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| Growing Cucumbers, Peppers, Squash And Tomatoes In Containers | |
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| Tweet Topic Started: Jan 30 2018, 10:15 PM (1,578 Views) | |
| SJC Museum | Jan 30 2018, 10:15 PM Post #1 |
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Growing Cucumbers, Peppers, Squash And Tomatoes In Containers![]() HYG-1645-94 By: Pamela J. Bennett When garden space is limited, certain cultivars of cucumbers, peppers, squash and tomatoes can be easily grown in large containers with plants still producing the same amount as garden planted varieties. In order to be successful you must first choose those varieties suitable for growing in containers. These varieties generally have a reduced growth habit and will not grow too large for a container. The seed packet information should include whether or not the cucumbers and squash varieties are suitable for container gardening. Most varieties of peppers and tomatoes are suitable for containers. The biggest advantage to container growing is that you can grow them just about anywhere in the yard providing they get at least 8 hours of sunlight. They can be easily moved as needed and fruit can be harvested with ease. The disadvantage to container growing is that you have to watch the watering more closely as they are above ground and dry out quickly. Type of Container A standard type pot, the same height as diameter, with a diameter of at least 12 inches is recommended. A plastic pot will not dry out as rapidly as a clay pot and will require less watering. It is essential to have drainage holes in the bottom or root rotting will occur. Place a round fiberglass screen of the same shape and size as the pot in the bottom to prevent soil from washing out of the holes and to bar the entry of pests into the pot. Half whiskey barrels, black plastic pots and bushel baskets can also be used. Starting the Plants Pepper and tomato seeds can be started indoors in individual pots or in peat pellets as early as mid-March to April. You can also purchase already started plants in May. Cucumber and zucchini can be planted directly into the container as they are more difficult to transplant. These seeds can be sown early to mid-May. For a fall crop, plant cucumber and squash seeds in early July. This produces a September harvest when the earlier plantings are beginning to decline. The potted plants can be moved into the garage during frosty fall nights extending the harvest into November. Soil Mix Because these plants are being grown in containers, you can mix the soil to the exact requirements, giving you better growth and production. They require a loose, well-drained soil generous in organic matter. A good mix consists of one part each of potting soil, perlite, sphagnum peat moss and compost. Garden soil should be avoided as it is likely to be infested with soil pests. When using compost, make sure temperatures during the composting process were high enough to kill pest organisms. Add a slow release fertilizer by following label recommendations to each pot. This provides additional nutrients slowly over a longer period when there is active growth and fruit production. Water holding gels or hydrogels have been introduced recently to help reduce the watering requirements of container plants. These gels are either separate and can be added to the soil mix or can already be included in the mix. The gels help to retain moisture in the soil until it is needed by the plant. Staking the Plant Depending on the growth habit of the plant, it may be beneficial to stake it. Be sure to place the stakes in the pot before filling the soil and before you plant. There are several types of staking systems to use depending on the plant. A good type of staking system to use with cucumbers is a teepee form that allows the plants to grow up the stakes. Tomato cages or stakes can be used to support tomatoes and peppers. Squash may or may not require staking, depending on plant growth habits. Planting Fill the container three-fourths full with the soil mix. Select stocky, vigorous plants and position the plant close to the stake and fill in the soil mix around the plant. Water thoroughly; if the soil settles, add more soil until it comes to within 3/4 inch of the top of the container. For direct-seeding squash and cucumbers, fill the container close to the top and plant five to six seeds in the center of the pot, covering with 1/2 inch of soil mix. Water and keep the soil warm. After germination, cut off the seedlings except for the two largest to avoid overcrowding. After they reach a height of 8 to 10 inches, cut off one, leaving only one plant per container. Avoid pulling out the seedlings as this disturbs the roots of the remaining seedlings. Growth Place the container in a site with full sun and protection from the wind. Check the plants daily for watering needs. By mid-July, begin to use a fertilizer solution for supplemental feeding. Once a week give each plant a good watering with a water soluble fertilizer such as Peters 20-20-20 or Miracle Grow 15-30-15 at the recommended rate. Do not fertilize when the plants are dry-water them thoroughly first. Check plants daily for signs of insect and disease infestation. Keep mature fruits harvested to induce continued fruit formation. Refer to HYG-FactSheets 1608, 1618, 1620 and 1624 for individual, specific, cultural requirements. Suggested Varieties Cucumbers Salad Bush Hybrid Bush Champion Picklebush Spacemaster Hybrid Bush Crop Midget Bush Pickler Tomatoes - Most varieties will grow in containers. Peppers - Most varieties will grow in containers. Squash Burpee's Butter Bush Burpee's Bush Table Queen Bushkin Pumpkin Bush Crookneck Bush Acorn Hybrid Jackpot Zucchini Black Magic Zucchini Ohio State University Extension Fact Sheet Department of Horticulture and Crop Science 2001 Fyffe Court, Columbus, OH 43210-1096 Edited by SJC Museum, Mar 14 2018, 07:13 AM.
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| SJC Museum | Mar 14 2018, 07:07 AM Post #2 |
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Due to the fact that the pepper is a warm weather vegetable crop and requires considerably more heat than cucumbers and tomatoes, growing bell peppers in pots is a great idea if you live in a cold climate.![]() How to Grow Bell Peppers in Containers Growing bell pepper in the pot is easy. The first thing you have to do is to buy the plant from a nursery or propagate it from seeds. Choosing a Pot Planting bell pepper in containers requires a pot that is at least 10-12 inches deep and wide and has sufficient drainage holes. You can grow up to 2-3 plants (smaller varieties) in such a pot. Avoid using the black color container if you’re growing bell pepper in a tropical climate. ![]() Propagation Buy good quality seeds from a local garden store or buy them online. Also, buy seed starting mix or make yourself. Fill small pots or seedling tray with the seed mix and plant two seeds in each pot, 2-3 cm deep. Start seeds 6-10 weeks before last spring frost date. Usually, in subtropical and tropical climate, you can start seeds anytime except in harsh summer. The seeds will germinate in 1 to 3 weeks depending on the weather conditions and seed quality. After they germinate thin out and only keep one plant per pot. When seedlings have 2 true leaves they are ready to be transplanted into the desired containers. Requirements for Growing Bell Pepper in Containers growing bell peppers Position Peppers love the sun. The most productive pepper plants are grown in warmth and heat. When you’re growing bell peppers in pots, keep them in a position that receives at least 6 hours of sunlight daily. That place should be sheltered from strong wind. Soil Good soil is the key to productive pepper plants. Buy best quality potting mix that is well drained, loose and fertile or make your own potting mix. Potting mix must be rich in organic matter. Add well-rotted manure or compost in the combination of peat moss/coco peat and vermiculite or perlite (alternatively, sand). You can also add 5-10 gm neem cake at the time of soil preparation, it will protect the young plant from soil-borne diseases and pests. Watering Growing bell peppers require regular watering to keep the soil slightly moist, soil should never dry out completely. In any case, avoid wetting the foliage, overhead watering may cause fungal infection. Water at the foot of the plant. Also, pepper plants suffer from overwatering so be careful that your plants don’t sit in water. ![]() Temperature Growing bell peppers require soil temperature above 60 F (15 C) for best growth. The optimum seed germination temperature is above 68 F (20 C). It can tolerate temperature up to 95 F (35 C) and down to 50 F (10 C) easily. The ideal growing temperature is between 70-90 F (21-32C). Bell Pepper Care Mulching For your convenience and to reduce the evaporation of water, do mulching. Cover the base of the plant with organic matter such as leaves, pine barks, straws, paper or whatever that is readily available to you. Fertilizer Pepper plants like tomatoes are heavy feeders and you’ll need to fertilize the plant in every 15 days or so. When fertilizing, remember too much nitrogen-rich fertilizer can promote foliage growth. You can also feed the plant with tomato fertilizer. Also, once in a month feed the plant with compost or manure tea. Use of Epsom salt (2tsp/gallon water at the time of watering, you can also spray the plants with this solution) each month improves the health and increases the yield of tomato and pepper plants so it must be applied too. Pinching and Pruning In the early stage, when the plant is young pinch growing tips regularly to make it bushier. Pruning is not necessary but can be carried out if required. Deadheading If your pepper plant is flowering too early deadhead the flowers, it is important. This will direct the plant’s energy into growing and becoming healthy. You can also stop the formation of new fruits if you want to speed up the maturation of pepper fruits that are already growing on the plant by pinching off emerging flowers. Pollination Pepper plants are self-fertile so you don’t need to care about pollination but to get better fruits and to improve productivity you can gently shake the plants when they’re in bloom. ![]() Support You may need to support the plants. For this, either use tomato cages or simply poke a stick near the main stem and tie the plant to it. Pests and Diseases Growing bell peppers in pots require care from aphids as they are the number one enemy of pepper plants. In hot and dry weather you’ll also need to keep an eye on spider mites. Harvesting Bell peppers are ready for harvesting in 60-90 days after transplanting. You can harvest them green when they reach full size and remain firm. If left to ripen, the color will change into orange, yellow or red. Edited by SJC Museum, Mar 14 2018, 07:12 AM.
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| SJC Museum | Mar 14 2018, 07:21 AM Post #3 |
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![]() Like many vegetables, cucumbers are very different tasting when you grow them yourself. Growing cucumbers in containers is easy and hugely rewarding, but there are a few things that are helpful to know. Choosing Your Container As is true with most vegetables and fruits, bigger is much better when choosing your container. Bigger pots hold more potting soil, which in turn retains water longer. Cucumbers depend on access to a lot of water to grow, so you want to make sure they get a consistent level moisture. If you only have a little soil, that is much harder to do. Also, I am a fan of growing cucumbers up off the ground, so choosing a container that can hold a large, strong trellis is also a good thing to consider. One great container for growing cucumbers is an Earthbox or another self-watering container. It's also possible to grow cucumbers in straw bale gardens. ![]() Lots of Sun Your cucumber container garden will need at least 6 to 8 hours of full sun . In my experience, almost everyone overestimates how much sun an area gets, so it pays to really figure out how much direct sun an area gets before you plant there. Either use a sun calculator or get out your watch and time how many hours the sun is hitting an area. Potting Soil Use a good quality potting mix or potting soil or container mix. I use organic potting soil and prefer a soil that does not have fertilizer or wetting agents added. If your potting soil has premixed fertilizer, you don’t want to add more. If your potting soil doesn’t have fertilizer, you will want to mix in an all-purpose fertilizer before you plant your cucumbers. Why Container Garden Organically Fertilizing Cucumbers are heavy feeders. I add a slow-release, all-purpose fertilizer into my potting soil before I plant and then use a diluted, liquid fish emulsion, seaweed combination, once, every other week during the growing season. If I'm growing them in an Earthbox, I follow the directions and use the organic fertilizer that comes with them. Temperature Cucumbers need warm soil to thrive and grow. They grow best from around 70°F to 95°F. That means cucumbers should be planted in containers after the soil temperatures are at least 70°F. Depending on how protected they are and what material your pot is made of, you may have to wait around two weeks after the last frost. Some pots will heat up more quickly. Black plastic pots or Earthboxes, which use a soil cover, retain heat, so will reach the desired temps sooner than other materials. Starting Cucumber Seeds Cucumbers are very easy to start from seed in a container. However, if you live in a cold climate and want to get a jump on the season, you can start them inside. To make sure they get enough light, put them under shop lights with one warm and one cool bulb. Cucumbers have fairly large seeds so should be planted about 1/2 to 1” deep. If you are growing seeds inside, be very careful when transplanting – cucumbers can be a little temperamental about this. First, make sure to harden off your seedlings. Then when transplanting them, be very delicate as they don't like their roots messed with too much. You should plan on one or two cucumber plants per square foot of potting soil. If you are planting seeds or seedlings in an Earthbox or another brand of grow box, plant only 4 seedlings per box. Trellising There are several reasons to trellis your cucumbers. First, if they are sprawling all over the ground - and most varieties of cucumber will sprawl like crazy - the cucumbers get dirty and often get chomped on by critters. Also, if you grow them on a trellis, they are easier to find and then harvest. Also, depending on your set-up, plants are on a trellis can give leaves more exposure to the sun, which is a good thing. Make sure you have a sturdy trellis. Remember that once the trellis is covered with cucumber vines, it has a lot of wind resistance. Make sure your container is in a very protected spot, if you are trellising and make sure that it won’t blow over if there is wind. Watering The success of cucumbers depends on consistent and ample watering. Make sure the soil stays moist, not wet. Check this by sticking your finger up to the second knuckle into the soil. If the soil is moist at your fingertip, wait to water. If it is dry, add water very slowly, until it flows out of the drainage hole at the bottom of your container. Make sure the soil is actually absorbing the water. If the soil is very dry, it can shrink away from the walls of your pot and when you go to water, it escapes before it can wet the soil. Harvesting Cucumbers can grow ridiculously fast. They can go from tiny to enormous in just a few days. Almost all cucumbers get bitter and seedy as they become overripe, so make sure to check your plants often for ripe cucumbers. Many varieties can be picked small, and some are tastiest when they are petite. Check your plant tag or seed packet to find out the optimal size for harvest. Use a garden clipper or scissors to harvest cukes. If you pull them off, you risk damaging the vine, which can easily break. Harvest often, because the more you harvest the more you will have. Even if a cucumber is damaged or too big, take it off. ![]() Suggested Varieties There are two main types of cucumbers, bush, and vining. Bush cucumbers tend to be shorter and more compact and have smaller yields. To increase your harvest, and extend your season, try planting bush varieties in succession – planting every two weeks or every month. Before you do this, make sure to find out how many days it will take for your particular varieties to be ready for harvest. Diva is an all time favorite cucumber. It is parthenocarpic, so does not need to be pollinated. It is delicious, a great producer, disease resistant and has foliage that isn't attractive to cucumber beetles. 58 days to maturity. Lemon Cucumber - This cucumber is small and yellow, sweet and round. Good for eating or pickling. It has a pretty long maturity time at 65 days. Northern Pickling - Small sweet cucumbers that grow on short vines. Very short time to maturity at 48 days so is good for late season planting |
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