What joy it gives me when people write us who are going to start with a orchard at home following reading this blog. It’s a rush… You asked me for some tips to get started. I’m going to tell you about the basic mistakes that we all commit and that keep us from success in our harvests. I think it will serve as a small guide to get started in the flowerpot.

When starting with a flowerpot, we allow ourselves to be carried away by that illusion of thinking that we are going to cultivate our own potted vegetablesand we started buying pots, seeds, tools… without thinking that they may not be the most appropriate. Well, let’s get carried away by illusion, which is the best there is, and more today. But at the same time, let us take into account the most common mistakes in the planter to avoid committing them as well.

  • No plan what we are going to sow. It is important to consult the planting calendars. In Gardening On we publish one per month. I link you to the one of November. If we plant vegetables out of season, we are almost certainly doomed to failure.
  • When you have decided what you are going to sow, keep in mind that, during the germination and growth time, you will have a time without harvest. This time sometimes despairs, you can plant short cycle species (lettuce or radishes) to enjoy some vegetables while the next harvest grows.
  • Buy pots without taking into account the needs of the crop. Each vegetable needs a certain minimum space. We recently published a table of sizes of the pots according to the crop. Also keep in mind that you can use planters or grow tables, but then you have to inquire about the favorable and unfavorable crop associations.
  • Do not completely fill the containers of substratum. They must be completely filled with substratum the containers where we will plant our vegetables. The more substrate they have, the better. In addition, despite filling them completely, when watering it compacts and decreases its volume. Fill them to the top completely, leaving only one centimeter so that the water does not run out when watering. When it comes down, you can fill it up or add compost if necessary.
  • Sow directly the seeds in the substrate. There are species that need it this way, but others require prior germination in the nursery. Check the requirements of each vegetable. In our search engine you can find many of them. And we will add more.
  • Plant more than one plant per pot. Again we will have to consult the space needs of the species in the pot size chart (most of them need their pot on their own) and the grow associations in the table about it so that they do not compete for nutrients, but collaborate in their creation and consumption. There are plants that will need all the space for them.
  • In any case, you can on request our blogput in the search engine «macetohuerto» and you will see all the posts about it: sowing, transplanting, germination, containers, irrigation, tools, substrate, fertilizers…. I hope it helps you!

Further information: The flowerpot,  november crop calendar, measurements of the pots according to the crop, grow tables, crop associations, substrate types, Let’s sow: tools and accessories

Source: Naughty