Hard Lessons Learned...

[Barnowl]

I thought I would describe my experiences with container growing this year. I do this knowing that it will most definitely showcase my great inexperience, and I hope to receive some responses that will help clarify things for me.

This is the first year I have tried growing in containers, and it is the first year I have grown from seed. I can’t even say I know the reasons for why some things happened though I have come to some guesses. I probably should have posted questions and pictures to the forum as problems arose, but oh well… Okay, here’s what happened (I transplanted them outside May 15)

1) Soil Mix – I’m pretty sure I messed this to begin with. In 8 gallon black containers, I used Promix mixed with slow release fertilizer (about a cup of 7-17-11) and about a half cup of bone meal (2-14-0). As I was doing this a thought occurred: will the phosphorous levels be too high??? I added nothing else, no organic matter at all… I don’t think I even added any liquid fertilizers in the first 3-4 weeks….

2) Plants got waterlogged – Our PNW spring was very cool and wet. I had the containers in a corner of the yard, pretty much exposed. As well, I was convinced I needed to get big saucers to put under the pots to ensure they stayed moist. About a month in, I noticed the plants getting stunted with severe leaf curl. Up to this point, I reckon I was tending the tomatoes that were in the garden and neglected to notice what was going on with the container plants. More than once I found the saucers filled with water, probably drowning the root system… So way too late I removed the saucers for good and moved them to a more sunny location…

Here I suspect the chem. fertilizers that I added had all leached out of the soil leaving not much behind…

3) Lack of nutrients?/Lack of water? --- So half way through June, in my great wisdom, I then let the pendulum swing the other way and only watered them when I saw them wilt, or noticed the pots were really dry. Also, I didn’t give them much in the way of liquid fertilizers either… The colouring improved a little yet did not do much else.

It is here that I had a good idea. Having amended my soil beds with SeaSoil, I decided to lay down a thick mulch of it to all my pots. Bingo, this worked and the plants started to grow with determination again. At this point, I think it was nearing mid July and the plants were just starting to set fruit…. I also gave them liquid fish fertilizers every 3-4 weeks…

So for next year, I plan to use a container mix of half sea soil and half promix along with some slow release ferts and periodic doses of seaweed fertilizers. I vow never to use saucers under the pots and to rig up a covering during our rainy spring… Any other recommendations are greatly welcome…

In the containers I have growing Black Prince, Oregon Spring, Bulls Heart, Mini Rose, Demidov, New Big Dwarf. The varieties that did not survive were: Grushovka & Kalinka (sorry Tania!), Ailsa Craig.

The 10 plants I have growing in my raised garden bed are doing much better and I have been sampling a very nice variety of fruits: Black Cherry, Sungold, Amazon Chocolate, Prudens Purple, Costoluto Fiorentino, Azoychka, Paul Robeson, Kimberly...

So all in all, not the best first voyage into container growing Though I shake my head now, I look forward to next year all the same. And if nothing else, maybe declaring my mistakes will help any others to not duplicate them...

Jamie