Growing in pots and raised beds

A Farmer's Guide to best varieties

A common saying on our farm, when talking about task management, is:

“Aces in their places.”

The same goes for the plants. Let’s talk about which plants to pick for container-growers.

Keep in mind that growing in pots and/or raised beds requires special maintenance. Chances are good that you will need to water more often, since they don’t have the insulation of the soil around them to store water. Protect plants from strong prevailing winds. Especially important if you have an apartment and are growing on an upper balcony, if you are surrounded by large swaths of cornfield, or next to a body of water.

You got to get the potting mix right. For a small collection of house plants, you can make your own with coconut coir, vermicast, and perlite. We use Vermont compost to start our seeds. Make sure it’s organic, and ideally, not sold in a plastic bag. That bag cuts off oxygen and breeds anerobic bacteria, instead of the beneficial microbes that plants need to thrive.

Let’s say you have your garden plan for the year, and it involves growing things in pots. You also got a raised bed at the community garden nearby. Now it’s time to ask yourself, what will grow happily in these contained spaces? Consider:

• naturally shallow-rooted plants

• plants that don’t get huge

• anything that enjoys good drainage

• things you might want to keep from spreading by rhizome (like some mint family species)

• things that you want to move around and rearrange, like flowers

Here are some more specific recommendations based on our farm’s selections for this year’s seedling sale:

Violas: this edible flower has large bi-and tri-color blooms that will “jump up” out of a nice big pot.

Hella Sonnenblume sunflowers make cute little mini sunnies for cut flower bouquets

Red mini picnic peppers are sweet and delicious, ripen well in our climate, and are easy to grow in large pots or raised beds!

Sungold tomatoes have done well in our raised beds. If growing in a pot, make sure that it is at least as large as a 5 gal bucket.

Xalbadora lettuce, a new variety for us this year. All lettuce has a shallow root system, and so won’t get root bound as easily in pots. They also like well-drained growing medium, so a good fit for raised beds too.

I could go on, espeically when it comes to herbs, but those are my top picks for containers and raised beds. Make sure to source your plants from certified organic growers, as seeds that are treated with systemic pesticides like neonictinoids will carry that pesticide throughout their tissues for the duration of their life. Even if you never apply anything to the plants, it’s already inside their cells. Neonicotoids have been heavily studied and evidence suggests that they have a huge negative impact on pollinators.

If you’re in the Milwaukee area, check out Winterspring’s Spring Seedling Sale. Order ahead online to reserve your picks, and pick-up or shop in-person on the farm on May 17th.

Happy spring to all those who celebrate <3