Conserve Nutrients & Moisture in your Vegetable Pots with Mulch
Shown above, a new pepper plant has been transplanted into a large pot that has some lettuce growing in it currently. This pot was mulched with grass clippings to conserve moisture (which is important in our dry Western climate) and feed the soil life.
Conserve Nutrients in your Veggie Pots:
Adding mulch to your veggie pots can help them hold onto nutrients.
Growing veggies in pots is a great way to expand your growing space. It's easy to grow peppers in pots or grow tomatoes in pots, as well as herbs, beans, cucumbers and more.
It's important to note that nutrients easily wash out of containers when watering. To prevent this nutrient loss, apply a 2-4" layer of organic mulch such as non-treated* grass clippings, shredded leaves or straw on top of your soil. Mulch acts as a protective blanket that slows watering, cools the soil, and prevents rapid evaporation. It also protects your potting soil's life including beneficial microbes that help feed your veggies.
It's important to note that nutrients easily wash out of containers when watering. To prevent this nutrient loss, apply a 2-4" layer of organic mulch such as non-treated* grass clippings, shredded leaves or straw on top of your soil. Mulch acts as a protective blanket that slows watering, cools the soil, and prevents rapid evaporation. It also protects your potting soil's life including beneficial microbes that help feed your veggies.
Mulch can become Fertilizer for Potted Vegetable Plants!
A huge side benefit of mulching your veggies in pots or in the ground: As organic mulch like leaves or grass clippings breaks down, it shelters and feeds soil microbes and releases essential nutrients, giving your vegetable plants a natural, healthy boost. Free mulch like leaf mold (decaying leaves) and grass clippings is a great way to supplement your vegetables' fertilization needs without spending a penny.
A huge side benefit of mulching your veggies in pots or in the ground: As organic mulch like leaves or grass clippings breaks down, it shelters and feeds soil microbes and releases essential nutrients, giving your vegetable plants a natural, healthy boost. Free mulch like leaf mold (decaying leaves) and grass clippings is a great way to supplement your vegetables' fertilization needs without spending a penny.
To conserve nutrients in your vegetable pots, mix in organic slow-release granular fertilizer at planting, mulch the surface, and water gently to stop nutrient leaching. Don't overwater – you don't want to have too much water draining out of the pots frequently, which is essentially washing away your plant's food.
Using light liquid feeds such as organic seaweed or fish fertilizers are also a good way to supplement trace elements, though they come with an odor, so don't use these on your patio plants right before you're having guests over to bbq!
Compost Core Idea:
Create a core of compost in the center of your pot, with organic matter like banana peels, coffee grounds or moist crushed leaves. The soil life will decompose the material, creating a natural, slow-release fertilizer that feeds the roots. Mixing in some finished compost into your potting mix is also beneficial for long-term feeding.
Quick Compost Extract Idea:
If you have a compost bin, get some of the good stuff at the bottom and make a quick compost extract to water your plants.
Use a 5-gallon bucket and fill with unchlorinated water or rainwater. If using tap water, let it sit out in the sun for 24 hours to allow the chlorine to off-gas. Add 1 to 2 cups of your dark, finished compost into a porous vessel, such as a a fine-mesh paint strainer, clean burlap bag, or an old colander that you don't use in the kitchen.
Dunk the colander or strainer bag of compost in the bucket of water to shake off the beneficial organisms and dissolve nutrients. While dunking, gently massage and squeeze the bag for about 1 to 5 minutes to make the extract. This physical agitation knocks the beneficial bacteria, fungi, and protozoa off the organic matter and dissolves water-soluble nutrients, transferring them into the liquid for your garden. Remove the bag and use the resulting dark-brown compost extract liquid immediately as a soil drench around the base of your plants. Make sure to keep the soil covered with mulch always to protect this precious soil life that will break down organic matter and feed your veggies.
Using light liquid feeds such as organic seaweed or fish fertilizers are also a good way to supplement trace elements, though they come with an odor, so don't use these on your patio plants right before you're having guests over to bbq!
Compost Core Idea:
Create a core of compost in the center of your pot, with organic matter like banana peels, coffee grounds or moist crushed leaves. The soil life will decompose the material, creating a natural, slow-release fertilizer that feeds the roots. Mixing in some finished compost into your potting mix is also beneficial for long-term feeding.
Quick Compost Extract Idea:
If you have a compost bin, get some of the good stuff at the bottom and make a quick compost extract to water your plants.
Use a 5-gallon bucket and fill with unchlorinated water or rainwater. If using tap water, let it sit out in the sun for 24 hours to allow the chlorine to off-gas. Add 1 to 2 cups of your dark, finished compost into a porous vessel, such as a a fine-mesh paint strainer, clean burlap bag, or an old colander that you don't use in the kitchen.
Dunk the colander or strainer bag of compost in the bucket of water to shake off the beneficial organisms and dissolve nutrients. While dunking, gently massage and squeeze the bag for about 1 to 5 minutes to make the extract. This physical agitation knocks the beneficial bacteria, fungi, and protozoa off the organic matter and dissolves water-soluble nutrients, transferring them into the liquid for your garden. Remove the bag and use the resulting dark-brown compost extract liquid immediately as a soil drench around the base of your plants. Make sure to keep the soil covered with mulch always to protect this precious soil life that will break down organic matter and feed your veggies.
* Avoid using any grass clippings, straw or leaves that have been treated with herbicides or pesticides, as they can harm your vegetable plants and the soil life.
