Street Corner Compost Project
the brainchild of Ami Puri

 
CONTAINER GARDENING:

Resist Government and Military Control of our Food and Medical Systems!
Let’s Grow Our Own Harvest and Share It!

Container Gardening= CREATING A MINI-ECOSYSTEM in a container

What do you need to grow a garden in a container?

1. SOIL! This is the most important part! Think of soil as a living part of your ecosystem- it is the source of life for your plants. In order to create living soil, you need to have a balance of organic material like compost, and neutral material like sand, and a source of minerals to encourage healthy microbacteria to create a home in your soil, and support the life of your plants.
Worms are also a great addition to any ecosystem- these magical creatures make soil by pooping out the dead plant matter that they eat- wow!.
Plants need vitamins and minerals, just like us. A good source of minerals is ground up seaweed. Some people also recommend bonemeal, but seaweed a vegan alternative, and is better in my opinion. Do not overdo it with the seaweed though, this can make your soil soggy and moldy. Mix a small amount thoroughly into your potting mix, it will go a long way.
Too much compost can cause rot in your container, and some plants will not do well with excessive minerals, especially perennial herbs. Just like us, plants should have vitamins in small doses, or they can get sick!
Basic Soil Recipe (for a 16inch by 12inch deep pot)
18 liters garden soil (bagged or sifted from a garden site)
4 liters coarse sand
5 liters compost
4 teaspoons seaweed meal
*modified from Herbal Remedies in Pots
Sources for soil near the Mission:
Rainbow Grocery 1745 Folsom St
Plant It Earth 2279 Market St
Hortica 566 Castro St
Flowercraft 550 Bayshore
Good brands to ask for: Black Gold, Down to Earth, EB Stone

2. WATER! But don’t overwater! Overwatering can rot the roots of your plant, which can kill your plant. Most important is to water your plant all the way through. Water should come out of the bottom of the pot when you water- this means the water is moving through and draining, instead of collecting in spots in the soil, where it can rot the plant.
Herbs: The best way to water is to soak your container all the way through, and let it dry out between waterings. Still, if your plants begin to look dry, crispy, or wilty, go ahead and water!
Veggies: Poke your finger into the soil to your first joint- if it is moist down there, hold off on watering. If it is dry, go ahead and water. Usually you will need to water at least every other day, but it will be different depending on where they are in the house.

3. HARVEST! This is very important for the health of your veggies. Harvest the bigger leaves of your veggies as much as possible, this will allow more leaves to grow back, so you can have more food! For herbs, trimming will help them grow well. Keep giving your plants haircuts for them to grow strong. Some books refer to harvesting as “grooming”, which is also a fun way to think about things. Grooming allows you to keep an eye on the health of your plants, too, and check out for any bugs and diseases. Groom at least once a week for perennials, and for annuals, check every other day!

4. FEED! As the plants grow in their containers, they will eventually need food. How often they need it varies a lot for each different kind of plant, but I will try a simple generalization.
Herbs: Once a month. Most of these don’t want to much fertilizer. If they start to grow slower or look weird soon after you feed them, drop it down to once every other month, and even less it seems like it’s not working out.
Veggies: Feed every other week. What do you feed them? Liquid seaweed/seaweed tea or compost tea. These are made by putting a cup of compost or seaweed to a gallon of water, and letting them sit for a week, stirring each day. Then strain out the compost or seaweed, dilute the tea with another gallon of water, and use this mix to feed your plants.
Remember that you are a source of food too- menstrual blood or pee diluted is also great for your plants. Dilute your pee and mentrual blood 1 part to 10 parts water. All of these feedings can make things smell funky, so be prepared for that. If you want to avoid smell all together, purchase a liquid seaweed mix at Rainbow, and follow the directions on the back This stuff is great, plants love it!

5. LIGHT AND AIR… This is a challenging part for indoor gardens. For outdoor, pick a spot that gets sun, but beware of too much sun buring or drying out your plants. All of my outdoor container plants live in part shade and do A LOT better there. Because our plants are in pots, they are more vulnerable, and too much sun can be hard on them. You will have to keep an eye on them to determine if they are getting too much sun. They will lose their color, get dry, and grow slowly. If you move them to the shade and they thrive, then you know you made a good choice! For indoor plants, find a spot where they get the most light possible. With a lot of love and care, indoor plants will do alright, do not worry too much if you are very sun-limited.
Air is almost more important than sun for indoor plants. Have them near a window that you can open from time to time so they can get air circulation. This will help them from getting mildew and other pests and diseases that can be caused by not enough air circulation. Also, plants need air to the roots. Aerate the soil by breaking up the top crust with a chopstick, poking down into the soil to loosen it. This allows air to get to the roots, which is very important for them. Do this at least once a month, and more often if it seems like the top layer of your soil is getting hard and crusty. 

6. PLANT MORE! This is important for annuals. The lives of veggies is shorter in small pots. Be prepared to replants every month to have a new harvest. Start new seeds every two weeks, so you have a rotation. This will ensure you will always have food to eat!

7. TRUST YOURSELF! Remember, the plants are your best teacher. When you start gardening, careful observation will let you know what the plant needs. You will start to recognize more about when and how much to water and when to feed as you watch the plants and their reactions to how you care for them. Plants are our food and medicine, take good care of them, give them lots of attention.

Love them, love them!
The act of gardening and caring for plants, is healing in itself.

Some veggies that do well in pots:

Leafy things, especially!

Arugula
Bok Choi
Chard
Collard
Daikon
Endive
Kale
Hot Peppers (more sun!)
Lettuce
Mizuna
Mustard
Pac Choi
Peas
Orach
Radish
Spinach
Strawberries
Tatsoi
Tomato (cherry)

Herbs:

Basil
Calendula
Cardamom (indoors, sun)
Catnip
Chives
Cilantro
Lemongrass
Lemon Balm
Lemon Verbena
Marigold
Mint
Oregano
Parsley
Rosemary
Sage
Stevia
Thyme