Question A garden guide [Help requested]

[Mandy Onderwater]

Good day all, hope we have all been having a good time!

I have a question. I've been contemplating making a beginner guide for gardeners. Or perhaps even a tips & tricks to gardening article thread. It will all be here available on the forum for anyone to read, and to be directed to when they have questions.
Here's my question. I'm only in my 2nd year of gardening so I have limited knowledge. I'm looking for people that might be interested in wanting to write their knowledge down, so others can learn from it. My problem is that I am only a container gardener at the moment. So my tips and tricks would mostly go towards how to better container garden. Examples would be how to repot, when to repot, what soil, fertilisers, sunlight, watering, and much more. I'm hoping others can make addition or/and improvements.

Is anyone interested in helping out with this idea? Let me know!

 

[Cyndi]

I think this is great! So many don't have space, time, or knowledge to jump into a big garden. Starting with container gardening is a great way to begin AND it is healthy for the gardener and the ecology. I'd be happy to help or contribute any way I can. I have gardened many years, both in beds and containers. I'm no expert but if I can contribute I'd love to!

 

[Mandy Onderwater]

I think this is great! So many don't have space, time, or knowledge to jump into a big garden. Starting with container gardening is a great way to begin AND it is healthy for the gardener and the ecology. I'd be happy to help or contribute any way I can. I have gardened many years, both in beds and containers. I'm no expert but if I can contribute I'd love to!

Glad to hear there is interest! I've been juggling "chapters" around in my head, and hope to add pictures as we go.
What chapters do you think would be your "top 3 tips". For me it might be picking soil, fertilising and repotting.

 

[Cyndi]

I think those are certainly the main ones. I'd also maybe include companion planting in pots and watering (how often, when, maybe even compare pots like the self watering ones or terracotta kind)? Maybe even a list of the "easiest veggies" to start with in pots, just to get people interested and seeing results, so they are encouraged to do/ try more. 😊

 

[Mandy Onderwater]

That sounds great @Cyndi !

 

[JP 1983]

With hundreds of thousands of potential acres of unpotted balconies going to waste around the world, I am very interested in techniques to improve my potting experience.

My main issues have been:

1. Situation (i.e. sunlight, shade, seasonal cycles)
2. Watering (too much = fungus rot; too little = withered plants)
3. Soil (esp. bad potting mix)
4. Fertilising.

Anyway, getting there!

 

[Cyndi]

I don't know if anyone else has tried this but in my pots when I did container gardening I buried a small terracotta/clay pot that the drain hole was plugged in. Put a cover over it after you fill with water. The water seeps out and the plants roots will grow around it to get the water, and you just keep the pot topped up. It was based off the use of ollas but I wasn't going to pay the price for the custom ollas. Just make sure you use unglazed pots so the water can seep out 😊

 

[Clara]

Good day all, hope we have all been having a good time!

I have a question. I've been contemplating making a beginner guide for gardeners. Or perhaps even a tips & tricks to gardening article thread. It will all be here available on the forum for anyone to read, and to be directed to when they have questions.
Here's my question. I'm only in my 2nd year of gardening so I have limited knowledge. I'm looking for people that might be interested in wanting to write their knowledge down, so others can learn from it. My problem is that I am only a container gardener at the moment. So my tips and tricks would mostly go towards how to better container garden. Examples would be how to repot, when to repot, what soil, fertilisers, sunlight, watering, and much more. I'm hoping others can make addition or/and improvements.

Is anyone interested in helping out with this idea? Let me know!

Sure, I'm a permaculture, naturalist type gardener/. The less interference with nature the bette is my motto. I can assist with beginning crops and also rapid soil improvement. I garden traditionally in the ground and utilise whatever I have at hand, rather than buying in supplies to get the results desired. I don't have raised garden beds (too expensive) nor do I use amendments that you have to buy. I get success with companion planting, using microclimates in the yard and instant composting.

An example of microclimates, if you have concrete stairs on a porch in winter these can be used to keep tender plants happy during cold weather or raise seed faster rather than investing in a heat mat etc. Brick stores heat and radiates it for hours afterwards. These area's particularly if they are adjoining a brick wall can be extremely warm and work like greehouses. I had to move my birdseye chilii's off the front porch steps because the soil was over 40 degree C in their pots in the middle of winter! I was watering daily but they were still distressed. I had raised them from seed there but planted them out into the garden just yesterday because it's too hot for them now (this is the coldest winter we've had in years). I plan to use this space to get early eggplants and prevent zucchini's from the dreaded powdery mildew since it is a very dry area in the yard with sun most of the day.

 

[Mandy Onderwater]

I would love the help, @Clara . And I bet that (beginner) gardeners would enjoy the information as well.
Somewhat recently people were asking about compagnion planting so having a little guide would be marvelous. And personally I don't have much experience with soil improvement so that'd be great as well. Of course, anything would be good! The more information this article thread has, the better.
If you have any questions whatsoever, please, do contact me.

 

[AndrewB]

Soil temp in pots is a great point by Clara. I clustered all my pots together so they shaded each other, then leant a board up against the edge exposed to sun to there was a bit of an air gap.