Water-Wise Crops for Container Gardening

Top 10 Water-Wise Container Garden Plants

• Hummingbird Hyssop (Agastache hybrids)
• Summer Snapdragon (Angelonia Angelface^® Series)
• Tickseed (Bidens ferulifolia)
• Madagascar Periwinkle (Catharanthus roseus)
• Cigar Flower (Cuphea ignea)
• Euphorbia (Euphorbia Diamond^® Series)
• Lantana (Lantana camera)
• Wormwood (Artemesia Quicksilver^™)

1. How do I keep my container garden watered?
2. What crops grow well with little water?
3. What can I add to potting soil to retain moisture?
4. What are the best vegetables for container gardening?
5. Should you water plants everyday?
6. What is the best time to water plants?
7. Which crop does not need water?
8. What vegetables need lots of water?
9. What garden vegetables need more water?
10. Which soil does not retain moisture?
11. How do you keep potted plants moist on vacation?
12. How do I make my soil well drained?

How do I keep my container garden watered?

Create a Wick

Fill a bucket with water and place it next to the container plant. Place one end of the wick all the way at the bottom of the bucket (so that it wicks up all of the water) and the other about 3″ deep in the soil of the container that needs watering. As the soil dries, the wick should provide water.

What crops grow well with little water?

These include cool-season legumes such as peas, lentils and fava beans, and the crucifer crops: Brussels sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower, collards, kale, kohlrabi, mustard, broccoli, turnips and watercress. Sweet corn and lettuce are shallow-rooted and don't do well without a lot of water.

What can I add to potting soil to retain moisture?

A potting mix also must have ingredients that help it retain moisture. This is where organic materials—usually peat moss, sphagnum moss, or coir—come in. They cling to some of the water that the aggregates are helping to drain. Organic materials also hold on to nutrients that might otherwise wash away.

What are the best vegetables for container gardening?

Vegetables that are ideally suited for growing in containers include tomatoes, peppers, eggplant, green onions, beans, lettuce, squash, radishes and parsley. Pole beans and cucumbers also do well in this type of garden, but they do require considerably more space because of their vining growth habit.

Should you water plants everyday?

How much water do plants need a day? Plants don't need daily watering. Instead, water deeply but less frequently. Deep waterings allow the water to seep beneath the roots, which encourages the roots to grow downward.

What is the best time to water plants?

The best time to water plants is in the morning or evening.

Morning watering is actually preferable to evening watering as the plant has time to dry before the sun goes down. At night, water tends to rest in the soil, around the roots, and on the foliage, which encourages rot, fungal growth, and insects.

Which crop does not need water?

Rice consumes about 4,000 - 5,000 litres of water per kg of grain produced. But it is no aquatic crop: it has great ability to tolerate submergence. Water creates unfavourable conditions for weeds, by cutting off sunlight and aeration to the ground.

What vegetables need lots of water?

Many vegetables need extra water when in flower or when fruiting. For example legumes (beans and peas), sweet potatoes and corn require more water when in flower. Tomatoes and squash plants such as zucchini and pumpkins benefit from extra water when their fruit is developing.

What garden vegetables need more water?

Shallow, Medium, and Deep Roots

Because the top few inches of soil dried out quickly, shallow-rooted vegetables such as cucumbers, spinach, cabbage, celery, corn, onions, leeks, carrots, broccoli, radishes, and Brussels sprouts will need frequent watering in hot weather or soils that are light on humus or compost.

Which soil does not retain moisture?

Sand does not hold any water and clay particles hold water so tightly to the particle surface that plant roots are unable to extract it from the soil. Silty soils are also heavier than sandy soils, and holds up nutrients and make it better for crop cultivation.

How do you keep potted plants moist on vacation?

Fill up your sink or bathtub with a few inches of water and lay a towel inside to protect against scratches. Rest your potted plants in the sink and leave them while you're gone. The soil will draw water up to the roots, keeping the plant hydrated for up to one week.

How do I make my soil well drained?

Improve soil drainage by building raised beds or by adding organic matter to existing soil in the form of well-rotted manure, compost, or peat moss.