A bit of a nervous gardener

[pollypurebred39]

Later today I will be planting a small container garden. My first one, and I'm really nervous about doing it well. My husband does a big garden, but I don't want to ask his advice or very quickly my garden will become his garden

What I've done/know so far;

*I asked at Lowes and was told I needed topsoil and potting soil and to fill the containers half way with topsoil then the rest of the way with a half and half mixture of potting soil/top soil.

~bought 2 bags topsoil & 1 potting soil

*I gathered old wide opening containers from garage and washed throughly then soaked in the tub in a solution of bleach water to kill anything funky that might be on pots.

~I bought a cucumber, a cherry tomato, a slicing tomato, a chive, a strawberry plant.

*I know I should plant the tomatoes deep, but I'm not sure about the other plants.

? should I stake or cage the tomatoes

? should I stake or trelis the cucumbers

? How do I keep fungus, bugs, slugs, mildew at bay

? do I cage strawberries, if not how do I keep them off the ground

? I dont think cucmbers like getting their leaves wet because of mildew, but what about tomatoes? Strawberries?

? what are good natural means to feed plants and get rid of pests in container garden plants.

I was feeling pretty okay about it all until planting day, now I'm worried I might do something wrong and have not only wasted my time and money. Any advice from seasoned gardeners?

[Russ]

Yes, quit worrying and have fun.

Stake or cage tomato - totally up to you, it is personal preference.

Don't plant the other plants deep, not necessary.

Good companion plant for tomatoes is Marigolds. Keeps hornworms away.

It's always better to water at the base of a plant.

[Natalie's Nesters]

For bug/fungus I take a spray bottle fill with water, put a squirt of dish soap. Spray on plants, it works well for pennies,you may have to repeat. Relax and enjoy, it's not a hard learning curve. If you kill something, you can replace it, and you learned something new. Best of luck!

[Contrary Housewife]

Plant the other plants just above the level of soil they currently have, maybe 1/2 t 1".

Cage both the tomato and the cucumber with the biggest cage you can get. Shove it down into the pot as far as it will go.

Bugs ... check them early each morning and again in the afternoon and pick off anything you find. FWIW, I don't use any pesticides at all on my garden and I don't have problems because the big bugs eat the little ones and birds eat the big bugs...

You want to check them twice a day anyway, as pots can dry out very quickly in the summer heat. What looks fine at 10am can be wilting by 2pm and near dead by 4pm.

Put straw under the strawberries, or some kind of soft mulch to keep them out of the mud.

Water plants at ground level and avoid splashing the leaves. There's a disease tomatoes can get that will cause them to drop leaves if they are wetted.

You should not need to feed plants the first year in the potting soil. However next year you will want to add some compost or manure to make up for what the plants use this season. The tomatoes especially use a lot of nitrogen.

[Darlene]

With your cucumber, even if it is a bush variety (bush type doesn't spread out as much) you will still have the vines wander over the edge of your pot. Not to worry, just let them do their thing & in no time, you'll get to the point where you have too many cukes, lol. They can be pretty prolific. And like Russ said, don't worry, enjoy!

[frugalfranny]

You want to check them twice a day anyway, as pots can dry out very quickly in the summer heat. What looks fine at 10am can be wilting by 2pm and near dead by 4pm.

Hey, pollypurebread.....be sure to relax and enjoy. I know you will do just fine! If your DH tries to take over....have him teach you what he is doing....instead of 'taking over'.....I am sure he lost some plants in his learning curve.

You got some great advice on here and I agree with CH about watching the plants if you are in a high-hot-heat area. Especially if you have them anywhere near (or sitting) on cement....or up close to your house...gets really hot in those areas.

Good luck....you will be eating your goodies in no time!!

[MakeADollarHollar]

I'm growing my first ever tomato plants. So far, so good, I've got 19 babies right now. All mine are Heirloom varieties and I read they don't like their leaves wet or laying on the ground so I staked them all. I also read they like calcium so I save all my egg shells, give them a wash in the sink with some soapy water to remove any "gunk" then let them dry. When they're dry I whiz them through my coffee/spice grinder. Poke a hole by the stalk of the plant with finger and drop in about a Tablespoon of ground shells. Just be sure to keep the plants watered because they need the water to help absorb the calcium.

Good Luck!!!

(I'm having a blast with my plants! You will, too!)

[Siebrie]

If husband is trying to take over after explaining, firmly say ´thank you´ and make sure the shovel/spoon/bag of soil/etc is in your hand, not his.

[pollypurebred39]

WooHoo!!! I got all my plants planted! Thanks for all the advice, I'll let you know how it's going as the growing season progresses.

Polly

[Lady_V]

Glad you are underway with your container garden!

I am starting mine this weekend... a week earlier than 'normal' around here don't tell Mother Nature or we will have a blizzard!

[pollypurebred39]

Well, I've been watching and watering, my cucumber plant's leaves look like their drying up From shock? Am I not watering enough? The rest look happy and even appeared to have grown some

I've been like a momma hen checking on them several times a day. DH just shook his head at me and said, " You know they have plant cameras for people like you" LOL!

[pollypurebred39]

Any gardeners out there tonight? I've got a tomato plant question.

I planted my tomatoes in containers. I've been very careful not to get water on the leaves, however one tomato plant now has these spots on some of the leaves. It does not appear to be powdery, more like dry spots but I'm just not sure. Should I pinch off those leaves with the spots?

Thanks,
Polly

[Contrary Housewife]

Do not remove leaves yet.

Examine the plants closely for tiny (and I mean tiny) green or grey bugs. They will be smaller than a pinhead. Green ones will be aphids and grey ones will be mites. Mites also come in red and brown. Aphids cluster on the stalks and leaf stems and suck on your plant. Mites prefer the leaves. They leave tiny pinprick spots all over the leaves until they have sucked it dry.

In either case you can simply wash the plants off with water. You can also buy sprays to control them.

If there's no bugs... a couple dry spots shouldn't hurt the plant. Think of them as freckles. Lots more spots on other leaves could be a problem, but for now the young plant needs as many leaves as possible so it can grow.

[pollypurebred39]

Contrary Housewife, I didn't see any bugs, but I'll continue to check. Thanks!

[pollypurebred39]

They are calling for the temperature to drp drop to 40 tonight, but according to the weather channel web site says nothing of frost. Is this too cold for my plants? Should I cover them or bring them inside?

Thanks,
Polly