Growing and harvesting your own garden veggies organically without using any chemical fertilizers or pesticides gives one huge sense of satisfaction and a healthy feeling. If you love to do edible organic gardening at home, and if you do not have a proper ground space for growing vegetables, do not worry, you can easily grow most vegetables in containers, whether on your terrace or your balcony.
Beans and Peas are warm weather vegetables and can be easily grown in containers if you follow these 10 important tips and tricks.
- CONTAINER SIZE: The minimum size of the container to grow beans and peas especially the climber type of plant is 15 inches diameter and 15 inches depth. This is the minimum size and one plant per container. You can use a plastic pot, a cement pot, a clay pot or even a fabric grow bag. These fabric grow bags are very beneficial in space constraint gardens because they follow the principles of air pruning which helps in better root development in smaller containers.
- CHOOSING THE VARIETY: Beans can be climbers, semi-climbers or erect bush type. If you are growing climbers, please watch this video till the end, as we discuss some very important tricks and concepts that will certainly help you in vegetable gardening, especially the anti-gravity trick. Well, there are thousands of different species of legume plants including beans, peas, butter beans or double beans, kidney beans, pole beans or whatever you call it, the tips for growing these plants are common for all types of plants in the legume family.
- SEED SOWING: Legumes grows best in warm conditions. Right time to plant seeds is in early or late spring when the soil temperature is60 – 85 degrees Fahrenheit (15 to 30 Celsius). You need to choose a mature seed pod to grow Legumes like this one. The best pod is one which dries on the plant. Green pods are still immature and may show poor germination results.
You can sow the seeds directly on the ground or the container you choose for growing. In any case, the depth of sowing should not be more than 10 mm. Generally any seed is sown to a depth equal to about double its thickness. They usually germinate in 1 to 2 weeks.
- POTTING SOIL MIX: A well-draining soil mix is most important for healthy root development. A simple potting mix recipe you can use for growing most vegetables in containers is: 1/3rd garden soil, 1/3rd Coco-peat or peat moss and 1/3rd compost like decomposed cow dung or vermicompost. In addition to this, to help stronger root development and induce proper healthy flowering and fruiting, you can add a source of phosphorous like a handful of steamed bone meal powder into this potting mix. Or alternately, you can add Organic Rock phosphate powder, if you are a vegan gardener.
- SUNLIGHT / LOCATION: Legumes need full direct sunlight of at least 6 hours for flowering and fruiting. Also encourage pollinator insects like butterflies and honeybees to help pollination. Otherwise it may result in flower drop offs and poor harvest. Also avoid spraying chemical pesticides as this can harm the pollinator insects.
- WATERING: All Legume plants need a good supply of moisture. Daily watering is the general rule and whenever you are watering, water it deeply and thoroughly so that entire root system till the bottom of the pot is drenched with water. Improper or partial watering can result in flower or fruit drop off.
- FERTILIZERS: A handful of compost like decomposed cow dung or vermicompost or both once every 10 – 15 days is the minimum requirement for Legumes grown in containers. You can double this frequency or amount in flowering stage. In addition to nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium – NPK, beans also need small amounts of calcium, magnesium, manganese, iron and other trace elements.
Adding some source of calcium like gypsum or lime or even finely powdered egg shells in potting mix before planting is useful. Or you can make a cocktail mixture of all organic fertilizers to get the maximum nutritive value which includes all major and minor trace elements needed for vegetable gardening and store the mixed fertilizer powder, like how we have shown in one of our post on Universal Fertilizer Mixture.
Then, You can also foliar feed with Epsom salt solution once in a fortnight to supply instant source of magnesium, which is the central most atom of the chlorophyll molecule. 1 teaspoon Epsom salt per litre of water and spray more at the underside of the leaves because the leaf stomata are more in number at the underside of the leaves.
- PEST CONTROL: These are commonly affected by powdery mildew and whiteflies and occasionally by mealybugs and aphids. Best is prevention by spraying neem oil once in 15 days. 5 to 10 ml neem oil plus few drops of liquid soap in one litre of water is the recommended dosage. If it’s already affected, you can spray neem oil weekly once or even twice until all pests are eradicated. Make sure you do a patch test on a leaf before spraying on the entire plant to check its strength.
- SUPPORT / STAKING: This is a very important step for growing beans and peas or any climber vegetables. This has to be done in a special way to assist transport of water and nutrients along the stems to the growing tips which normally happens against gravity by the cohesion-tension theory. We will not go into details of this science. Only thing to remember is not to take these climbers too high. Keep these within a height of or less than 7 – 8 feet tall using some string net support in a slope like fashion, like take it to a height and then slope the growing ends downwards to assist in long-distance transport of water and nutrients for healthy growth. This arch like trellis is the ideal support fence for growing climber or creeper veggies. Initially you can use sticks or strings to support and then support the plant on a climber net like this. As the beans grow, they naturally wind themselves around the structure for support.
- PRUNING or TRIMMING: This is generally not required if the plant is branching on its own, which they usually do. But remove any dead or dried leaves from the bottom parts to promote air circulation and avoid fungal disease.
You can harvest beans and peas anywhere between 50 to 60 days after planting.
- TURMERIC IS A TROPICAL PLANT
- CHOOSE YOUR TURMERIC RHIZOMES – Must be Free of Wrinkles, With Visible Eyes,
- CUT INTO MULTIPLE PIECES – EACH PIECE MUST HAVE 2-3 EYES
- OPTIONALLY LEAVE THE PIECES IN AIR FOR HEALING FOR 2 DAYS.
- SOAK FOR 12 HOURS IN WATER
- SOIL PREPARATION: A Well Draining Soil with Atleast 50% compost like decomposed cowdung or vermicompost. Cocopeat + compost or Peatmoss + Compost
- CHOOSE ANY CONTAINER FOR ROOTING. YOU CAN CHOOSE A LARGE CONTAINER LIKE 12 TO 15 INCH CONTAINER OR FABRIC BAG AND PLANT DIRECTLY. MAKE SURE THERE ARE MULTIPLE DRAINAGE HOLES. FILL THE CONTAINER WITH POTTING MIX.
- PLANT TURMERIC PIECES WITH EYES FACING UPWARDS OR SIDEWAYS. ATLEAST 1 OR 2 INCHES DEEP. COVER THEM WITH POTTING MIX.
- WATER THOROUGHLY TILL IT COMES OUT OF DRAINAGE HOLES.
- KEEP IN INDIRECT BRIGHT LIGHT.
- KEEP THE SOIL MOIST BUT NOT SOGGY
- RESULTS: SHOOTS START IN 4-5 DAYS AND CONTINUE TO GROW.
- TRANSPLANT TO LARGER CONTAINERS. ONE OR TWO PLANTS PER LARGE CONTAINER
- FERTILIZE MONTHLY WITH TWO HANDFULS OF COMPOST AND KEEP IN A LOCATION WHICH RECEIVES ATLEAST 4 HOURS SUNLIGHT PREFERABLY EARLY MORNING SUN OR UNDER A GREEN SHADE NET FOR FULL DAY.
- HARVESTING TURMERIC: YOU CAN HARVEST AFTER 8 TO 9 MONTHS WHEN THE TURMERIC PLANTS BECOMES YELLOW AND DIES.
The botanical name of ginger is Zingiber officinale.
- GINGER IS A TROPICAL PLANT
- CHOOSE YOUR GINGER RHIZOMES – Must be Free of Wrinkles, With Visible Eyes,
- CUT INTO MULTIPLE PIECES – EACH PIECE MUST HAVE 2-3 EYES
- OPTIONALLY LEAVE THE PIECES IN AIR FOR HEALING FOR 2 DAYS.
- SOAK FOR 12 HOURS IN WATER
- SOIL PREPARATION: A Well Draining Soil with Atleast 50% compost like decomposed cowdung or vermicompost. Cocopeat + compost or Peatmoss + Compost
- CHOOSE ANY CONTAINER FOR ROOTING. YOU CAN CHOOSE A LARGE CONTAINER LIKE 12 TO 15 INCH CONTAINER OR FABRIC BAG AND PLANT DIRECTLY. MAKE SURE THERE ARE MULTIPLE DRAINAGE HOLES. FILL THE CONTAINER WITH POTTING MIX.
- PLANT GINGER PIECES WITH EYES FACING UPWARDS OR SIDEWAYS. ATLEAST 1 OR 2 INCHES DEEP. COVER THEM WITH POTTING MIX.
- WATER THOROUGHLY TILL IT COMES OUT OF DRAINAGE HOLES.
- KEEP IN INDIRECT BRIGHT LIGHT.
- KEEP THE SOIL MOIST BUT NOT SOGGY
- RESULTS: SHOOTS START IN 4-5 DAYS AND CONTINUE TO GROW.
- TRANSPLANT TO LARGER CONTAINERS. ONE OR TWO PLANTS PER LARGE CONTAINER
- FERTILIZE MONTHLY WITH TWO HANDFULS OF COMPOST AND KEEP IN A LOCATION WHICH RECEIVES ATLEAST 4 HOURS SUNLIGHT PREFERABLY EARLY MORNING SUN OR UNDER A GREEN SHADE NET FOR FULL DAY.
- HARVESTING: YOU CAN HARVEST AFTER 8 TO 9 MONTHS WHEN THE GINGER PLANTS BECOMES YELLOW AND DIES.
Before we discuss on the Pros and Cons, Let’s first learn how to grow tomatoes upside down starting from the seedling stage.
You can grow tomato plants very easily from seeds in smaller containers or seedling trays first and then transplant them to larger containers. If you do not have seeds, you can grow them from fresh tomatoes. If you want to grow tomatoes upside down, choose a light weight variety like the cherry tomatoes.
Take any clean Potting soil containing peat moss or cocopeat and garden soil in 1:1 ratio with some 30% compost like vermicompost or decomposed cow dung.
Make multiple slices of about 3-4mm thickness and just place them in a container like this. Then cover with a thin layer of potting mix and make sure it’s not planted too deep. Finally water this thoroughly and place in a shady place like your window sil.
You should see the results within a week.
When they reach a size of about 3 to 4 inches, transplant them in little larger containers independently. Adding a pinch of phosphorous supply like the organic rock phosphate or bone meal powder in this early growth stage will help in stronger roots and a healthy disease resistant future plant. When these grow to about 8 to 10 inches, it’s time for the final transplant to a larger container.
To make them grow upside down, take any container like this hanging basket type container. Make a hole of about 1 inch diameter like this. Then take a piece of foam and cut through it like this. Remove the root ball of your tomato sapling and gently remove the dirt from the roots. Insert the roots through the hole and place the foam like this from the inner side of the container. Finally pour the potting mix into the container. Make sure you have good amount of compost and also mix a table spoon of phosphorous supply like bone meal or rock phosphate into this mix. Water the plant thoroughly and hang it at a favourite place in your garden. You might have to water it daily or you can even mulch the top with some mulching stuff to avoid water evaporation too quickly. You can also connect the drip feeder if you have a drip irrigation system.
Well, Now Let’s check out the Pros or the Reasons to Grow Tomatoes Upside Down:
- Small Space Gardening: You can grow tomatoes with little to no garden space. If you have a small balcony, you can grow them easily.
- Flexibility: Tomatoes need full sun and if you do not have sufficient sunlight in one area like in a balcony, you can easily shift to another area with full sunlight. Like for example, east facing balcony for morning sun and west facing balcony for evening sun. And moreover, they can be easily moved away from bad weather conditions.
- No Staking or Cages required: Staking is usually required to help the plant support the weight of the growing fruit. Smaller varieties like Cherry tomatoes do well when grown upside down.
- Pests and Diseases are limited: One reason is they are hung at a height and there is good air circulation around and the soil borne diseases are limited.
Now, let’s look at the Cons or Drawbacks of this system: - Requires More Frequent Watering – like atleast daily watering and hence difficult to grow in summer season. So, you can mulch the top with some mulching stuff to avoid water evaporation too quickly. You can also connect the drip feeder if you have a drip irrigation system in your garden.
- Weight Bearing Problem: When the plant is loaded with fruits, this system will have problems, especially with beefsteak tomatoes. Smaller cherry tomatoes are the best to grow in this inverted planters.
- Fruit Ripening Issue. Tomatoes need sunlight to ripen the fruits. Fruits may not ripen well due to sunlight issues at the bottom part.
- U shaped Bends and Turns: This happens due to photo-tropism, where the tips of the branches turn upward towards the light and cause these U-shaped bends and turns.
But, Nonetheless, every hobby gardener must give this a try!