The nemesis to container gardening isn't only insects or disease but it very often is watering or moisture control. I have been using containers for vegetable gardening for years and they seem to do well until the heat of July and August hit. Within a day, you can actually have a container dry out and damage your plants. Tomatoes are especially susceptible to moisture damage which shows up as cracked fruit or blossom-end rot.
This year I am determined to find an irrigation system that works for both my earth gardens and container gardens. I tried going to my local do-it-yourself stores but it was just too expensive or difficult to find what I needed. That lead me to go on line to find a specialty shop. I searched irrigation supplies and found the Irrigation Supply Outlet.
When I say they have everything, it is not an exaggeration. You can buy individual supplies and parts for drip systems, lawn irrigation systems, landscape supplies and even landscape lighting. What I like about them is I can research a design on-line and decide what kind of drip irrigation system I want to create. They have every part or piece you could need for designing your own tailor made system. They even have parts and supplies for hydroponics which I might look into for the future. My plan is to use the Winter to figure out the best design for a container irrigation system and build it during the cold months. There is always something to do for the gardener. Irrigation system this year and hydroponics next year!
In our community garden this year, one of the members created a very cool solar powered drip irrigation systerm for containers. I wrote about it on my blog here: http://nyackbackyard.blogspot.com/2011/07/self-watering-autogarden.html
ReplyDeleteI had high hopes of putting a reservoir on a platform, and having the gravity pull it into soaker hoses, but I'm told you need a lot more pressure for that. Back to the drawing board!
Good luck with the new system!