Be it a pot, tub, shipping container or the drum of a dismantled dryer machine, container gardening in Haines can be an appealing option for new gardeners, those who lack space or gardeners with back or knee ailments.
“They work really well because you don’t have to bend over so much and the soil gets warmed a lot faster because it’s above ground,” 70-year-old lifetime gardener Melissa Aronson said.
Aronson filled the 2-foot-high tub of a dismantled dryer machine from the Haines Recycling Center with three-quarters of soil and rocks at the bottom.
She grows perennial chives, blueberries, honeyberries, carrots, beets, turnips, broccoli, cauliflower- “Need I go on?” – Aronson quipped.
To trap heat and keep out unwanted critters, Aronson covers the tubs with cloth-like material, called remay.
Lindsay Johnson and Graham Kraft have used container gardens on their boat while they troll for a month at a time in the summer. They plant in a fish tote and a plywood box that sit on the top of the wheelhouse, Johnson said.
“We grow a mix of greens like lettuce and kale,” Johnson said. “Last year we grew one giant radish. It’s nice to have something fresh when we’re out for a month or longer at a time.”
Leah Wagner, co-owner of local Alaska seed company Foundroot, said that contained gardening caters to those who are space-restricted. “If you lack a garden space to work in and still want to grow some food, container gardening allows you to play with placement and therefore you can increase heat and shelter,” she said.
Wagner warned that the biggest faux pas in container garden is planting seeds too close together and restricting growth potential. She recommends long rectangular pots with a minimum of six inches of depth and about an inch and a half between seeds, depending on the crop. For tomatoes, she said a five-gallon bucket will best serve their extensive root system.
“For fresh eating for the summer months, greens are going to be the easiest thing,” Wagner said. She recommends growing a summer garden of arugula, kale, herbs and edible flowers. “If you’re feeling really sassy, maybe some radishes and scallions.”