Containers for Vegetable Gardening Offer Options

Q. We are planting a family vegetable garden. Would a container/raised bed do well in this environment? We're used to summers in Colorado, and wondering if there are specific tomato, cucumber, pepper, and lettuce varieties that do well here? Will root crops like carrots and radishes do well in containers? The west side of our house gets late afternoon shade from the neighbor’s house, and that is the only space we have. Would this be okay? When is the best time to plant? Soon?

A. I sent a vegetable growers Bible written by Dr. Sylvan Wittwer when he was growing vegetables in southern Nevada. Anyone interested who wants a copy can ask me for it and I will email it to you. It contains a planting calendar. He is a traditional gardener and not organic. Substitute organic alternatives if you want to use a different soil, fertilizer, or pesticide.

Container vegetable gardening offer several alternatives when growing vegetables.

When possible, use older varieties that are known successes until you get the hang of growing vegetables in this climate. When using raised beds, use compact varieties that produce fruit quickly and then throw them out and replant. Plant cautiously any new varieties. They sound cute. That’s a marketing gimmick. Sometimes they perform well in the desert and sometimes they don’t. Plant new varieties for three years in a row before calling them a “desert success”.

Want to try some root crops like radishes or beets?

If planting a “viny” plant, let the “vines” sprawl. The roots are important to the plant, not the “vines”. Keep weeds under control. Weeds breed bugs. Bugs eat plants or spread diseases. “The success of a garden equals the time your shadow passes over it.” Inspect and walk it at least daily.

Strawberries, yellow peppers, and herbs are just a few of the suggestions.

I like containers. Double pot them so they don’t get so hot when the sun shines on the outer walls. Use five to fifteen gallon nursery containers and fill them with your favorite soil to within one inch of the top rim. Put a three-inch layer of gravel in the bottom of the outer pot to keep them from lodging. If you are using tap water, filling these containers within one inch of the top will have some water coming out the bottom. This helps remove salts when you irrigate.