantro grows quickly and bolts, or goes to seed, quickly. Keep up with watering and harvest often.

Harvesting

To gather leaves for use in the kitchen, cut leafy stalks right at the base, at the soil level. Young
leaves are the tastiest, older leaves can veer toward a bitter or sharp taste. Cilantro is best used fresh
as dried leave are virtually flavorless.

For a continual harvest of tasty leaves, you want to make small, repeated sowings every few weeks.
Tear out spent plants and reuse the same part to start new ones.

If you’ve had enough cilantro, or if you want coriander seeds, allow the flowers to bloom and fade
away naturally. Clip off the seed heads just as they are turning brown; gathered too early and they
don’t smell or taste as good. Don’t wait too long though or the plant will dump the entire crop onto
the soil. Dry them before using and store them in an airtight jar.
Lettuce

Lettuce Basics:

Lettuce may be just about the perfect container garden vegetable: Difficulty: Average
easy to grow, a short time between sowing and harvesting, pretty Lifecycle: Annual

to look at, and exactly the type of thing you want to be able to Plant Size: 8 to 10 inches

pick fresh for each salad. The one drawback to growing lettuce is Start With: seeds or transplants
Frost Hardiness: Semi-Hardy
that it doesn’t like hot weather, and we get quite a bit of that
Days to Germinate: 10
here. Although you might have to move it out of the sun on the
Days to Harvest: 80
hotter days, you can leave it out in the winter and it will do just
Sun Requirements: Full Sun or
fine.
Partial Shade

There are over 800 varieties of lettuce recognized in the United Watering Requirements: Heavy
States alone and yet very few varieties are sold in grocery stores. Type of Soil: Moist

By growing your own, you can experience a wide range of lettuce Recommended Plant Spacing: 6
inches
and salad greens that you might not even have known about
Sowing Depth: Surface
otherwise.
Minimum Soil Depth: 6 inches
Generally speaking, lettuce is grouped into four categories based
on shape.

 Romaine lettuce makes tight heads of long, narrow,

crisp leaves.
 Butterheads form rosettes of very tender leaves with a small, loose head at the center;
one early variety was named Bib, in honor of its developer, and today that has become a
generic name for the whole category.
 Crisphead lettuces have a large, tight ball of a head inside looser outer leaves; Iceberg is
an example of a Crisphead.

Looseleafs are the best choice for container gardens because they take up less space and have more
shallow root systems. Also, unlike the other three types, which are harvested one entire head at a
time looseleaf lettuces can be harvested one leaf at a time meaning you can pick just enough for
tonight’s salad and leave the plant to keep producing more.
Planting

Lettuce is a cool-season plant and that can

be difficult in Texas. It is made a little easier
by the fact that breeders have created
varieties that handle warm weather better
than others but lettuce is still an early spring
and late fall crop. For the highest success,
plant in mid-October and enjoy all winter
and until late spring arrives.

Seeds can be started indoors as early as

August to get a jump start on the growing
season. If you choose to do this, try to move
them outside on a cloudy day, and provide
the seedlings with some shade for the first
few days.

For a steady supply of lettuce, make several sowings two or three weeks apart. As the seedlings
grow, gradually thin them until you have about 6 inch spacing. Also, don’t forget that the larger
seedlings that you pull up can be eaten as “baby lettuce”.

Harvesting

The greatest thing about loose-leaf lettuces is that you can take just a few leaves without pulling up
the entire plant. Work from the outside in; grasp the bottom of a leaf and pull it off with a sideways
motion.
Carrots

Carrot Basics:
Choosing a variety of carrot to grow can be somewhat of a
challenge because of the way they are named. For example, many Difficulty: Easy
seed catalogs describe individual varieties as being “A Chantenay Lifecycle: Annual
type” or “early Nantes.” Chatantenay and Nantes are names of Plant Size: 6 to 12 Inches, both
older carrot varieties that have now become generic terms for above and below ground
different types of carrots; the distinguishing trait is their shape. To Start With: Seeds
simplify, let’s match the various shapes of carrots with the names Frost Hardiness: Semi-Hardy
you will most likely see when purchasing seeds. Days to Germinate: 15
 The “Imperator” is the long and thin carrot most
Days to Harvest: 80
frequently found at the grocery store.
Sun Requirements: Full Sun
 “Chantenays” are a tapered variety with a broad top
Watering Requirements: Average
and pointed tip. These carrots can grow to be very
Type of Soil: Loose
large.
 “Danvers” are also a tapered variety but are smaller Recommended Plant Spacing: 2
than Chatenays. inches
 “Nantes” types have straight, tapered sides and blunt Sowing Depth: 2 inches
ends. Minimum Soil Depth: 8 inches
 “Rounds” are well… round and about the size of golf
balls.
 “Fingers” are shaped like little fingers and look like the
“baby” carrots that have become popular in the last few decades.

Of these varieties, Nantes, rounds and fingers are the best for containers because of their smaller size
and shallow root systems.

Planting

Carrots germinate best when the soil is between 70° to 80°F but that can be started outdoors as long
as temperatures don’t sink below 45°F at night. The tricky thing is that the date when that will
happen is fairly inconsistent in Texas. In Denton, TX, where I live, the timeframe where it was over
45°F has ranged from the second week in April to the second week in May. Luckily, container
gardeners can pick up their gardens and move them inside if the weather changes drastically. If you
wish to plant the seeds before it is warm enough you can always do so inside, just keep in mind that
carrots do not like to be transplanted and will need to be sown in place. Regardless of whether
planted indoors or out, make sure that the soil is kept moist during germination.
Here are some tips:

1. Mix some radish seeds in with your carrot seeds and plant the mixture together.
Radishes germinate quickly and therefore will keep the soil loose for the small carrot
seedlings. If radishes aren’t for you, you can try mixing one part carrot seeds with three
parts bok choy seeds; in 30-40 days you will be harvesting the bok choy and the carrots
will just be beginning to develop.
2. Make sure to check the soil every day; add water if needed. Use a gentle mist of water
to ensure that you don’t disrupt the seeds. To keep them damp you can also cover the
seeds with wet burlap, a thin layer of peat moss or even damp paper towels. Keep the
covering layer damp and remove at the first sight of the tiny green sprouts.
3. When the plants are about 2 inches high, you will need to thin them to about ½ inch
apart for the long, slender varieties and about 1 inch for the round varieties.

Success with Carrots

If you can get your carrots through the germination phase they are an extremely easy plant to
grow. Keep them watered and fertilized and they will do the rest.

For an extended harvest season, continue to sow carrot seeds in batches. It doesn’t have to
be a precise system: when you’ve pulled up about half of your carrots, plant some more.

Harvesting
You can begin to harvest your crop anytime after the carrots reach the size you want. There is
no particular trick to pulling them out of the ground, just make sure you have a firm grip on
the stems, near the shoulder of the carrot root.
Chapter 7: Common Fungi and Viruses
These are some problems that I faced while gardening

Gray Mold

Gray mold is a fungus that can affect any part of the plant and is one of the most common diseases
found among bedding plants. This disease will easily infect plants that are already damaged or
beginning to die. Moisture is one of the main causes of gray mold. The wetter your plants are, the
more susceptible they are to becoming infected.

How to Identify Gray Mold

The symptoms of gray mold depend on the type of plant and environmental conditions, but generally
spots that appear water-soaked will form on the leaves.

 These spots will then change color from gray to brown, eventually covering most of the leaf
and causing it to wilt.
 Under really humid conditions, grayish webbing may appear on the leaves. In this webbing are
structures that contain spores.
 Petals, stems, and buds can also be infected.
 Eventually, all of the infected parts of the plant will be covered by a fuzzy gray growth.

How to Control Gray Mold

 Remove the infected plants and destroy them.
 Clean thoroughly between your plants so that the disease cannot infect your other plants.
 You can try using foliar sprays with cultural controls on your plants to prevent further
infections.

Prevention
 Handle your plants carefully when transplanting and pruning. Gray mold usually attacks
wounded plants, so avoid harming your plants.
 Keep your plants dry. Avoid overhead watering and watering late in the day. Give your plants
time to dry off after watering them during the day.
 Space your plants properly to encourage good air circulation.
 Remember to clean between your plants. Remove any debris, including cuttings and dead
leaves.
Mosaic Viruses

This virus infects more than 150 types of plants, including many fruits, vegetables, and flowers. It is
characterized by leaves mottled with yellow, white, and light and dark green spots or streaks. Some
of the most commonly infected plants include tomatoes, potatoes, squash, and cucumbers.

How to Identify Mosaic Viruses

Viral diseases are difficult to identify because symptoms vary from plant to plant and may also vary
depending on the age of the plant and its growing conditions. However, the most common ways of
identifying mosaic viruses are listed below.

 The leaves are mottled with yellow, white, and light and dark green spots, which appear to be
elevated. This gives the leaves a blister-like appearance.
 Plants are often stunted, or they grow poorly.
 Plants may have other deformities and their leaves may be crinkled or wavy.

How to Control Mosaic Viruses

Once plants are infected, there are no controls. Remove all the infected plants and destroy them.

Prevention
 Plant resistant plants when available in your garden.
 Mosaic viruses are mostly spread by insects, especially aphids and leafhoppers. You can try
covering your plants with a floating row cover or aluminum foil mulches to prevent these
insects from infecting your plants.
 Control your weeds. Some types may serve as hosts for the disease.

Powdery Mildew

Powdery mildew is a fungus disease affects a wide variety of plants, including lilacs, phlox, roses,
squash, beans, and peas. It takes away a plant's nutrients, which causes the plant to bloom less and
become weaker. In some cases, if the infection is severe enough, powdery mildew can kill your
plants.

How to Identify Powdery Mildew

Plants infected with powdery mildew look as if they have been dusted with flour. It usually starts off
as circular, powdery white spots. It usually covers the upper part of the leaves and affects the older
leaves first; the leaves turn yellow and dry out. The leaves, buds, and growing tips will become
distorted as well. These symptoms usually appear late in the growing season.

How to Control Powdery Mildew

 Rubbing the infected leaves together can help partially remove the disease from your plants.
 Remove all the infected plant parts and destroy them. Remember, do not compost any
infected plant, as the disease can still be spread by the wind.
 Spray infected plants with fungicides. Effective fungicides include sulfur, lime-sulfur, neem oil,
and potassium bicarbonate.

Prevention
 Plant plants that are resistant or tolerant to powdery mildew.
 Powdery mildew thrives in hot and humid weather, so avoid overhead watering to reduce
humidity. Also selectively prune overcrowded areas to increase air circulation; this also helps
reduce humidity for your plants.
 Spray your plants with fungicides according to their directions. If you don't want to use
fungicides, try spraying your plants with a solution of 1 teaspoon baking soda in 1 quart of
water. Remember to spray your plants thoroughly.

Rust

Rust is a fungus affects a wide range of woody and herbaceous plants. Even though it rarely kills
plants, it reduces a plant's health, vigor, and flower production.

How to Identify Rust

 Look for yellow or white spots forming on
the upper leaves of a plant.
 Orange or yellow spots or streaks appear on
the undersides of the leaves.
 Within these spots that form are spores.
 Usually leaf distortion and defoliation occur.

How to Control Rust

 Remove all infected parts and destroy them. For bramble fruits, remove and destroy all the
infected plants and replant the area with resistant varieties.
 Clean away all debris in between plants to prevent rust from spreading.
  Avoid splashing water onto the leaves, as this can help spread rust.

Prevention
 Dust your plants with sulfur early in the season to prevent infection or to keep mild infections
from spreading.
 Space your plants properly to encourage good air circulation.
 Avoid wetting the leaves when watering plants.
 There are many effective rust fungicides you can try. Ask your local nursery for which products
you should use.
Conclusion
I know that the information contained within this guide may seem a little overwhelming. The best
way to learn to garden is thorough experience so don’t worry if you mess up the first couple of times!
In my first year I have killed my pepper plants several times, battled bugs, forgotten to water my
plants, over-watered my plants. I’m sure you get the point.

Relax, have fun, and garden!