I'll be honest, I'm new to this whole gardening thing but LOVE learning how to make my garden BOUNTIFUL!
I primarily use containers for my garden. 1) I'm obsessed with self watering containers...and when I get obsessed it's a bit OCD! 2) I like using random objects to plant in...there is something gratifying with getting a flower to sprout up in an old rubber boot.
One major lesson I learned with container gardens is to use 'container soil' or 'potting soil'. Soil from your yard is a big NO NO! It compacts in containers and doesn't provide your plants with the much needed air and water circulation. The roots then become water logged and your plants will die.
So I decided to make my own!! It simply wasn't gratifying enough to buy a bag at the store...I wanted to do it myself! And that's the theme these days isn't it...do it yourself. There were so many choices for potting soil and price ranges. I could not get a good indication on which one was the best and which ones didn't have any unnecessary additives.
DO IT YOURSELF container soil: -(1) 20 qt. bag of mature, high-quality compost. (hint: make your own, it's free!) -(1) 20 qt. bag of homemade or ready-made planting mixture consisting of; sphagnum peat (or coir), vermiculite (or perlite), and limestone.
Compost has all the key ingredients for your soil. The peat/vermiculite/limestone additions are helpful for retaining water, lightening the soil (not too heavy), and assisting with air and water circulation. I cannot stress how important air and water circulation is to the roots of your plants. The compost provides all the basic nutrients which are drawn into the roots via the air/water holes created by your planting mixture.
I'm a graphic kinda gal. So here are images and a little description on the 'ingredients' inside your container soil.
Compost: "Black Gold"...this stuff is GOOD. Yum. Start making it yourself and you'll knock one key ingredient off your shopping list!
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Sphagnum Peat: Peat is great for retaining water and air. Here is where you make a critical decision. Peat is partially decomposed remains of centuries old sphagnum moss. It is typically harvested from ancient bogs in Canada. It is suggested for use in container gardens because it doesn't hold too much water that your container garden may become water logged. Peat is also very acidic and the addition of limestone is to counteract the acidic levels of peat. Peat decays very slowly and adds little nutrition value. The alternate is Coir (see below), and it is a bit more ecologically sound. If you have a self watering container, I'd suggest going with peat due to the high chances of coir retaining too much water.
OR
Coir: Coir is recycled coconut husks. Used for the same reasons as peat but a bit more ecologically sound since it is harvested from a renewable resource (although slowly renewable). It comes in compressed bricks which are soaked in warm water. The other downside to coir is it obviously is not a local resource.
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Vermiculite: Made from mica rock. The ore is heated, causing it to expand and thus creating small holes in it for air and water. Great at holding air and water while also providing potassium, calcium and magnesium. Vermiculite has a neutral PH.
OR
Perlite: Made from volcanic rock that is crushed and screened, then heated to cause the particles to expand. Perlite holds water on its surface and keeps the soil light and fluffy. It adds no nutritional value and is PH neutral.
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Limestone (dolomitic or calcitic): A source of calcium added to the mix to counteract the acidity of peat moss. In addition to calcium, dolomitic limestone contains magnesium.
I'll put together an organic fertilizer post! Maybe throw in a worm tea post as well....doubly delicious!
I have a great gardening box concept that I've based the garden roof design on. It's called a wicking garden and is similar to an 'earthbox' but constructed for a large growing area versus a small container box.
The concept is based on the idea that if you water your plants from below near the roots, less water has a chance to evaporate from the surface of the soil. Therefore you water your garden LESS but reap the benefits of a healthy, abundance of produce due to the plants having access to a more constant water supply and nutrients.
When plants transpire above the soil level they also essentially 'suck' at the root level, bringing in nutrients and water to the root system. The roots essentially 'wick' up the water that is held in a separate reservoir.
The layering of elements are important in order to keep the roots dry to prevent rot while keeping a constant supply of water. I have a small sketch below that will give you an idea of the layers.
Starting from the bottom of your chosen container (ie: the wood enclosure of the garden roof on the Kippen House chicken coop)
plastic or pond liner. I suggest a heavy duty 6 mil plastic liner. Pond liner is the best but is expensive. You are essentially lining your garden container to create a pond! You actually want to keep the water in versus draining from below like you would traditionally do.
perforated pvc piping. Next you will lay a perforated pvc pipe along the bottom of your container garden. One end of the horizontal pipe should be capped off and attach an elbow piece and pipe to the other end to form the vertical piece. This vertical piece should be cut to the height of your container garden. This is where you water your garden! The water will travel down to the horizontal pipe and provide water to the water reservoir you will create next.
rock. The water reservoir depth is somewhat dependent on the size of your container garden. I think perforated pvc pipe typically comes in a 3" diameter, so this would be a good depth to start with and see how often you end up watering and how your garden responds to it. If you use a 3" pvc pipe, then add 3" of rock. I've heard of some people using packing peanuts in lieu of rock. The idea is you want some 'structure' here to hold up the soil above but also allow water to be contained in this space.
overflow drain. Locate your overflow drain at the top of the water reservoir. You do not want standing water in your soil area as this could rot your roots if they are constantly submerged in water. You will also know when to stop watering your reservoir when you see water coming out of your overflow drain. If you find soil escaping through the drain you might want to try to cover the drain with burlap or landscape fabric to keep sediment from escaping.
burlap or landscape fabric. Lay burlap or landscape fabric over your entire container bed (over the rocks). This layer is very important as it keeps you soil from settling into the water reservoir section, is somewhat permeable to allow the plant roots to wick up water and also keeps your roots from growing into your water reservoir. If you had a perennial type plant growing in the container garden, it may break through the burlap or landscape fabric over the years, so check periodically.
soil. I suggest a mixture of soil that is appropriate for a container garden. You want something that is full of nutrients, lightweight, able to hold water and air efficiently and doesn't lend itself to quick evaporation. I like to use (1) 20-quart bag of manure, high quality compost with (1) 20-quart bag of homemade or ready-made planting mixture containing sphagnum peat, vermiculite or perlite, and limestone. If you go the route of ready-made planting mix choose the one that has a more even mix of the ingredients listed above. Opt out of the ones that contain additives to increase water retention (hydrogels) as they will make the mix waterlogged for this application.
plants. Plant away and watch your plants thrive! Remember to water periodically through the vertical pipe that feeds water to the reservoir. You will begin to learn how often (or not often) you have to water due to the water not evaporating from your soil.
This is the first year I have tried the wicking garden. All this information is from doing a lot of research on the concept and learning from other people's trial and errors. If you have any suggestions feel free to comment! This by all means is not the ONLY approach, but a refined approach for the application I am using it for.
I will put together a more photographic tutorial soon! Subscribe to my blog to keep updated!
Kippen House is a joining of my dutch heritage and love of modern, dutch design with my curious interests in homesteading and urban farming. All in the form of urban garden chicken coops!
Check out theKippen House Swag! Everything from t-shirts to coffee mugs to canvas totes! Any graphic you see can be applied to any product. Just contact me for your request!
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