1. Gardening in small places
• Angela O‟Callaghan, Ph.D.
• Area Specialist
• Social Horticulture
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AA/EO

2. What do you want
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3. Definitions
Photosynthesis Plant takes water Takes place Requires
and carbon dioxide only in light energy
and creates sugar.
Respiration Plants breaks down Takes place in Gives off
sugar into carbon light and in energy
dioxide and water dark
Transpiration Plants carry water Pull from the Keeps plants
from soil through leaves delivers upright
leaves. Nutrients water and
are dissolved in nutrients
water

4.  Light:
Amount
Duration
Direction
 Nutrient levels
 Water (precipitation or irrigation)
 Day temperature
 Night temperature
 Protection from Pests:
insects
weeds
disease 2/25/2013 4

5. Patio gardener‟s tool kit
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6. Before starting, answer the following
• Easy access to water?
• How many hours of sunlight does the area
receive?
• From what direction is the light?
• What is the level of time, strength &
interest?
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7. Getting started
 Often easiest to start annuals from
seed.
 Can be planted in a tray or in peat
pellets (dry out too quickly?) .

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10. Starting seeds
indoors
Can be more or
less of a
production
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11. • Do not use field soil
• Use potting mix (peat moss, perlite, vermiculite,
nutrients)
• Seed per package directions
• Maintain moisture
• Temperature – Key
 Too high, spindly plants that dry out quickly
 Too cool, promote disease
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12. • Root system will
develop before top
growth.
• Roots must be
clean and healthy
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13. .
• Transplant seedlings after true leaves have
formed
• NEVER pull or handle the transplant by the
stem (throat)
• Exercise care not to destroy roots

14. Plants that have large seeds tend to be
less successful as transplants
– Beans
– Corn
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15. • We have small yards or patios
• We want a lot out of a small space
• We must resist the temptation to crowd so
much together that we make the plants
unhappy and ourselves crazed.

17. • Hardy, even frost tolerant
• Seeds germinate at lower temperature
• Root systems shallower
• Plants smaller
• May be susceptible to bolting if - too cool or
too warm for too long
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18. • Roots
• Tubers
• Stems
• Leaves
• Up to, not including, flowers
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19. • Must have 8 hours or more bright direct light
• Generally grow best between 70 and 80
(with exceptions)
• Most seeds will not germinate at temperatures
< 50
• Produce may suffer chilling injury at
temperatures < 50
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20. Warm season vegetables
• Flowers
• Fruits
• Seeds
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21. • Most herbs are grown either for leaves
(basil, oregano, mint) or flowers (dill)
• Many can grow as companion plants
• Some (e.g. mint) should be kept in pots to
control spread
• May be used as houseplants
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22. • Garden can be
– in the ground, well amended soil
– In a raised bed
– In a pot
– In a barrel
• It’s up to the gardener
• AS LONG AS THERE IS SUFFICIENT
DRAINAGE and FERTILITY
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23. •Unglazed clay (terra cotta)
•Glazed clay
•Plastic
•Wood
•Biodegradable material
•Large
•Small
•Sitting
•Hanging
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24. Express the gardener‟s taste
 Sophisticated
 Rustic
 Urban
 Antique
 Eclectic
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28. Not for all crops

29. Can be made of
brick, block, wood,
plastic, etc.
Can be built to
size, height
and mobility
needs of
gardener
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31. Dry faster than sitting
Smaller dry faster than
larger
Clay faster than plastic
or glazed
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32. • Insulation
• Conserves water
• Moderates heat
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33. Mulching
• Even a plant in a pot can be mulched
• Conserves water
• Keeps temperature more level
• Your choice of materials

34. • Vegetables are often grown as annuals,
although they may technically be something
else
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35. • We treat most of the vegetables we grow as
annuals, whether they are or not
• Many of our common vegetables are not
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36. • Annuals will flower and produce seeds once
before dying
• Biennials will flower and produce seeds once,
and only if they have experienced a chilling
period with short days
• The desired part of many biennial vegetables
is produced only in the first year
• Perennials can produce for several years
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37. Flowering broccoli
Flowering carrots
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39. Gardeners generally need to
increase fertility
Soluble fertilizers are
commonly used
– May be organic or
conventional
– Very convenient
– Concentrated levels of
nutrients
– In addition to NPK,
micronutrients may be present
– Potted plants – often best to
fertilize with ¼ strength with
each watering.
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40.  If you want to grow  If you want what is
organically, then usually most
conventional convenient, then
fertilizers are a no-no organic methods
might be too much of
a bother
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41. How do you water these things?
Irrigation, hose,
watering can
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44. • Ongoing fresh crop of plants
• Some plants are only used fresh
• For instance, leafy greens
• For an ongoing supply,
– time from planting to mature plant
– amount that is planted at any one time
– How long plant(s) will stay usable
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46. • Bolted
• No flowering
• No fruiting
• Tip burn
• Blossom end rot
• Fruit cracked
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47. • Premature flower stalk
production
• Plant stress
• Excess heat
• Excess cold
• Incorrect day length
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48. • Nitrogen fertilizer applied just at flowering
• Insufficient phosphorus
• High winds
• High temperatures
• Incorrect day length
• Flowering stalks pruned off (problem with
woody plants)
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49. • When leaf was first developing, shortage of
calcium reached growth point.
• Result of irregular or insufficient watering
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50. • Similar to tip burn
• Water deficiency as fruit first developed
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51. • Temperature too high, water
taken up too fast, cracks skin
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52. Summary
• Right plant in the right place
• Plant when conditions are right
• Plant in well amended soil or good mix
• Containers should be big enough
• Containers
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53. Composting in small places

54. Sawdust 100-500:1 Very high carbon!
Paper 150-200:1
Bark 100-130:1
Wheat straw 80:1
C Oat straw 74:1
Corn stalks 60:1
Leaves 40-80:1 Carbon
Fruit wastes 35:1
Horse manure 25:1 Nitrogen
Vegetable wastes 12-20:1
Grass clippings 12-25:1
ratios
Apple pomace 21:1
N Cow manure 20:1
Coffee grounds 20:1
Alfalfa hay 13:1
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Poultry manure, fresh 10:1 Very high nitrogen!
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55. TYPES OF COMPOSTING
• Pile hot
• Tumblers hot
• Bins hot
• Trench cold
• Worms cold
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56. Which is best for you?
1. How much space do you have?
2. How much biodegradable material do you
have?
3. How much compost will you need?
4. How much labor can you reasonably
perform?
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57. Hot or cold?
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58. Starting compost
1--Place a layer of coarse material several inches
thick for drainage on the ground
2--Place a layer of high nitrogen material ~3”
3--Place a layer of high carbon material ~6”
4--Place a layer of garden soil (&/or fertilizer or
“compost booster”) ~1”
5--Water thoroughly.
Repeat numbers 2 through 5
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59. Turn the pile – or not?
• Pile can be turned regularly
using a garden fork or a special
auger - Or
• Pile can be constructed, mixed
once and left to degrade slowly
- Or
• Pile can be constructed in layers
(lasagna) and left to degrade
very slowly
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60. Compost worms
• Red wigglers (Eisinia • Foodstuff ground in
foetida) gizzard
• Hungrier and tolerate • Microorganisms in worms
higher temperatures than themselves and in
„nightcrawlers‟ degrading materials also
• Very fast degrading of involved
materials • Little heat generated
• Worms eat raw materials • compost = worm castings
• May eat their own weight
daily

61. Worm bins
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62. feedstock
worms
worms
worms

63. different methods
Electric heat & regular
agitation
NOT exactly composting
http://www.naturemill.com/video_histChan.ht
ml
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65. Trench
Slower
Anaerobic microbes do
work
Bury starter material
near new garden
Add small amount of
fertilizer
C/N ration not critical
Will smell bad if opened
before complete
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66. Bokashi (anaerobic)

67. Problems to confront
• Dry air
– Always keep lightly moistened
• Hot
– Place in a shady space if possible
– Always have a cover
• Insects
• Odors
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68.  Bugs happen. They benefit compost &
help to expedite process by breaking
down starting material
 No pesticides! Can kill bugs and worms
 Decrease amount of flies and other insects
in compost by freezing starting material
before putting it in the composter
 If roaches are a big problem, put DE on
top of pile
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69.  Compost should smell like fresh soil
 Foul smells may be due to
 Anaerobic conditions – stir to add oxygen
 Too much green or large green clumps – add
some browns and stir well
 Always make the top layer of the
compost brown
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70. Not Composting???
Possible causes:
• Turned too often, heat doesn‟t generate
• Not turned often enough, process is very slow
• Too much carbon, no food for microbes
• Pile too small, microbes can‟t get established
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71. Compost tea
• A brew of compost in
water
• ~ one part compost to
five parts water
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72. Compost tea (CONT.)
Properties will vary with:
1. Starting materials
2. Length of brewing time
3. Level of aeration and stirring
• Insufficient air will cause it to go anaerobic
and smell foul
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73. Summary
Compost
• Is a terrific source of plant nutrients
• Is a source of many beneficial
microorganisms
• May control plant disease, both as compost
and tea
• Lowers the amount of organic garbage
going to the landfill.
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