Getting Your Garden Growing

This is the time of year to get your garden ready for growing - and for planting the early stuff.

Here in coastal BC, you can already plant broad beans, peas, lettuce, kale, spinach and Swiss chard. They can go direct in the garden as seeds  You can also put out plants for brassicas (broccoli, cabbage) or direct sow them as well.

If you have little in the way of actual garden, say if you live in an apartment with a balcony, you can still have fresh veggies.  Just make sure the pots are a good size, as otherwise you will water twice a day.



If you want to create your own self-watering pot it is pretty easy to do. You can either use a food grade bucket or a Rubbermaid Rough neck bin.



Cut the lid of either just in from the edge.  On the roughneck there is a handy line down from the edge that is perfect.  You want it so fit in the bottom of the container up about two inches, fairly snugly.  Drill many 1/4 to 1/2 inch holes in your piece of lid.

Get a pot and cut a whole in the piece of lid for that to fit through as well. You will also need a piece of PVC pipe  that is as long as the depth of the container plus a couple of inches. Again cut the piece of lid so that this fits in at tone corner. So the result is a piece of plastic with a big whole for the pot (about a 4 inch round is good), a hole in the corner for the pipe and many little holes. You are just about done.



Now get little pots, or cut more PVC into 2 to 3 inch lengths for legs. You need 8 in the bin and 4 around a bucket


You are ready for assembly – put the legs in the bottom of the container. Then put the piece of plastic in (it becomes a false floor) and put the pot in its hole. Put the PVC longer pipe down the corner. Drill one hole in the side of the container (1/4 inch) just above the false floor – this is your drain hole.

Pack the pot with dirt, quite firmly and fill the rest of the container. You will water by pouring water down the pipe until it comes out the drain hole. Water will wick up through the dirt in the put in the bottom of the container and water your plants.