Container Gardening

Growing vegetables requires surprisingly little space. Container gardening, the practice of growing plants in containers instead of in the ground, has emerged as a suitable option for people with limited yard space to grow their own food. Read the tips below to embrace the joys and overcome the challenges of container gardening, transforming your balcony, patio, or windowsill into a vibrant urban garden.

Unleashing Creativity with Containers

One of the most enchanting aspects of container gardening is the freedom it offers. From classic terracotta pots to repurposed wooden crates, the possibilities are endless. This versatility not only caters to the practical needs of the plants but also adds a personal touch to your small green space, reflecting your style and creativity. If you move, you can also take them with you, which is great for renters.

Choosing the Right Plants

The key to a thriving container garden is selecting the right plants. While almost any plant can be grown in a container, some are more suited to confined spaces than others. Herbs like basil, mint, and thyme are excellent for beginners due to their hardiness and utility. Compact vegetables like cherry tomatoes, peppers, lettuce, and radishes are also great options.

The Art of Potting

Successful container gardening hinges on proper potting. Choosing the right soil is crucial, as garden soil is too dense for container use. Instead, opt for a high-quality potting mix that ensures good drainage and aeration, which is critical for healthy root development. Additionally, ensure your containers have drainage holes to prevent waterlogging, which can lead to root rot.

Maximizing Limited Space

Urban gardening often means working with limited space, but with a bit of ingenuity, this constraint can become an asset. Vertical gardening techniques, such as hanging baskets, wall-mounted planters, or tiered shelving units, can significantly maximize your gardening space.

Nurturing Your Garden

Due to limited soil volume, container plants require more attention than their in-ground counterparts. Regular watering is essential, as containers dry out faster, especially during hot weather. However, avoid overwatering, as this can be just as detrimental as under-watering. Monitoring your plants for pests and diseases is also vital, as early detection can prevent potential outbreaks.

Embracing the Seasons

Container gardening offers the unique advantage of mobility. With the changing seasons, you can easily move your containers to optimize sunlight exposure or protect sensitive plants from harsh weather. This adaptability extends the growing season and ensures the longevity of your garden.

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Watermelon Salsa

It’s watermelon season, folks! We love this sweet and spicy salsa made with fresh watermelon. Make some and serve it up at your next summer barbeque.

What you’ll need:

zest from 1 lime
1/4 cup lime juice
1 tbsp sugar
ground black pepper
3 cups watermelon, seeded and finely chopped
1 cucumber, peeled, seeded, and diced
1 mango, peeled and diced
1 jalapeno, seeded and minced
1 small red onion, finely chopped
8 basil leaves, finely chopped
1/2 tsp garlic salt
tortilla chips

To make:

Add zest, juice, sugar, and pepper to a bowl and stir. Add the remaining ingredients and gently toss. Chill in the fridge. Serve with chips and enjoy!

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Firefly Friendly Garden

Summer is here and with it comes the magnificent light show of the glowing firefly. Many of us enjoy sitting on the back porch at dusk, watching in awe as the little critters light up the lawn. However, due to habitat destruction and pollution, the firefly populations have shrunk. Here are a few tips to draw these glimmering glow worms to your backyard!

Go Sans Chemicals
We tend to go spray happy in the warm months in order to get rid of mosquitos and other pesky bugs. However, most chemicals don’t discriminate and will likely kill the fireflies as well. Firefly larvae are born underground so any chemicals used for your grass would also be fatal.

Let The Snails Be
Fireflies love munching on slugs, snails, worms, and other slimy things. These brilliant beauties feast on grubs by immobilizing their food-to-be with toxic enzymes before sucking out the liquified body contents. Yummy! As most critters stay where there’s food, leave their viscous victims alone.

Cover Up
Fireflies are nocturnal and hide in tall grass and low-profile plants during the day. Give these guys a place to sleep with a variety of tall grasses, low-growing plants, and a few shrubs.

Go Dark
Fireflies get confused by artificial light. Turn off all interior and exterior lights to allow these luminous lampyridae do their thing!

Pick up a few firefly-friendly goodies at the Greenhouse today!

Peppers!

Serrano – The serrano pepper originates in the mountainous regions of Mexico. Though it’s quite a bit hotter, it’s smaller than a jalapeño. If left to ripen on the plant, its color is a deep red. As one of the few peppers that don’t do well with drying, Serrano peppers are used in salsas. Altiplano is a large fruited serrano and is high yielding.

Jalapeno – The most widely known, the jalapeño is a medium size pepper that has a mild heat to it. It’s commonly used in Mexican cuisine. Much of the pepper’s spice is contained in the seeds, which are frequently removed for those not wanting too much kick. Jalapeños are picked while still green, though when ripe, they are red when fully ripen on the plant. Jalapeños are used in salsas, pickled, stuffed, baked, fried, and included in recipes as well as muddled into cocktails to add a soft warmth to a margarita. The Jedi jalapeno is the largest Jalapeno variety offered at 4-4.5” in length. High yields, slow to check.

Chipotle – Chipotle peppers are smoked ripe jalapeños that offer dishes a rich, smoky flavor. When they are rehydrated and made into a salsa or a meat marinade, they are referenced as adobo. Chipotle peppers can be found whole, ground or canned and have a moderate amount of heat.

Chiles de Arbol – Small and vibrant, this pepper is also known as bird’s beak chile or rat’s tail chile. These chiles are typically found fresh, dried or powdered and are of medium-high heat level.

Habanero – These peppers have a bite and are among the hottest peppers used in Mexican cuisine. In fact, when people work with these gloves, they need to wear gloves. Depending on when they’re picked and how old they are, Habaneros range in color. Habaneros are often used to make hot sauces as they have both citrusy and floral flavor.

Poblano Pepper – Also known as an Ancho Chile, this pepper is frequently roasted and stuffed with beans and cheese. They generally have a milder heat; however, fully ripened red ones can be quite hot. The dried poblano is known as ancho chile, a common ingredient in mole sauce. Baron is one of our favorite varieties.

Guajillo Peppers – Dried mirasol peppers are made from Guajillos. They have a thin skin, a mild flavor, and deep red color. Once rehydrated with hot water, to make a marinade for meat, they commonly used to make a sauce for tamales or finely ground into a paste.

Amazing Hot pepper – This is an authentic Korena drying pepper. Traditionally used in Korea to make bright red kimchi. Imparts a bright, citrusy flavor that is warm but not hot.

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Sweet Bell Peppers

Sweet Bell Peppers are lovely for stuffing, grilling and making delicious salsas. Here are a few of our favorite varieties (HPS) offered here at the Greenhouse.

Big Bertha 70 days. Extra large, elongated 7”x4” across. Mature from deep green to red. Great for grilling.
California Wonder 75 days. One of the most popular and best for stuffing. Sweet flavor 4×4” blocky fruit.
Early Summer Hybrid 68-73 days. Extra large 4-5” fruits mature from dark green to yellow. Strong plants with impressive yield potential. Excellent disease resistance.
Goliath Goldrush Hybrid 72-75 days. Sweet, flavorful and crispy. Compact plants and high disease resistance.
Keystone Giant Resistant III 80 days. Large 3-4 lobed fruit with heavy yields. Excellent for home gardens.
King Arthur 65-70 days. Formerly known as Fat n Sassy. Heavy yields, highly resistant to bacterial leaf spot. One of the earliest to turn bright red.
Purple Beauty 70 days. Sweet bell that matures to a beautiful purple color. Flesh is tender, crisp and sweet.
Orange Blaze 65-70 days. 2011 AAS Winner. Early and easy. Gourmet, 2-3 lobed intense orange fruit that is crunch and sweet. Flavor and color peak at the same time.
Giant Marconi 72 days. Large sweet, yet smoky floored fruits can be eaten green, red, fresh or grilled. Heavy yielder.
Sweet Banana 66 days. One of our most popular open pollinated varieties. Looks like hot bananas except that these thick walled fruits are sweet. Fruit is green 6” long x 1.5-2” in diameter.

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