Building A Salad Table and Making a 5 Gallon Self-

Watering ContainerPresented by: Kent Phillipskent.a.phillips@gmail.com

2

Maryland Master Gardeners’

Mission

To educate Maryland residents about safe, effective and

sustainable horticultural practices that build healthy gardens,

landscapes, and communities.

www.extension.umd.edu/growitGrow Your Own Food

We Can Show You HowClick on Classes TabAnd Scroll down to

Howard County

Getting Started

• A little bit of room

• Sunlight

• Salad table or 5 gallon self-watering bucket

• Growing medium

• Water

• Nutrients

• Tender loving care

Instructions

• Salad Table™ instructions can be found on the GIEI website• www.extension.umd.edu/growit • Click on the “Information Library” tab,

“Publications” and “Vegetables, Fruit and Herb Gardening”

• HG 601- Grow Your Own Greens with Salad Tables™ & Salad Boxes™

Components

• Lumber• 2 – 2 by 4s 10 feet long• 2 – 2 by 4s 12 feet long• 2 – 1 by 4s 8 feet long

• 2½ inch galvanized deck screws• 1 lb. of 1 inch aluminum or galvanized roofing nails• 3ft. by 5 ft. section of fiberglass or aluminum screen• 3 ft. by 5 ft. section of ¼ or ½ inch (cheaper)

hardware cloth• 3/8 staples for staple gun

Tools• Handsaw or circular saw• Hammer• Drill, 1/8 inch and 1/4 inch bits• # 2 Phillips bits and 8 - ¼ by 4 inch galvanized

carriage bolts• Tape measure• Square• Tin snips• Staple gun• Leather gloves• Safety goggles and hearing protection

Assembly Demonstration

• Lumber has been precut and drilled• You can have your lumber cut to length at

the store where you purchase it. Just take the dimensions.

Container Location• Minimum 6 hrs. sun for salad greens

• Access to water - water every day

• Placed on any level space

• Be careful of microclimates

• The water that drains from containers can stain concrete and wood decking

• Can put wheels on salad table to roll it around

What’s the “Dirt” on Growing Media?

• Supports plant’s root system

• Holds & supplies nutrients• Permits drainage• Needs to be light and fluffy

Growing Media

Garden Soil • Heavy• Brings in weed seeds and soil diseases• Doesn’t drain well in containers

Commercial Soil-Less Mixes• Excellent

• Lightweight• Drains well• Holds water and nutrients• Proper pH

• Examples of soil-less mixes are: ProMix™, ReddiEarth™, Jiffy Mix™, and Sunshine Mix™

Stay Away From• Top soil• Planting soil• Planting mix• Potting soil• Mixes

• containing sedge peat, wood mulch or bark fines

• that are heavy or gritty• have very fine particles

Adding Compost to Media• Highly recommended• Adds additional slow release nutrients• Increases water and nutrient holding

capacity of media• May have to add perlite to lighten mix

• If you don’t have compost, LeafGro™ is the next best commercially available product.

Media MixturesSome good media mixtures for container vegetables are:

• 90% compost or LeafGro + 10% perlite

• 100% soil-less mix

• 50% soil-less mix + 50% compost

Happy Roots

• Watering needs vary depending on• container size and depth• ambient temperature• wind• sunlight• humidity• type of plant and its size

• Media in container should be kept moist at all times but not soggy

• Most containers will need to be watered daily in the summer• Use a water breaker or watering can for soft flow• Use your finger to test container moisture

Fertilizers• Containers require regular fertilization• Using water soluble fertilizers

• Good rule of thumb is every two weeks for water soluble fertilizers

• Immediately available to plants• Organic varieties are ready available• How much and how often depends

• Using slow-release (granular) fertilizer• Inorganic such as Osmocote• Organic – blood meal, worm castings,

etc.• Always follow label instructions• Excess fertilizer can harm and stunt plants

What Can I Grow In A Salad Table• Depends on the depth of the growing media

• 4 inch sides – salad greens• 8 - 12inch sides – snap beans, beets, short carrots , onions,

scallions, large herbs (basil, thyme, parsley, etc.)• Remember that deeper salad tables will get

very heavy when wet

5 Gallon Self-Watering Bucket

• Instructions can be found on the GIEI website• www.extension.umd.edu/growit • Click on the “Information Library” tab,

“Publications” and “Vegetables, Fruit and Herb Gardening”

• HG 600 - Container Vegetable Gardening: Healthy Harvests from Small Spaces 

Components

5- gallon plastic bucket and lid (food grade, most often ). Bakeries, delis, and restaurants will often give them away.

7.5-inch section of 4-inch diameter perforated drain tile or used 4-inch pots6-inch section of ½ O.D. plastic tubing1 ½ inch wood or decking screwelectrical tapeempty 1-gallon milk jug

Tools

• Saber saw or tin snips• Drill, 5/16 inch and 1/2 inch drill bits, utility

knife, hacksaw• Safety goggles and hearing protection

Assembly Demonstration

• Top has been cut down and holes drilled in lid and bucket

Gypsy PepperSnow Crown Cauliflower

Examples

Container Depth Matters

• Match container depth to plant size

• 4-6 inches: greens, small herbs• 8-12 inches: beans, beets, large

herbs• 1-3 gallons: green onions, chard• 4-5 gallons: bush cucumber,

eggplant, beans, broccoli, patio tomato, pepper

• 15 gallon full size tomato

Planting Time• No pebbles, gravel, or rocks unless you need the weight

to prevent tipping. • Cover drainage holes with fiberglass screen or other

material • Thoroughly work water into the growing medium• Fill container to inch or so of top of container.• Don’t compact media• Follow seed packet directions for planting, spacing, and

care.• Plant seedlings (except tomatoes) at same level as they

were growing in pot or six-pack. • Tomatoes can be planted deeper, for stronger root

growth.

Keep those plants growing!• Succession plant – spring - lettuce or

spinach, summer - pepper , beans or cucumbers fall -kale, lettuce or broccoli raab to finish out the season. Don’t forget to continue to fertilize each crop!

• Trellis tall or climbing plants• indeterminate tomatoes• pole beans• cucumbers

• Move plants around if containers are portable to maximize sunlight (for heat-loving crops) and shade (for summer-grown salad greens).

Planting & Care

• Container grown plants are subject to the same insect and disease problems as garden grown plants, but container gardeners tend to have fewer soil related problems.

• The biggest causes of plant problems are lack of water and nutrients, and overcrowding. Plants can also suffer root rot from too much water, especially if the growing mix does not drain well.

• Go to plantdiagnostics.umd.edu and click on vegetables.

Diagnosing Plant Problems

Season’s End• Discard the plant and soil from the pot. • Do not reuse the same soil for a second season

– Infected soil or mix will spread disease into the second season unless it is properly composted

– Properly composted planting media can be reused.• Store pots to prevent freeze damage

This program was brought to you by

Maryland Master Gardener Program

Howard County

University of Maryland Extension