Ask Monty’s:
“I have two flower boxes that face to the north that never seems to be able to have a plant survive in them. I’ve tried impatiens, marigolds, coleus, petunias, but nothing survives. What could be the problem?”
Gilda
Linton, Indiana
Gilda:
Let’s start from the beginning. As part of my own personal spring prelude to planting, I clean and sterilize my planters every year, so I would suggest we start here. It’s just a good practice all the way around. I dip my planters in a mild bleach solution and rinse them well before I put soil and plants back in them. This is one way to just simply get off to a good start. Bear in mind also that potting mix, by definition, is sterile which means that it will have no organic matter to speak of, so even mixing in a little bit of top-soil and sand (1:1:1 ratio) can help. Adding Monty’s Liquid Carbon (4 ounces per gallon of water, applied to the soil until moist, not saturated), once the sand and soil are there can help the organic matter flourish.
You may be putting too many plants in one planter, so overcrowding could be the problem. If these are north facing planters you may be putting plants in them that prefer sun, such as the marigolds, coleus and petunias you mentioned. Your impatiens should be fine, as well as begonias, asparagus ferns and pansies. You may even want to try a few herbs in these boxes for something a little different and useful in the kitchen, such as mint, pineapple sage, lavender, chamomile and even basil. There are different variations of herbs that will thrive in shaded areas, so read the labels carefully before you buy these particular plants or seeds.
Ask Monty’s:
“My yard is too small to consider an actual garden, so I’d like to do some container gardening next year. What vegetables thrives the best in containers?”
Dorinda,
Savanna, Illinois
Dorinda:
Carrots, lettuce, onions and radishes will do well for you, and tomatoes and peppers for sure. With some staking or trellis implementation, cucumbers, squash, pole beans and eggplant will do terrific as well. Broccoli and kale are also attractive container plants too.
Don’t forget, also, that square foot gardening is a great option for those with limited space. You can get more information about square foot gardening on this site, from your local county extension office, or by conducting a web search. Square foot gardening is a technique that took root (pardon the pun) in third-world countries where space and water were both concerns. It requires a much smaller footprint, makes a smaller impact on the environment, makes the most of available resources, is easier to tend, and still produces excellent results if managed well.
Ask Monty’s:
“I put my tomato plants in very early this year hoping to get a jump on their production as they are my favorite vegetable and they seem to take so long to grow. However, my plants are not doing any better than any of my neighbors who were probably three weeks behind me in planting. As a matter of fact, mine even seemed like they stopped growing. Any insight on why I’m not harvesting early this year?”
Shay,
Springhill, Louisiana
Shay:
I know it’s hard to be patient when it comes to some of our favorite vegetables and the thoughts of biting into the first harvest. Spring weather can be a real fooler to the anxious gardener with the warm sun breaking through, but the bottom line is that if the soil is still cool when you put your plants in it will actually slow plant growth. The soil must be warm for best results when it comes to gardening, so waiting the extra few weeks to plant will help your plants get off to a better start. You might want to consider cold frames next year if you want to put your plants in early and help warm the plant and the soil around them. You should have better results then.
