Container Gardening

I decided this year to add some fruit trees to my container garden.  I bought two large 15-gallon pots and ordered two self-fertilizing dwarf trees — one cherry, one nectarine.

Unfortunately, the nectarine turned out to be out of stock, and by the time I found out, it was too late to order a replacement: their stock was too low of everything I found interesting.  So I decided to take a different route with my second tree-sized pot: I bought a blueberry bush.

Whenever you are using really big pots, it’s a good idea to add some extra drainage.  I started by putting around 2 inches of gravel in the bottom of the pot, then filling it the rest of the way with a mix of 1 part soil to 2 parts non-soil potting mix.

The berry plant I chose was a Berkley Highbush Blueberry, which may be a bit large to grow effectively in a pot.  It can grow to around 5-6 feet in both height and width.  It’s supposed to be a very ornamental plant.  The flowers, which are still showing, are pretty and white, and in the autumn, the foliage turns scarlet.

The roots of my blueberry bush were very compacted, so I spent some time gently loosening them before I planted.  They were smaller than I expected, and I’m sure I did more damage to them than I intended: the root ball was almost matted on the outside.  My research showed that blueberries do best with their roots shallowly buried, so I didn’t add much soil above the root ball.  In a few days, I’ll mulch the pot.

I’ll keep everyone updated on the status of the plant as the season goes on.  Hopefully, I’ll have a nice crop of berries to share with my kids!

I’m based out of Massachusetts, and Memorial Day weekend is the standard I was always given for last frost: after Memorial Day, it’s safe to plant.

I tend to ignore this standard with impunity.

By mid-April, I am scratching at the walls, itching for gardening gloves and a spade, ready to get started on my garden.  I manage to push it off until early May most years, and I start with hardy plants.  Parsley first, basil later.  Lettuce first, tomatoes later.  But I never actually make it through Memorial Day without planting something.

Memorial Day weekend still resonates for me as a Time To Garden, however.  So this weekend, I’m going to grab my gloves and go on a Quest for Containers.  My big project for this year is going to be a container-garden patio seating area, with two chairs, a little table, and a whole lot of plants, providing an area to sit and relax while the kids play outdoors.

I’m going to get some herbs and a few baskets for cherry tomatoes, and plant long windowboxes of lettuces.  I have some giant urn-like containers in our toolshed, left over from the previous owners of the house, and I suspect I can use those for small squashes.

All I need is a lot of dirt, a little creativity, and a good trip to the nearby nursery, and I’ll be well underway!

I will update with photos and some words on how I’m doing as time goes by.  Wish me luck!