Am I better off planting in pots or create beds in the ground?
I live in Tucson. I’d like to plant a garden. Am I better off planting in pots or create beds in the ground which is very sandy. I don’t have irrigation for pots or a bed. Thanks.
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Hi Vworz,
You could build a raised garden bed, which allows you to use good soil that you put in, even using pallet wood, here are some ideas:
https://bonnieplants.com/library/super-easy-4-x-8-raised-bed/
https://www.goodhousekeeping.com/home/gardening/g20706096/how-to-build-a-simple-raised-bed/
http://www.penniesintopearls.com/diy-pallet-wood-raised-garden-beds/
Try pots first then you could plant this way you could figure were you want them
You could, depending on where you want to have plants, go with pots in some areas with stone or gravel beds underneath. For the larger areas you can go with raised beds so that you are able to provide plants with enough good soil for healthy root growth. You can use soaker hoses for watering the beds and a watering can or regular hose with an end that can give you the different settings to use. I actually have gallon jugs that I fill with water and allow to go to air temp before I water my potted vegetable at the side of my house. I use a hose for front planting and pots, and soaker hoses for my veggie garden that is up two steep tiered hills (I can just turn the regular hose on at the back of the house and turn it off when I have watered enough). You don't have to have an irrigation system to have gardens or plants. I do all mine with one spigot in from and one in back. The one in the back has one of those double faucet ends put on it, one for the soaker hose and one for the regular hose that I fill my jugs with, I just switch it to whichever hose I want to use at that time.
Vworz, you could put a timer on your hose and set it for the times you want to water your plants. I have heard of many people doing that. I, too water my pots that are in the sun in the morning and the evening, a lot of them are veggies and herbs. It can easily have feel like temps in the nineties to over a hundred with the humidity here in Minnesota, too. I have watered my tomatoes up to three times a day when it is really hot out, that is why I always have gallons of water nearby if necessary. I keep my jugs in a shaded spot. The water that comes out of the hose once the hot is out, is freezing cold here, that is why I let them sit before I water with them. I have watered the really big tomatoes and pepper pots up to three gallons a day, it was so hot for days in a row. If I was going to be gone for a while, I would use the timers for my veggie garden, the kids could easily water the pots for me, hopefully they would remember!
Whatever you plant will require vermiculite to retain water, as well as mulch atop soil, and if in ground, a drip irrigation system to reduce evaporation. Shade sails may be needed for some areas/plants. If your plants are in containers with casters, it will facilitate moving them. Resin planters will take heat better than clay and plastic.(dries out too quickly).
Check out this link. I ordered some of these and they worked fantastic, you just have to make sure there is water in the bottom tray. They come with the fertilizer sheet and everything. Worked really great for me for what I needed. Since using these I had a few trees taken down and have an in ground garden. Usually did very well, but this year was terrible. I'm going back to container gardening. I put them on my deck.
Sorry, here's the link: https://www.agardenpatch.com/?gclid=CjwKCAjw-dXaBRAEEiwAbwCi5sp1YdMkv13bA21FgSOADwedf23s4tP59AovGgEHV2CiWkdUzokcxRoCtl0QAvD_BwE
Thanks! I didn't think of these. My cousin uses them and likes them.