August is a great time in WNC to start planting your fall vegetables. Container gardening is a fun way for gardeners to grow vegetables in a small space. Don’t let a little yard prevent you from raising and harvesting fresh veggies. Growing in containers has several benefits over conventional growing techniques. For one, containers can be filled with rich organic soil that does not harbor nasty soil-borne diseases or pesky weed seeds. Containers can also be easily moved to protect plants from extreme weather or wildlife attacks.
The first step to successful container gardening is choosing vegetables that grow well in confined spaces and have a compact growth habit. Not all vegetables can be grown in containers and avoiding vines or indeterminate varieties is highly recommended. Look for varieties that are labeled as compact, bush, dwarf, or miniature. It is also important to look for varieties that have pest and disease resistance.
The major limiting factor for container gardening is water. During warm days containers typically need to be watered twice a day. For busy people this task seems daunting; however there is an easy and economical solution to this problem. Most garden retailers’ sale container drip irrigation kits and water timers that together cost around sixty dollars. A drip irrigation system is easy to install and hooks right up to a regular garden hose. Container drip systems do not have to be buried within the landscape and can be made to custom fit a varying number of containers. With the addition of the automatic timer, your plants will be watered consistently without you even being present.
In August several cool-season crops such as leafy greens, carrots, radishes, and Bok Choy can be planted in containers for fall harvest. Don’t plant all your seeds at one time, but instead space them out at two week intervals for a longer harvest period. Below is a list of cool-season vegetables that can be planted now in your container garden. Start the following plants from seed no later than September 1: Beets, Carrots, Greens, Radishes, and Spinach. Plant the following crops as transplants no later than September 15: Bok Choy, Leeks, and scallions. Click Here for a complete planting calendar for Western North Carolina.
