Organic Gardening

[AlexandraL]

I'm trying my hand at growing a few vegetables, namely bell peppers and tomatoes and am pretty excited about it. I have to grow them in pots on my patio because I don't have a yard.

When I was picking out the plants I asked the garden shop the rep recommended I use Miracle Gro potting mix or some other brand that had plant food and other to ward off bugs. I opted for plain old potting mix and soil without. I planted them a few weeks ago and so far so good. No fruit yet but I'm hopeful. My neighbor keeps insisting that they won't do well without some type of plant food.

For those of you that grow your own, do you use fertilizers/plant foods? If not, how successful have you been in growing healthy fruit/veggies? What about bugs? I don't mind a few bugs but how do you ensure they don't devour your plants?

I'm knew at this and would appreciated any guidance!

[jodi f.]

Hi Aly,

Congratulations on this new project. I suggest a box of organic fertilizer. Plants in pots will definitely leach all nutrients out of that little bit of soil pretty quickly. A blend of naturally occurring nutrients, mixed in the right proportions for vegetables, will produce healthier plants, more and better fruit, fewer bug problems, and produce with a higher level of nutrients. Don't use MiracleGro anything. It's all synthetic. Not what you want.

I'm not sure what pests you might encounter where you are with the peppers. For the tomatoes, be on the lookout for tomato hornworms. If your plants start to look like something's eating them quickly, check the leaves thoroughly. They're hard to see at first because their coloration blends so well with the plants, but once you see them, you can't miss them. They're big, they're green, they've got horn-like projections, and they're creepy. You control them the old fashioned way: squish 'em.

It's more likely you'll get plant diseases than bugs. You might want to pick up a photo guide to help you diagnose nutrient deficiencies and diseases. These can be very helpful. Organic Gardening magazine puts one out, and I'm sure there'll be things online to help you.

Bon appetit!

[AlexandraL]

Green with horn-like projections, oh my! Let's hope they decide to leave my tomatoes alone because I'm not sure I would have the courage to squish them!

I'll check online to see what I can find on diagnosing disease and bugs and will head over to the nursery today for some organic fertilizer.

Thanks so much for the info!

[nancyb621]

I hope your gardening went well last summer and that you are excited to continue. I love to garden and find that companion planting is an excellent way to manage pests in an organic garden. Borage is an inhibitor for hornworms. So plant a few borage plants with your tomatoes and you should have fewer hornworms eating your tomato plants. Happy gardening!

[AlexandraL]

Hi Nancy,

It went very well and I'm in the process now of preparing for this year's "harvest"! It went so well that in addition to the  tomatoes and peppers, I got bold and planted cucumber and eggplant as well. I had the most beautiful little cucumbers and eggplants.  What a wonderful thing to be able to grow your own vegetables even with living in a city and having to do it in pots.

I was fortunate that I didn't have any hornworms or other bugs - beginner's luck, maybe-  but I like the idea of a borage plant and plan on getting one as you recommend.

Thank you so much writing!

[Marlina E]

Borage is awesome and the little blue flowers are wonderful to decorate salads and you can even freeze them in ice cubes for fancy drinks!  It's a healing plant as well...even though it is an annual, they self-seed every year!