I am in zone 7b
I have many questions and am a big beginner.
I have these containers that one in the corner is pretty big like 3ft diameter at the top. I’m hoping to do a nice little companion thing in there any ideas on that? Sad news is it doesn’t have holes in the bottom is there a solution other than drilling them?
The rest are either a 6 inch or 10 inch pot. I’m happy to do a bunch of herbs and flowers can I do a pea in any of these?
I want to do a cherry or grape tomato any recommendations on which varieties will do okay?
I have plenty of soil and worm castings and mulch right now but should I buy something else to add to the soil mixture?
Trying not to spend a whole bunch of money but want to build on what I have leftover from last year I posted a bunch of seeds I have collected any of these worth trying?
I’m a little proud of my pepper I kept from last year she’s a little tree 🥰 any answers to any of these questions would be so appreciated!
by naturelover2828
6 Comments
I’m a beginner too and I’m 7a so take this with a grain of salt but… As far as the drainage holes I think drilling is really your only option for that. Depending what the container is made out of there might be some others but drilling would probably be easiest. You definitely need drainage.
Tomatoes and peas I think both need large pots (5gal at minimum but better in 10 or even 15 gallon I think) though I think they have some dwarf varieties of tomatoes you can go a bit lower with. Peas and tomatoes are also good companion plants from what my research says so you could even plant them together if you wanted and had a pot big enough. Also if you go with tomatoes plant some marigolds as they seem to help with some of the pest problems tomatoes are prone to.
All the herbs you have in that first picture can go in the smaller pots I think. Chives can be done even on the edge of containers that have bigger things in them as long as they companion well (Google search!)
I hope somebody else with more experience gets to chime in here and give you some pointers. Happy gardening and good luck!
You should drill holes or the plants can drown. I would add some perlite to your soil mix
If you can’t drill them. Use a knife to make X marks, then fold the corners out (like you might do with a takeout cup top) and cut. You could also hammer them in with a nail.
For tomatoes, either grape or cherry will work. Personally, I’m partial to the Dwarf Tomato Project for plants for small spaces. Burpees veranda Red cherry tomatoes are also dwarfs and produce a ton in containers.
Companions among your seeds: tomatoes and basil. Peppers and basil. Swiss chard and tomatoes.
Chives come back every year so it’s best to just plant in their own smaller pot.
Lettuce you need to get lime. It’s basic. lol. The more lime in the soil the sweeter it tastes. Most potting soil has a higher ph so you just lower it. The same is true for spinach.
Peppers do great in containers. You just have to be careful if you save seeds from the next generation because they can cross. (I had Serrano-peppadews last year!)
If you are doing the radishes and carrots in the big bin, you can plant them together in rows.
Hyssop: plant it once, harvest forever! It will reseed itself every year in the surrounding pots.
If you have soil and worm castings already all you need to add is perlite and an organic liquid fertilizer for later in the season and you are set. Something like 15%-20% perlite in the mix makes a big difference.
Whichever variety of tomato you choose will not do too well in a 10 inch pot. You need something like 13-14 inch pots for tomatoes in my experience which is twice the soil volume of a 10 inch pot.
Why not get some planter boxes on legs at the height of your balcony railing?
Tending to your plants is so much easier when you can do it at waist height.
Use chatgpt, its free and very helpful. Ive been using it to get my garden going this year