Container gardening made simple
Regenerative gardening isn’t limited to people who have yards. You can plant your own Climate Victory Garden in community plots, and even in containers, by practicing basic carbon capture practices.
The resurgence of Victory Gardens is more than a simple trend—it’s exciting and meaningful. The last time a community of citizen gardeners joined together on such a broad scale, empowered to grow their own food and stand as one to rouse positive change, was during World War II, when nearly 20 million Victory Gardens popped up in backyards and patches of land all over the country.
Growing food locally helped families stretch wartime rations and freed up resources for use in the war effort. Victory Gardens became a symbol of empowerment for individual people against a force that can feel hopelessly bigger than ourselves.
“Victory Gardens have emerged again with a promise of food, comfort, and solidarity.”
In the shadow of the coronavirus pandemic, Victory Gardens have emerged again with a promise of food, comfort, and solidarity. But by sheltering in place, by practicing regenerative gardening, and by shifting our perspective towards local food, we’ve also, perhaps even unknowingly, united against climate change. Today’s Victory Garden is the Climate Victory Garden.
Climate Victory Gardens put solutions back into the hands of individual citizens. Using the regenerative methods that are often easier than destructive gardening methods, even a tiny garden can play a role in the carbon capture movement towards a happier, healthier earth.
Can an old boot make a good plant container? Slip a pot inside, and you’re all set.
pick a GOOD container
Garden plants can find their own water and nutrients underground, but potted plants depend on you to keep them moist and fed. The first step in setting them up for a good life is to choose a container that gives them space to grow, and offers good drainage.
Find containers with growing room. Bigger is usually better when it comes to pots. Plants that are crowded can become rootbound, with roots that take up all the space in their container. Rootbound plants usually don’t get the nutrients they need, nor do they weather outdoor temperature swings well.
“Some of us love our plants so much, we end up watering them to death.”
Perennials, which have robust root structures, are more prone to outgrowing small pots quickly. But even shallow-rooted annuals need their space. To match your plant to your container, figure out how much foliage your plant is likely to develop when it grows up. Now, imagine a network of roots as big as the foliage. A good rule of thumb is that a container should offer as much space below ground as a mature plant’s foliage above ground.
Keep in mind you may have to move your pots outside a few times a week if your indoor lighting is weak, and you don’t want to use artificial grow lights. If this threatens to become back-breaking, consider growing smallish plants rather than big heavy ones, like fruit trees, or situate your pots on a mobile plant trolley.
Be alert to signs a plant has outgrown its container. It’s time to move your plant into a bigger container if it has stopped growing, or the roots have pushed through the pot’s drainage holes. When transplanting it to a bigger pot, fill it halfway with an equal mixture of potting soil and compost. Then dig out your plant carefully, and settle it into its new home, making sure to loosen the roots so they spread out. Fill in the extra space with the rest of your soil mixture, tamp it gently, and give it a little water.
Use containers that drain. Some of us love our plants so much, we end up watering them to death. In fact, soggy soil is the biggest reason potted plants don’t fare well over time. Some containers come with drainage holes, but many do not.
Indoor plants need a pot with at least one drainage hole so the soil doesn’t become oversaturated, and cause rot. The bigger the pot, the more drainage holes you’ll need. If you’re absolutely set on a pot without drainage holes, use it as a decorative sleeve for a smaller pot with holes.
“A friend recently decorated his new apartment with potted plants. He recently told me he has named each one.”
Choose containers you like to look at. Growing a tiny garden can be a pretty intimate experience. You’re basically inviting plants to live with you. So find pots that look good in your home, and make you happy.
You don’t have to buy them. I’ve upcycled large bowls or tureens from thrift shops to use as pots. (While you’re at it, look for small coffee tables, stands, or iron potholders to use as plant stands.)
I have a friend who moved out of a house stuffed with roommates and into a tiny studio apartment in San Francisco. He wanted the privacy, but the move left him no money for decorating. So he collected terra cotta, earthenware, and glazed pots, filled them with mint and basil and sage, and arranged them along his two windowsills. They’ve brought year-round color, freshness, and calm into his urban space. He recently told me he has named each plant.
Note: Water can seep through porous materials like clay and earthenware, and damage a wooden tabletop, flooring, or window sill. So set your pots in plastic sleeves.
This bathtub garden is excellent example of how easy it is to upcycle containers for gardens. Just make sure whatever you use allows for proper drainage.
MAKE YOUR OWN potting soil
Backyard garden soil generally contains more clay than is good for potted plants. You want a light and fluffy soil mix that’s well-aerated and offers good drainage.
You can make your own by combining 2.5 gallons of coconut coir, 1.25 gallons of compost, and 1.25 gallons of pumice stone. The coconut fiber prevent soil from becoming hard-packed, and increase drainage. (Use it instead of peat moss, which does the powerful work of drawing down greenhouse gases if left undisturbed.)
You can also just buy potting mix from your local garden store. Look for organic potting soil approved by the Organic Materials Review Institute (OMRI) and, if you can find it, inoculated with mycorrhizae, a fungus that works with plant roots to absorb more nutrients.
Maintain regeneratively
While potted plants are resilient, they do required some tending.
Watering: The exposed sides of the pot absorb heat and dry out the potting soil quickly, so water your soil whenever it’s dry—enough to dampen it.
Composting: Twice a year in the spring and fall, add valuable nutrients by layering at least a half-inch of compost into the first two inches of soil.
Mulch potted plants: Cover the top of the soil with mulch to keep plants from baking in the sun or getting too cold. Mulch also helps retain moisture, which is helpful whether your plants live inside or out.
LEARN TO Troubleshoot
Yellowing leaves may mean a plant needs more nitrogen. I rely on liquid fish emulsion to quickly boost plant growth. It’s simple to add, since you don’t need to mix it into the soil. Dilute the concentrate with water, following the instructions on the label, and slowly pour the mixture into the pot. Be aware that fish emulsion smells pretty, well, fishy, which can be a problem for indoor plants. Cut down on the stink by adding a few drops of lavender oil before pouring.
Acadia Tucker’s tips for gardening in tight spaces are now in one easy-to-use book.
Acadia Tucker is a regenerative farmer, climate activist, and author of Growing Perennial Foods: A field guide to raising resilient herbs, fruits & vegetables, Growing Good Food: A citizen’s guide to climate victory gardening, and Tiny Victory Gardening: Growing good food without a yard. She lives in Maine with her farm dog, Nimbus. When she isn't raising perennials in her own backyard, she grows hops to support locally sourced craft beer in New England.
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