The Container Victory Garden

If you’re new to container gardening, especially edible gardens, start with this book. Maggie Stuckey clearly had a mission in mind when writing this book: to invite people to explore how they can start growing tasty food and to provide them with a resource that is useful, easy to follow, and clearly written.

The crux of The Container Victory Garden is an introduction to taking advantage of small spaces—balconies, patios, or a few steps—and reimaging those spaces as gardens where you can grow and harvest food you like. Stuckey does not assume prior knowledge, gently walking readers through the necessities for container gardens: considering sun and water supply; tools that are especially useful; and advantages and disadvantages to different kinds of containers. She even includes some creative inspiration for reusing furniture or thrift goods to create a container garden that has more personality or better function. She goes through the process of figuring out what kinds of plants to grow with several whole chapters digging more substantially into what’s helpful to know about carrots or tomatoes or basil or pansies.

Janice Minjin Yang and Lee Johnston have also done an excellent job using art to increase the book’s impact. There are three kinds of art used in the book. The first kind is photographs that show readers what the plants look like. The second kind is black-and-white line sketches that illustrate concepts and ideas, making it easier to understand different trellis options or what a root ball looks like. The third kind is paintings depicting scenes of people enjoying their container gardens. I particularly enjoy the last because the paintings help show a wide array of styles when it comes to setting up container gardens and they make it easier for a reader to envision what they might want their garden to be like.

Woven throughout this book are threads about the history of victory gardens. Common during times of war or pandemic, victory gardens have come to occupy a strong space in our cultural imagination for the idea that we can do something to take care of us and those around us in times of profound stress by growing our own tasty, healthy food. As a historian of food and cultural ideas about what we eat, I really enjoyed these threads in Stuckey’s book. She includes historical information, documents and photographs, and recollections from about 20 individuals about their experiences with victory gardens. I feel this dimension of the book helps support the mission of inviting new people into the world of gardening by showing them how they can be part of this bigger, fascinating picture.

While this book is substantial and very helpful, it is not intended to be comprehensive. For readers wanting a more comprehensive book on container gardening, I couldn’t do better than to recommend McGee & Stuckey’s The Bountiful Container, by Rose Marie Nichols McGee and Maggie Stuckey. But for an introductory book on the subject, Stuckey’s The Container Victory Garden is definitely top-notch.

Reviewed by Nick Williams in The Leaflet, Volume 10, Issue 9, September 2023

Complete Container Herb Gardening: Design and Grow Beautiful, Bountiful Herb-Filled Pots

If your garden doesn’t have much space for growing herbs, a container garden might be the answer. I recommend a new book on this topic by western Washington writer, Sue Goetz.

I approached her “Complete Container Herb Gardening” in two ways. First, it is a very basic but detailed guide to using pots to host a significant part of your garden, or even the whole thing. “Growing in any type of container affords the opportunity to plant a garden almost anywhere.” This includes inside a home, on a balcony, or in a small corner of a yard devoted mostly to boisterous activities by children and pets. Hanging baskets or vertical planting walls provide other options.

The second focus of my reading was on the herb plants she recommends. Defining herbs broadly, she include all plants with essential oils and other parts for use in cooking, cleaning, body care, and many treatments for well-being.

Goetz is a teacher at heart, and her lesson plan for this book is well thought out. In addition to how to choose a container, she provides detailed projects that teach how to design, combine, and maintain your plantings. By using various herbs, these plant combinations have benefits beyond their beauty. Even if your goal was only for pretty flowers, you may realize that these primarily foliage plants are also very ornamental, and suddenly you, too, are an herb gardener.

Excerpted from the Spring 2021 issue of the Arboretum Bulletin

Growing edible plants in galvanized containers

Is it safe to use galvanized containers (in this case a large
galvanized tub like the kind used for watering livestock) in which to
grow root vegetables, herbs, etc? I’ve seen some sites sell these for this
use, but there are also some postings referring to the potential for ill
effects of anti-rust coatings.

You may want to consider both what goes into the galvanizing process, and what could be leaching out of containers as the coating wears down over time.

Here is information on the process of galvanizing from the American
Galvanizers Association. Excerpt:

“What are the steps in the galvanizing process?”

Pre-inspection – where the fabricated structural steel is viewed to
ensure it has, if necessary, the proper venting and draining holes,
bracing, and overall design characteristics necessary to yield a quality
galvanized coating
Cleaning – steel is immersed in a caustic solution to remove organic
material such as grease and dirt, followed by dipping in an acid bath
(hydrochloric or sulfuric) to remove mill scale and rust, and
finally lowered into a bath of flux that promotes zinc & steel reaction
and retards further oxidation of the steel… (steel will not react with
zinc unless it is perfectly clean).
Galvanizing – the clean steel is lowered into a kettle containing 850
F molten zinc where the steel and zinc metallurgically react to form
three zinc-iron intermetallic layers and one pure zinc layer

Based on the above, one concern would be whether the zinc would be
harmful. Zinc is one of many nutrients needed by plants, but I couldn’t
hazard a guess as to what effect the zinc from the coated steel would
have, if any, or whether the galvanizing process involves other
substances.

The book The Edible Container Garden by Michael Guerra (Fireside, 2000)
says the following:

“Galvanized buckets are increasingly popular but don’t use them for
ericaceous or acid composts.” (This would be a compost which is
lime-free. Usually soils in the Pacific Northwest tend to be acidic. I
don’t know from your message what part of the country you live in, but
this might be something to consider as well).

Another issue is that the metal containers will probably heat up quickly,
meaning that your plants might need more attentive watering.

Los Angeles County Cooperative Extension offers the following information, in an
article on trace elements and urban gardens. Excerpt:

“Cadmium is a contaminant of many manufactured products containing zinc.
Any zinc plating or galvanizing operations and galvanized metal
containers sometimes used in horticulture and gardening operations are
potential sources of cadmium.”

I certainly don’t think you want to grow vegetables in a cadmium-laced
container. In situations where there is any doubt about safety, I would
recommend growing ornamental plants in the tubs, and growing edibles in
untreated wood or clay pots.

Container gardening, Soil contamination

Growing Magnolias in containers

I recently purchased a magnolia that had no tags on it. I have an extremely large pot that I would like to plant the magnolia in. My books at home lead me to believe that I should plant it in Azalea and Camellia potting mix. A local nursery has advised me that this would be fine, although another has said no. They also disagreed with my plan of putting rocks, bitumen, and old leaves in the bottom of the pot to help with drainage. They believe a quality potting mix and nothing else is the way to go. What are your suggestions?

Here is what the book, Magnolias: A Gardener’s Guide, by Jim Gardiner
(Timber Press, 2000) says about growing Magnolias in containers:

…considerable experience is needed to retain magnolias in a container
for any length of time. The roots are particularly sensitive to being hot
and dry during the summer months and frosted during the winter months…
Evergreen magnolias and clones of Magnolia grandiflora, in particular M.
grandiflora ‘Gallissonniere,’ can be grown in very large containers for
indoor use in atria.

I think if you take the matter of extreme heat and cold into
consideration, you should be able to grow your magnolia in a container. I
would be curious to know which species you have, because some get very
large, and for these a container might not be a good choice.
Magnolias prefer good, free-draining acidic soil that does not dry out,
according to Rosemary Bennett’s book, Magnolias (Firefly Books, 2002).
Since Azaleas also prefer acidic soil, the idea of using Azalea and
Camellia potting mix makes sense.

You may find the following information on growing trees in containers
helpful:

Virginia Cooperative Extension: Trees for Landscape Containers and Planters

University of Tennessee Extension: Trees to Plant in Containers or Wells

UBC Botanical Garden Forum: A discussion on requirements for magnolias in containers

UBC Botanical Garden Forum: A discussion on potting guidelines for a particular magnolia This discussion suggests that the container should be filled with soil-based compost which provides some nutrients to the plant.

As for container drainage, here is what Prof. Linda Chalker-Scott of Washington State University says. In short, she says that putting coarse material in the base of a pot for better drainage is a myth.

Container gardening, Magnolia

Safety of ceramic pots for edible gardening

My question is about the ceramic pots that you see in nurseries and
places in the area. The pots are glazed on the outside, and unglazed on
the inside, and they are made in China and Vietnam. Are these pots safe for planting vegetables and herbs? Or, are there materials in the interiors of the pots that could leach into the soil and make the vegetables and herbs unsafe to eat?

Some ceramic glazes do contain toxic materials, such as lead and cadmium.
Washington State Department of Health has information on preventing lead poisoning, and on testing for lead.

State of Oregon’s Lead Poisoning Prevention Program includes information on sources of lead exposure, including pottery.

California Department of Health has several pages on toxins in pottery.

Excerpt:

“The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) sets standards at the
national level for the amount of lead that can pass out of, or ‘leach,’
from dishes. Tableware with lead levels greater than these standards
cannot legally be sold in the U.S. The FDA regulations cover only
tableware that is imported or that is brought into the state for sale.
The standards apply only to items that are used for foods and beverages.
They do not apply to pieces that either cannot hold liquids or are not
intended to hold liquids, such as salt shakers, cookie jars, butter
dishes, etc. See the table below for the FDA standards for lead in
ceramicware.

Decorative ceramics
The FDA has labeling rules for ornamental or decorative ceramics that are
not intended for food use. These items must either (1) be permanently
labeled with a logo or statement that they are unsuitable for food use,
or (2) be made incapable of holding liquid. If an item is clearly
intended for food use, such as a bean pot, labeling it is not sufficient,
however. It must be made unusable, for example, by having a hole drilled
through any surface that could hold liquid.”

My co-worker tells me that some retail stores are good about informing customers if pots are unsafe for food use. This
document from Clemson University Extension (although its focus is
cookware) suggests that you not use pottery which does not bear the
label, “Safe for Food Use:”

If a pot has been fired at a high temperature (something you cannot
easily ascertain by looking at it), my thought would be that there would
be less likelihood of toxic material from the glaze leaching inward, but
if the clay itself comes from a source which is full of contaminants,
there may be a risk apart from the glaze. If you are at all concerned
about using these pots for growing food, my advice would be not to do it.
There are other ways of growing food in containers, such as untreated
wood boxes or barrels. See links here for general information on growing
vegetables in containers:

Vegetable Gardening in Containers from Virginia Cooperative Extension.
Plants Grown in Containers from North Carolina State University.

Container gardening, Vegetable gardening

Garden Tip #146

Research shows that watering container plants in the afternoon leads to healthier, stronger growing plants compared to containerized plants watered early in the morning. Warren and Bilderback, Journal of Environmental Horticulture, September 2002, Vol. 20(3), Pages 184-188. However, watering the rest of the garden in the morning reduces the amount of water lost to evaporation, which is better for the utility bill!

growing bamboo in containers

I am new to the area, and am renting a house that has 3 containers of bamboo plants on the deck. Two of them appear to be dead or dying, although there is still green in the canes. I tried watering them a lot for a week or so, and for one day they seemed to like that, but then they did not any more, and looked worse. Some theories people have offered: the soil is depleted, they need to be thinned, they have been poisoned somehow. Any advice? Or should I just get new ones? And, where would I get new ones?

Bamboo can grow well in containers, but it can also be picky about drainage, fertilizer and container depth.

Here is an American Bamboo Society article (now archived) entitled Planting and Caring for Bamboo.

Your bamboo may have a pest or an infestation of some kind. To be sure, you may want to bag a sample of the leaves and take them to a Cooperative Extension Master Gardener Plant Clinic. Master Gardeners are trained in the identification of plants and pests and a host of other botanical subjects.

To find out where to purchase bamboo locally, try Bamboo Web’s sources search tool.

Planting daylilies in containers

We have the ‘Stella d’Oro’ daylilies, the Hyper Yellow variety. They are 9 years old now, going on 10. We divided them last year, and only had a couple of lilies. Where they are planted I don’t believe they have enough sun. When we divided them, instead of 2 plants, we now have 7. I have a huge planter, on a wheelbase, and was thinking of putting 3 of them in it, perhaps 4. They would be located on the sunny part of our deck, which I know would be much better for them. What can you tell me about daylilies planted in containers? The pot is so big, you could grow a tree in it!

Planting your daylilies in a large container should be fine. Here is some general information from University of Minnesota Extension on growing daylilies, in which they suggest growing repeat-blooming daylilies in your containers. In general, smaller cultivars would be good choices for containers.

If you keep them in the pot over the winter, you may want to protect them by covering with a thick mulch.

You may wish to consult the frequently asked questions page on the American Hemerocallis Society website, which includes cultural information, such as the best place to plant daylilies, excerpted here:

“You need to consider four things in determining where to plant your daylilies:

Sun or Shade

Most daylilies do best in full sun. They will tolerate part-shade conditions, but require a minimum of six hours of direct sun per day.
Light yellow cultivars, many shades of pink, and delicate pastels need full sun to bring out their lovely colorings.
Many red and purple cultivars benefit from partial shade in the hottest part of the day because dark colors absorb heat and do not withstand the sun as well as lighter colors.

Type of Soil

Any good garden soil is appropriate for growing daylilies. Daylilies will grow, however, in sandy soil or in heavy clay.
If you have heavy clay soil, add compost, humus, peat moss, and sand to make it more friable.
If you have sandy soil, add compost, humus, and peat moss to lesson its porosity and to increase water retention.

Drainage

For maximum performance, daylilies should be planted in well-drained soil. One method of achieving adequate drainage in problem areas is to prepare raised beds, 3 to 6 inches above ground level.”

drought-tolerant container planting

Our neighborhood has a small planter area at its entrance. There is no water supply to this area, but a nearby resident is willing to water occasionally. The soil contains much clay. We would like to plant a few drought-tolerant annuals to add color and supplement the more permanent shrubs–such as boxwood–planted in the area. Can you recommend some plant choices? How could we amend the soil to best hold water during the upcoming dry months? Would a commercial product such as “Quench” be of any value, in addition to organic mulches?

I found the following article by Nikki Phipps on GardeningKnowHow.com about drought-tolerant container planting. Here is an excerpt:

“…many plants not only thrive in containers but will tolerate hot, dry conditions as well. Some of these include annuals like marigolds, zinnias, salvia, verbenas, and a variety of daisies. Numerous perennials can be used in a xeriscape container garden such as Artemisia, sedum, lavender, coreopsis, Shasta daisy, liatris, yarrow, coneflower and more. There is even room for herbs and vegetables in the xeriscape container garden. Try growing oregano, sage, rosemary, and thyme. Vegetables actually do quite well in containers, especially the dwarf or bush varieties. There are also numerous ornamental grasses and succulents that perform nicely in containers as well.”

This Brooklyn Botanic Garden’s 2001 article provides a list of drought-tolerant plants for containers.

I had not heard of Quench, but since it is cornstarch-based, it is certainly preferable to the hydrogel and polymer products which are more widely available. I found an article by garden writer Ann Lovejoy in the Seattle P-I (June 3, 2006) about Quench. Here is an excerpt:

With pots and containers, mix dry Quench into the top 12 inches of potting soil in each pot and top off with plain compost. Few roots will penetrate deeper than a foot, so it isn’t very useful down in the depths of really big pots unless you are combining shrubs and perennials.

I would not recommend hydrogels or polymers as a soil amendment. Professor Linda Chalker-Scott of Washington State University has written about these products and their potential hazards. Here is a link to a PDF.

You could consider applying a liquid fertilizer (diluted seaweed-fish emulsion would work) to your containers once every week or two during summer. Here is an excerpt on some general information on container maintenance, from a no longer available Ohio State University Extension article. Excerpt:

“Once planted, watering will be your most frequent maintenance chore, especially if you are growing plants in clay containers. On hot, sunny days small containers may need watering twice. Water completely so that water drains through the drainage hole and runs off. Water early in the day.

“If you incorporated a slow release fertilizer into the potting mix, you may not need to fertilize the rest of the season; some of these fertilizers last up to nine months. You can also use a water-soluble fertilizer and apply it according to the label directions during the season.

“Mulch can be applied over the container mix to conserve moisture and moderate summer temperatures. Apply about one inch deep.

“Depending on the plants you are growing, you will need to deadhead and prune as needed through the season. Monitor frequently for pests such as spider mites. Pests usually build up rapidly in containers.”

on the use of water-absorbing polymers in gardening

I am doing container plantings for clients (some of them big — the containers, not the clients), and have water concerns. Have you received any feedback on use of those “soil moist” granules that are supposed to cut down on waterings? My fear is that over time, especially with shrubs in a container, there may be some root rot.

Although there is not any conclusive information on whether use of water-absorbing polymers will contribute to root rot in planters, there are quite a few other causes for concern. Local gardener and writer Jessica Salmonson discusses the matter on her web site, Paghat’s Garden.
Here is a brief excerpt:

Many of the ‘superabsorbent’ properties claimed by polymer manufacturers are exaggerated, and during biodegradation these polymers even reverse their effect, depriving plants of moisture. Woodchips, quality compost, or peat do the same job adequately, plus the woodchips or compost provide safe plant nutrients and a medium for beneficial microorganisms such as polymers retard.

And, inevitably, it turns out that some polymers do in fact reach the foodchain, especially the allegedly safer-to-the-environment biodegradable synthetic polymers. These are fed directly to livestock as feed supplements, are dispersed over crops in herbicides & pesticides, & are mixed into garden soils because of preposterous claims of doing away with a need ever again to water the garden.

Extension horticulturist and Washington State University Professor Linda Chalker-Scott has also written on this issue, and states that even beyond the health and environmental concerns, hydrogels do not work well in clay soils, and can decrease a plant’s ability to absorb essential nutrients.

Local garden writer Ann Lovejoy writes about a non-polymer alternative in this article in the Seattle Post Intelligencer: “The newest such water holder I’ve tried is called Quench. This is a granular, sand-colored material that turns cloudy-translucent in water. Unlike polymers, Quench is based on a natural material (cornstarch) in a form that can absorb up to 400 times its weight in water, right up there with good compost or forest duff.
Unlike the usual polymers, this stuff lets go with grace. About 95 percent of the stored water is released to plant roots in midsummer, making plants a lot less dependent on people in hot weather.”