This is especially true for myself given that my garden is on a third floor rented apartment balcony. I'm sure the people downstairs wouldn't appreciate a waterfall of water cascading down on them and the landlord wouldn't appreciate container stains on his balcony tiles due to over-watering.
Over-watering can also be a big problem in regards to the actual growing of your vegetables, as many vegetables don't like having 'wet feet'. Under-watering and irregular-watering also create their own problems. Things like mulch etc. that can be used to reduce evaporation are not appropriate in my case as they tend to blow around all over the place and make a big mess, although I have used newspaper as a type of mulch with some success.
Water management for container vegetable growing requires daily observation and adjustment to the amount of water required, especially during different stages of plant growth. Seeds and seedlings quickly dry out in containers and established plants can consume huge quantities of water per day. For example, this Reggae Roma Tomato plant in a ~15L pot at its peak was requiring up to 8L of water per day!
There are a few products on the market however that can assist the container vegetable gardener.
Rechargeable Solid Water
http://www.rechargeablesolidwater.com/introduction.htm
Rechargeable Solid Water (RSW) is a neutralized cross-linked co-polymer of partially neutralized acrylic. Upon contact with water they expand and form a gel-like suspension which by placing the charged bag next to the root zone of a plant, releases the water to meet the growth needs of the plant. Rechargeable solid water is unique because the polymers have a memory that allows the bag to be fully rechargeable by either applying water or rain.
Water Storage Crystals
http://www.bunnings.com.au/sustainability_save-water_water-storage-crystals.aspx
Rechargeable Solid Water
http://www.rechargeablesolidwater.com/introduction.htm
Rechargeable Solid Water (RSW) is a neutralized cross-linked co-polymer of partially neutralized acrylic. Upon contact with water they expand and form a gel-like suspension which by placing the charged bag next to the root zone of a plant, releases the water to meet the growth needs of the plant. Rechargeable solid water is unique because the polymers have a memory that allows the bag to be fully rechargeable by either applying water or rain.
Water Storage Crystals
http://www.bunnings.com.au/sustainability_save-water_water-storage-crystals.aspx
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| Water storage crystals act as reservoirs of water in the soil that plants can access during dry conditions. Crystals can absorb up to 400 times their weight in water and should be mixed into the soil or potting mix before planting. The plants root system will then seek these small reservoirs and penetrate the crystals. |
While being no substitute for observation, products such as these can be of great use to the container vegetable gardener especially if like me you are a shift worker who is often required to do last minute overtime at work and can't always race home to water my veggies!
AN EXAMPLE OF HOW I SET UP MY CONTAINERS
Step 2: I add enough soil to stabilise the supporting pole and a thin layer of blood and bone.
Step 1: I put in and secure the wire to hold in place the supporting pole.
Step 2: I add enough soil to stabilise the supporting pole and a thin layer of blood and bone.
Step 3: I add some more soil and then a sprinkle of 'Water Storage Crystals'.
Step 5: I add more soil, another thin layer of blood and bone and a final sprinkling of 'Water Storage Crystals'.
Step 4: I hydrate the 'Rechargeable Solid Water' bags for about 5 minutes, add some more soil and then place the hydrated bags against the sides of the container on a slight angle along with another light sprinkling of 'Water Storage Crystals'.
Step 5: I add more soil, another thin layer of blood and bone and a final sprinkling of 'Water Storage Crystals'.
Step 6: I top up my container with a final layer of soil and water thoroughly.
Step 7: I place the plant (in this case it's a Reggae Roma Tomato plant) so that is in-between the angled 'Rechargeable Solid Water' bags, add a layer of newspaper and water the paper heavily so that it wont blow away.
To follow the progress of this container you can check in as I Edit and Update my 'Reggae Roma Tomato' post.
