By: John Olive, Retired Director, AU Ornamental Horticultural Research Center | www.MobileCountyMasterGardeners.org
Fall is the perfect season for container gardening and a great time to grow both edibles and ornamentals. Gardening activities are most often associated with spring. After a long dark winter, humans are inherently anxious for the first flush of new green growth. Unfortunately, summer comes quickly on the Gulf Coast and along with it, oppressive heat that stifles both garden and gardener. This makes fall gardening especially appealing, and containers are an easy way to garden in the fall.
Why containers? Growing in containers versus in-ground offers a good way for beginners to ease into gardening. You don’t have to break up a big garden space to be a gardener. Containers are a good way to grow fresh vegetables for the table, or to provide winter color for the deck or patio. Plants growing in containers are easier to protect from low temperatures by covering them with a box or blanket on cold nights.
Another advantage of fall container gardens is that as temperatures moderate, containers don’t dry out as fast as they do in the summer, so they require less watering. Tomatoes growing in pots in the summer sometimes require watering twice a day. In the fall, you won’t be tied down to such a watering schedule.
You can spend a little or a lot on containers. Anything from 5-gallon buckets to hand-crafted ceramic pots can be used. For most plants, a 5-gallon or larger pot is preferred, but some crops such as lettuce, herbs, and violas will grow in a shallow pot even as small as a 12” hanging basket. You can even be a container gardener by growing chives in a 4” pot!
Media. The best soil mix or growing medium for containers is one primarily composed of ground pine bark. In fact, some gardeners are successful with 100% ground or composted pine bark. Others prefer a bagged mix made up of peat moss, pine bark and other amendments. The amount of peat will determine how well it holds water. I have even seen beautiful container plantings in 100% homegrown compost. There is no one perfect mix for everyone, and it may take some trial and error to find a mix that works best for your watering schedule.
What to grow. Most crops that grow well in the fall are suitable for container gardening. Many herbs such as parsley, thyme, cilantro, mint, rosemary, and chives can grow in smaller containers. Collards, kale, and broccoli do well in 5-gallon or larger containers. As they mature, collards can become top heavy so consider using a larger or heavier pot for collard plants. One collard plant or multiple kale and broccoli can be planted per pot. Kale can be ornamental as well as edible, especially dinosaur or lacinato kale. Carrots are another crop that can be a challenge in the ground. Rocky or heavy soils are not ideal for carrots but artificial mixes in pots are perfect. Plant carrots in pots that are at least 15” deep. If you have had trouble getting a good stand of spinach in your garden, try planting them in a container. While germination and establishment of spinach can be difficult in the ground, it does very well for me in a container.
Don’t forget ornamental plantings in large containers. Marigolds are most often planted in the spring and summer, but I have found when planted in late August and September, they perform very well through the fall, often providing color into December. Pansies and violas are also good choices for fall containers and provide color into the spring.
Most vegetables, herbs, or ornamental flowers will benefit from at least 6 hours of sun and more sun is even better in the fall. A note on fertilizers for containers. Do not use standard agricultural grade fertilizers in containers. They can accumulate salts and damage roots if used in pots. Fertilize with a liquid fertilizer or a controlled release fertilizer according to the label.
Container gardening is a great option for any season but can be particularly rewarding in the fall and winter. Container plantings are easier to protect from the cold and will not dry out as quickly as in the summer. In addition, some plants are easier to manage and grow better in containers. So, if you want some fresh vegetables for the table, or some fall and winter color, try container gardening this fall.
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