Five Container Veggie Gardening Mistakes to Avoid

So you want to grow your own vegetables in containers? Good for you! This rewarding and beneficial hobby has so much to offer our bodies and minds. Whether you are just starting or have been container gardening for awhile, it's always good to remind yourself of best practices...And what better way to avoid common mistakes than to learn from the ones others have made?

Let's look at some of the most common container veggie gardening mistakes so we can be sure to avoid them!

Overwatering

Overwatering may very well be the top reason why container plants die. There are three common reasons behind this trend:

* Not knowing how often to water plants. For novices, just follow this simple rule of thumb: resist the urge to water your plant if its soil is not dry. Use a moisture meter to be more accurate about when you need to water your plants.

* Not watering plants the right way. Some plants need to be watered lightly on a frequent basis. Others need to have their soil dry out completely before being soaked with water. Knowing your plants' watering needs will go a long way to keeping them happy and healthy.

* Not making sure the pots have enough drainage holes. It is absolutely crucial that your vegetable gardening containers have enough drainage holes to let the water drain out easily. Either purchase pots that already have holes in them, or drill 2-3 holes on the bottom of the pot, yourself. It is also a good idea to mix some sand in with your potting soil, which makes the soil looser and easier for water to drain through.

Underwatering

On the flip side, underwatering is another usual suspect for unhealthy container veggies. Although you never want the soil to be soggy, keep in mind that in a container there is less soil and therefore moisture escapes more quickly.

The first defense is to know your plants' individual watering needs. Then group plants with the same watering requirements together. Lastly, make it a daily habit to check soil moisture. It should never feel extremely dry. There is a handy tool called a "moisture meter" than can take away the guesswork.

Not Ensuring Your Plants Get Enough Light

Every type of plant has its own light requirements. Make sure your plants get the minimum amount of light they need for growth. This is especially true with vegetable container gardening. Rotate your plants so they get their share of sunlight regularly and on all sides.

If you are growing your container vegetable garden indoors and you have less than 6 hours of direct sunlight, you may want to install an artificial lighting setup.

If you are only growing low light vegetables like radishes or lettuce indoors, simple fluorescent growing lights should be enough. If you want a full grown fruiting tomato plant, on the other hand, you might need HID growing lights, such as high pressure sodium or metal halide to provide the light requirements needed. Know your plants' foot-candle requirements and purchase a light meter if possible.

Using Outside Garden Soil for Container Veggie Gardening

No matter how rich your garden soil is you should not use it for indoor vegetable gardening or any kind of container gardening. Soil from outside may contain bacteria and can harbor diseases which may prove more difficult to control in a closed environment. You might also end up bringing pests and weeds into your home garden even before you even started planting.

Use special container gardening or potting soil. This will be more sterile than outdoor soil and contain a more appropriate pH balance. Try to get a high quality potting soil containing compost.

Forgetting About Companion Planting

Yes, even though they are in containers, plants should still be grouped together according to light, water and - if growing an indoor garden - temperature and humidity preferences.

And if you are growing several plants together in the same container, there is more to think about than how their foliages complement one another. You need to know if they are mutually beneficial or detrimental to one another.

With a little research you can learn which plants grow well together and which don't, to ensure a happy and harmonious indoor container veggie garden.

To learn more about Container Vegetable Gardening in small spaces and Indoor Vegetable Gardening, sign up for the FREE Mini Course "Indoor Gardening Success" at http://www.ContainerGardeningCenter.com.

Becky Sheldon is a container and indoor gardening expert and enthusiast who wants everybody to be able to grow their own delicious food, no matter where they live!

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The 5 Biggest Mistakes People Make When Building a Wine Cellar and How to Avoid Them

We all know that wine needs to be cellared correctly so that it matures as the winemaker intended. The problem is that many cellars are built without the proper insulation, equipment or technical knowledge needed to do the job properly.

So, what are the biggest mistakes people make when building a cellar?

Mistake number 1 - Assuming underground cellars will be cool all year round

The mere mention of an underground wine cellar conjures up images of the wine 'caves' of Europe. These traditional cellars are fully subterranean and are often meters under the earth. This is not the case with most modern underground cellars.

Many people assume that underground cellars are naturally cool. In reality, the opposite is often true. In summer, and especially if the the cellar has a concrete ceiling, these spaces can become 'hot boxes' and the result is cooked wine. These cellars then become cooler in the winter months, and it is this variation in temperature that is detrimental to wine.

Mistake number 2 - Not using correct/any climate control equipment

Installing a conventional air conditioner in your cellar is a major mistake. Air conditioners won't consistently keep the temperature low enough and they don't even address humidity issues. Ideal cellaring temperature for all wine is 14 degrees, plus or minus one degree, whilst humidity needs to be between 65% and 75%. If air humidity is too low, this inevitably leads to corks drying out, letting in air and oxidising the wine. If air humidity is too high, you get label mould. Needless to say, storing wine in a cellar without any type of climate control equipment comes at a great risk.

The solution here is to install proper climate controlled equipment like a cellar conditioner that can maintain the low temperature and high humidity required to cellar wine correctly.

Mistake number 3 - Not insulating your cellar correctly

Too often cellars are poorly insulated, or simply aren't insulated at all. A cellar must be properly insulated with the right type of material. This allows the cellar conditioner to function efficiently, therefore reducing the amount of energy used. Insulating is easy and inexpensive if installed at the beginning of construction, but can be very costly if it has to be corrected or added later.

Mistake number 4 - Poor choice of door

Another common mistake is when the cellar door is chosen simply for its aesthetic appeal. The cellar door needs to be technically correct and made of the proper material to provide an air tight seal and good insulation; otherwise all the good work is lost. In saying this, the door should also be in keeping with the total look of the cellar and it is quite tricky to get all this right.

Mistake number 5 - Poor Wine Racking

A lot of people spend a lot of money on racking that looks great but it doesn't function properly, isn't user friendly and doesn't take a wine collector's changing needs into consideration. As a result, people become quite frustrated with their cellar.

Wine racking needs to have the right mix of storage solutions that cater to different bottle and case sizes as well as current and future wine buying styles. There are a myriad of wine racks available at various price points but there is a lot more to it than initially meets the eye. Getting the balance right between the appearance of the racking, convenience, space optimisation and budget is one of the key challenges when faced with selecting wine racking and you need to deal with someone who carries a broad range so that all these issues can be addressed.

Other considerations

There are other important issues such as wine friendly lighting, appropriate flooring, adequate airflow and ventilation, flood prevention, and other technical aspects but we've covered the top 5 above. The solution here is to get professional advice on your wine cellar. If you engage a professional early on in the project, you'll overcome a lot of problems and have the dream cellar you've always wanted.

If you're after the world's leading wine fridge, building a wine cellar, or sourcing wine racks MacPhee's has everything you need.

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