Container Gardening Complete

Job:06-700309 Title: CPS - Container Gardening Complete #175 Dtp: 229 Page: 224

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Job:06-700309 Title: CPS - Container Gardening Complete
#175 Dtp: 229 Page: 225

700309 - ContainerGardens_001-272_FINAL.indd 225 6/5/17 3:15 PM

STEP 4 Space the seed potato pieces 4 to 6 in. apart and plant them about 3 in. deep into the compost/ potting soil blend. Once the seed potatoes are planted, water them well.

STEP 5 Cover this layer with 2 in. of straw. Make sure the bin stays well-watered during hot, dry weather. The potatoes should begin to sprout a week or so later. When your potato sprouts reach 4 to 5 in. in height, add another layer of newspaper around the inside of the bin. Fill this layer with the 50/50 compost/potting soil blend (or whatever mixture of organic matter you have on hand) and top with another layer of straw, covering the plants and leaving only the top-most leaves exposed.

STEP 6 As the plants continue to grow, add a third layer a few weeks later, filling the bin until the potato plants are spilling out the top. Continue to water the bin regularly throughout the growing season.

STEP 7 When the plants reach maturity, they’ll start to turn yellow and die back. Your potatoes are ready to harvest 2 weeks after the plants are completely dead. This extra time in the ground allows the skin to cure before the spuds are harvested, increasing their shelf- life. To harvest, simply unfold the wire edges until the

bin pops open. Dig through the soil and pull out the potatoes. The same wire bin can be used for many years, though you’ll have to replace the newspaper and use a fresh blend of potting soil and compost every season.

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Harvesting and Seasonal Considerations 225

Eggplants come in a surprising array of shapes, sizes, and colors. The large, dark purple eggplants found in the grocery store are by far the most common, but smaller fruited types are better suited to container culture. But regardless of which eggplants you decide to grow, knowing when they’re ripe can be a challenge. Ripe eggplants are firm and have shiny, taut skin. Pressing a finger into the skin is a great test for ripeness. If the flesh has a slight give but quickly bounces back, the eggplant is ready to harvest. The seeds of ripe eggplants should be soft and small. If they’re large and hard, you’ve waited too long to harvest. Store harvested eggplants in the fridge or, if you plan to eat them within a few days, on the countertop.

Summer squash, such as zucchini, patty- pan, and crook-neck types, are harvested while the skin is still soft. For “baby” vegetables, cut the immature fruits from plants when they’re just 1 to 2 in. long. But most elongated summer squash varieties are best picked when they’re 4 to 8 in. long, before the skin grows tough and the seeds enlarge. For patty-pan and round summer squashes, harvest when the fruits are between baseball- and softball-sized for the best flavor and smallest seeds. Summer squash last for 2 to 3 weeks when stored in a plastic bag in the fridge. Winter squash, on the other hand, is harvested when the rinds of the fruits are hard and thick and can’t be easily pierced with a push of a fingernail. Acorn, Delicata, butternut, buttercup, Hubbard, Kabocha, turban, and other winter squashes aren’t picked until the seeds are fully formed and the vines have almost died back Ripe eggplants have firm, tight skin. The flesh should completely. When harvesting, cut the fruits from have a slight give when pressed with a finger.

When growing summer squash in containers, choose a pot that holds at least 8 to 10 gallons of the 50/50 potting soil and compost blend.

Job:06-700309 Title: CPS - Container Gardening Complete#175 Dtp: 229 Page: 224 (^) Text Black Job:06-700309 Title: CPS - Container Gardening Complete #175 Dtp: 229 Page: 225

Container Gardening Complete

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