Cabbage is my most favorite vegetable,which I really love to eat. I have been thinking about growing it in the containers, then came this and this post from geekgardener which inspired me grow it and grow it his way.
All the steps are almost similar as GG has described. The tank nipple fitted an inch above the bottom really works well for the soilless media. All the plants I have grown this way tend to do better than the ones which grow in bottom drained containers. I have adopted this method and all my new planters are like this.
At this point I had applied an additional dose of nitrogen as the formation of the cabbage was very slow, and I think that did the trick.
I never had to apply any pesticide through out the life cycle of this crop.
The taste was awesome and the difference is clear from the ones which I get from the market.
Though this was grown in winters the post took months to come, I am really lazy about writing posts.
Thanks GG for inspiring me and many others to take up vegetable gardening.
Tags: cabbage in containers, soilless
Fungardener's Blog 
May 16, 2010 at 4:07 am |
This is awesome. Look at the size of the cabbage. I am sure it touched 1kg mark. Yours look much better than what I grew and it didn’t start cracking which is a good thing.
Great work!
gg
May 16, 2010 at 6:24 pm |
Thanks GG, this variety (Golden Acre) has few outer leaves. That difference is visible from your pics. You could try this or some other variety along with the one which which you tried last time. we could compare the results and prbably find out the reason of cracking.
-FG
July 26, 2010 at 2:18 am |
FG,
Sure thing. I got hold of Golden Acre seeds now and I am ready to sow :). I have earliana and golden acre. Lets see who wins :D.
gg
May 18, 2010 at 5:11 am |
Awesome!! thats a hugeeeeee cabbage indeed!
how long did it take from germination to harvest? 🙂
May 18, 2010 at 6:04 pm |
Hi,
Thanks! It was really huge and was cooked half – twice. It was around 100 days worth wait till harvesrt.
I saw your blog, its really good.
All the very best for your cabbage and tomatoes.
Happy Gardening.
-FG
May 18, 2010 at 11:37 pm |
This is quite a treat. And, if it tastes as good as it looks, it’s Bon Appetite!
May 19, 2010 at 5:29 pm |
Hi,
Thanks for stopping by. Oh Yes it was delicious. 🙂
-FG
June 8, 2010 at 6:38 am |
Hey FG,
Great cabbages!! Just few queries FG, what is tank nipple and what purpose does it serve? Where do I get to buy it and do I have to buy specific pots which have a facility for this?
Regards,]
Shubha
June 8, 2010 at 8:45 am |
Thanks,
You see the protruding nozzle in the third pic above is called tank nipple/nozzle which is available in the h/w shops costing around 5-10 Rs. You could also use tank joint costing around 15-20 Rs.
The hole made at around 1’ above the bottom of the container serves as a reservoir and the soilless media which is used for growing has excellent wicking and water retention properties hence the excess water sits in the bottom and then slowly gets absorbed by the media as and when required.
The nozzle serves the purpose of recollecting the water, which could be re used.
If you don’t want to reuse you could just keep the hole as it is without attaching the nipple. However you will need to put some mesh from inside the container covering the hole to stop the media from draining out.
Happy Gardening.
-FG
June 8, 2010 at 8:50 am |
Sorry, I missed one of your question. The pot used above is the waste bucket of around 10 ltr which costs around Rs. 20. However any plastic container could be used, I use the empty edible oil containers of 15 ltr. Specially for growing indeterminate tomatoes, and they work great for me. For making holes I use a 1/2” drill bit, but soldering iron / hot screw driver could also be used to cut the ½” diameter home (be careful in doing these things)
-FG
June 14, 2010 at 8:51 am |
Thanks FG,
I will try doing this…Btw last time you had mentioned that you had Juhi in your flowergarden…Do they require any specific care for sunlight /water/ fertilizer. I recently got a Juhi and Yellow champaca to add to my garden and I am yet to repot it.
Lastly, the tank nipple can be attached to my already existing pots without emptying the plant and soil right?
June 15, 2010 at 6:14 pm |
Hi,
Juhi and other flowering plants do not need much care, as they are dormant most of the year, pests are also not interested in them much. But before the flowering starts if you provide proper fertilizers the bloom, and fragrance will be better.
The only care you need to take is related to potting and repotting, if you are using soil as media you must change it every year in Dec-Jan, if you are using soilless media you don’t need to change it but roots grow very fast in that media and plant can become root bound, so taking it out of the container and trimming the roots would help. During the same time of the year add some compost and bone meal. Which will encourage new growth and induce flowering. You could also start using water soluble fertilizer once the leafy growth starts, and changing the NPK rations according to the stages of growth.
Attaching the tank nipple to existing (if bottom drained) containers would not help as the water will flow out from the bottom. You have to have a container which does not have holes in the bottom. Also that method is very useful for the plants which require a lot of water specially vegetables.
My Juhi is in full bloom these days, its really nice to see the flowers dropped in the night in my balcony. Drop at : gardeningfun@gmail.com will send you some pics.
Happy Gardening
-FG
June 20, 2010 at 5:41 am |
Acquired sound knowledge of terrace gardening much elated reading queries and replies.
July 7, 2010 at 2:55 am |
Hi FG,
Just had a query. Where did you get the pink radish seeds from? I have tried at several places but have not got any. Most have the white radish seeds.
Regards,
Shubha
July 7, 2010 at 3:58 am |
Hi Shubha,
I do not exactly remember from where I had purchased, however I’ll let you know the name of the seed company which packaged it, you could also try searching at online shopping sites, and if nothing works, let me know, I can share them.
Did you receive the snaps which I had sent you?
-FG
July 7, 2010 at 7:59 am |
Hi FG,
Thanks for the info n really kind of you to offer to share the seeds. You can let me know the brand later. Btw does sutton seeds take order on the phone or do you buy it from some nursery?
Yeah, saw the pics n they were wonderful:)…Wanted to reply back with some of my plant pics as well. Have been just lazy to transfer them to the comp.Will do that today…Thanks again
Regards,
Shubha
July 7, 2010 at 4:16 pm |
Hi,
The seed companies are Pocha seeds and Pahuja seeds (http://pahujaseeds.com/index_files/Catlogue.htm) you can contact them and find out the dealers in your area. I could not find pocha seeds mumbai contact.
I purchased Suttons from a garden shop here those were Suttons UK seeds, their address in India is : http://suttonseedsindia.com/
-FG
July 23, 2010 at 7:23 am |
Hi FG,
It is always pleasure to go through your blog and GG’s blog. Whatever small gardening i do, because of you people..
Thanks for such informational post.. Keep it up…
– Vinayak Naidu
July 23, 2010 at 9:29 am |
Thanks for stopping by Vinayak.
and Happy Gardening!
-FG
February 21, 2011 at 12:59 pm |
hey buddy….
longtime no updates ????