Daulaht — container gardening for edible plants | daulaht.com
A numbered first-planting procedure for edible container plants, from filling the pot to the first harvest.
The easiest edibles to start in containers are the ones that tolerate a restricted root zone and a steady watering rhythm. Leaf lettuces, spinach, and most culinary herbs lead that list because they grow quickly and forgive an occasional missed watering.
Fruiting plants such as compact tomatoes and chillies are a good second step, not a first one. They need more volume and more consistent moisture, so they belong in a 45 cm tub once you have a watering habit you trust.
The procedure below works for any of the easy edibles. It assumes one clean container, a potting mix, and a watering can.
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Step one: place about 5 cm of coarse material at the base of the container so the drainage hole stays clear. Step two: fill with potting mix to about 2 cm below the rim. Step three: settle the mix by tapping the sides, not by pressing.
Step four: make a hole slightly deeper than the seedling's root ball, set the plant in, and firm the mix gently around it. Step five: water thoroughly until a little runs out of the drainage hole. Step six: place the pot where it gets several hours of light and where you will walk past it daily.
Typical failures at this stage are a pot that is too small for the plant, a blocked drainage hole, and watering in small daily sips instead of a thorough soak when the top 2 cm of soil is dry.
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