Got Plastic Pots? Recycle 'em

from Star Tribune

Gardening is green, but garden waste is not. Horticultural plastic pots take up a lot of space in landfills and don't readily decompose. But they can be recycled. Just gather up all those unwanted pots, cell-pack trays and hanging baskets you've accumulated, and bring them to a participating garden center for recycling.

The Minnesota Nursery & Landscape Association has brought back its popular recycling program this season, now through Nov. 1. The plastic will be re-used after it is processed and distributed to manufacturers looking for recycled plastic.

Gardeners can drop off cleaned plastic garden pots, polystyrene cell pack trays and hanging baskets, with metal hangers removed. Only plastic pots, trays and baskets will be accepted; no clay pots or household plastic.

Some garden center drop sites will accept garden plastic all season, through Nov. 1. Participating Twin Cities metro-area centers include: Applewood Nursery & Landscape Supply (Forest Lake), Bloomingon Garden Center (Bloomington), Down in the Valley Nursery (Buffalo), Hermes Floral Garden Center (St. Paul), Linder's Garden Center (St. Paul), Lotus Lawn & Garden (Chanhassen), Malmborg's (Brooklyn Center and Maple Grove), Mickman Brothers (Ham Lake), Minnesota Green (Shakopee), Minnesota Valley Garden Center (Shakopee), Mom's Landscaping and Design (Shakopee), Mother Earth Gardens (Minneapolis), Otten Bros. Nursery and Landscaping (Long Lake), Peterson Produce (Delano), Prairie Restorations (Scandia and Princeton), the Mustard Seed (Chaska), Turtle Creek (Owatonna), Uncommon Gardens (Minneapolis) and Wagner Greenhouses (Minneapolis).

Other participating garden centers will accept plastic for recycling only on June 20-21 and Sept. 19-20. For a complete list, visit www.gardenminnesota.com.

KIM PALMER

Veggies in Pots

from: Star Tribune
Last update: May 5, 2009 - 1:14 PM

Even if you don't have a garden plot you can grow your own incredible edibles. All you need is a container, plants, patience and plenty of sun.

PICK YOUR POT• Make sure it has drain holes.
• Clean and dry it before you use it.
• Choose a pot suited to your site. Plastic is lightweight and helps retain moisture. Clay lets roots breath, but can dry out quickly in hot sun. Wood insulates from the heat, but avoid any wood that's been treated with chemicals toxic to plants. Avoid metal. It can heat up and damage plant roots.

GO BIG
When choosing a container, bigger is better. Small containers dry out quickly and plants can cause plants to become root bound.

FILL YOUR POT
Don't use garden soil. It tends to compact and can harbor insects and diseases. Buy a mix designed for containers or make your own mix of peat moss, vermiculite or perlite and completed compost.

WHEN TO PLANT
Cool-weather veggies (peas, radishes, beets, broccoli, carrots and salad greens) should be planted early in the season. Warm-weather veggies (cucumbers, peppers, tomatoes, eggplants, beans, squash and other vines) should be planted in mid- to late May. Planting too early can stunt their growth and reduce your harvest.

LOCATION, LOCATION
Most vegetables need at least six hours of sun a day. Plants that bear fruit require the most sun. If possible, pick a spot that offers some shelter from the wind.

FEED
Container-grown crops need fertilizer. Use a potting mix that contains fertilizer, mix a slow-release fertilizer into the soil when you plant or use a water-soluable fertilizer weekly. To go natural, consider using composted manure, fish emulsion, seaweed extracts or alfalfa, bone or blood meal.

WATER
Water when top inch of soil is dry. You may have to water daily while plants are developing, then twice a day when they bear fruit. Flush the soil of excess salts weekly by watering (without fertilizer) until water drains freely from the pot.

GROW UP OR OUT
Vining vegetables (cucumbers, squash, some peas and beans) can cascade over their containers or be trained to grow vertically by using stakes, a trellis or placing the pot near a railing or fence.

HOW MUCH TO PLANT
A 1-gallon pot (8 inches):
• one cherry tomato plant
• one cabbage
• one rosemary
• two Swiss chard plants
• two to three green bean plants
• two to three smaller herbs (basil, thyme, cilantro, parsley)
• four to six spinach plants or six lettuce plants
A 2-gallon pot (10 inches):
• one eggplant
• one broccoli or cauliflower
• two cucumbers
• two peppers
• four to six beets or carrots
• eight to 10 radishes
A 3-gallon pot (12 inches):
• one tomato (Patio, Jet Star, Early Girl or Celebrity are good in pots)
• one zucchini
• one summer squash

Sources: Larry Cipolla, Executive Board member of the Hennepin County Master Gardeners and chair of State Master Gardeners Advisory Board; Mary Hockenberry Meyer, professor and extension horticulturist with the University of Minnesota; University of Minnesota Extension Service.