Page 13 - Organic Gardening 3 Part Series

Important Considerations

There are a few things to consider when you start a container garden:

 Ensure that the container size is appropriate for what you want to grow
 Good drainage is imperative! A waterlogged container will lead to root rot.
You can drill additional holes in the base of your container if necessary.
 Potting soil needs to be moist at all times so don't rely on rainfall because it

may not be heavy enough to reach the roots. This is especially important if
you're using pots which dry out quickly.
 The soil you use should be light and free draining. It can either be a water-
retentive soilless mix or you can make your own potting mix by combining
loam, peat moss, and vermiculite. We'll discuss soil preparation in more
detail below.
 Your plants are in a relatively small amount of potting mix, so they'll have

limited nutrients. Frequent watering also flushes nutrients out. Using an
organic fertilizer with the proper balance will make up for this.

Preparing Your Soil

"Essentially, all life depends upon the soil...There can be no life without soil and
no soil without life, they have evolved together" Charles Kellogg

We briefly touched on the importance of soil testing in our earlier section on
preparation. Now, we'll discuss soil in a more in-depth way.

The best way to get to know your soil is to dig a narrow, hole about 24 inches
deep. There should be a dark topsoil layer above a paler layer, known as subsoil.

Your topsoil should be loose and well-draining. If it's hard and compacted, then
roots will have trouble growing in it and drainage will be poor.