Growing various crops in barrels

It will be possible to equip a small vegetable garden even in a small area. To do this, you can use ordinary old barrels in which the crop will ripen even in bad weather.

This simple technology has many advantages.

1. The main plus is that this way you can save a lot of free space. Barrels with plants planted in them are located in any convenient place and, if necessary, they can be moved from one zone to another.
2. Plants are much more convenient to water. This requires less water. In addition, it quickly enters the root system of plants.
3. The planted crops will not be harmed by shrews, moles and other small pests.
4. There is no need to build a greenhouse - in cold weather the barrels can be easily covered with foil.

One of the most popular types of plant grown in barrels is squash. In order for the desired harvest to pleasantly please, special attention must be paid to the preparation of the seeds before planting. They should be warmed up well, and then soaked in warm water for 3 hours. After the seeds have swollen, they must be laid out on a layer of cotton wool or gauze and left in a warm place for another three days.

It is better to plant the following varieties of zucchini in barrels in the country:

• "Pharaoh";
• "Pine";
• "Long-fruited".

All of them are quite unpretentious, but at the same time they give a good harvest. Therefore, it will not be difficult to grow such zucchini in a barrel.

Having dealt with the seeds, you can proceed to the preparation of the barrel.

• The first layer, which is laid at its very bottom, is the remains of wood and dry branches.
• The next layer is the rest of the plant waste. Dry leaves, tops and various weeds will do. This layer should be made the largest, leaving about 20 centimeters of free space.
• The last to be laid are soil, peat and humus.

The soil prepared in this way must be left for several days. After all the layers have fermented and slightly sat down, you can additionally sprinkle everything with a small layer of earth mixed with clean wood ash and start planting seeds.

Another plant that can be grown with great success right in a barrel is pumpkin. You can use last year's seeds for this. As in the case of zucchini, the seed must be well warmed up before planting. After that, the seeds are soaked for several hours, and then transferred to the refrigerator for two days.

The seeds are pre-planted in small cups filled with a mixture of humus and earth. The first shoots appear in about a week. After that, the seedlings must be placed in a place where the sun's rays constantly fall. If possible, in good weather they can be taken outside for several hours.

When 3-4 leaves appear on the seedlings, they can be planted in a barrel. 2-3 sprouts will feel comfortable in one container. In order for the pumpkin to develop faster, the plant must be well watered. 10 days after planting, it is worth using high-quality fertilizers. When the pumpkin grows well, the branches can be pinched.When the pumpkins grow, they must be propped up so that the stems do not break.

Using old barrels, you can get an excellent tomato harvest. To do this, the first step is to prepare the barrel itself.

First you need to remove the bottom and lid. Small holes must be made in the walls at the same distance. This is to ensure that the tomatoes receive the right amount of oxygen.

Before planting, you also need to prepare the tomato seeds well. They should be smooth, neat and roughly the same size. You can use the seeds left over from the previous harvest.

There are several varieties that are best suited for barrel growing.

1. "Ilya Muromets". Large and juicy yellow tomatoes have a light sweet taste. Tomatoes ripen in about 3 months.
2. The Pink Giant. Large tomatoes in a barrel are great for both simple eating and preservation.
3. De Barao. Tomatoes are oval and deep red in color. The variety has a high yield. But tomatoes ripen towards the end of summer.
4. Scarlet Mustang. The variety is unpretentious. Even a novice summer resident can grow tomatoes. The fruits of this plant are quite large and oval in shape.
5. "Konigsberg". Tomatoes of this variety have rather large oblong fruits. They are fleshy, tasty and ripen quickly.
6. "Budenovka". The fruits are not large. They grow well in a barrel, are characterized by resistance to frost.
7. "Tarasenko". These are hybrid tomatoes that are not tall. Ripe fruits have a deep red color and a very pleasant taste. Several kilograms of tomatoes can be harvested from one bush. They can be grown both in the sun and in partial shade.

All types of tomatoes are recommended to be planted in mid-May. One barrel holds about 4 seedlings. For the first few days, it is advisable to cover the barrel with a diaper at night. In addition, every few days, as the seedlings grow, a little soil enriched with nutrients should be added to the barrel. In this case, the layer of earth will be dense enough to support the grown bush.

Strawberries grow well in barrels outside. If you plant the plants vertically, then about 30-40 seedlings can grow in one barrel. The advantage of this growing method is that strawberries ripen much faster in such a bed.

To provide the plant with excellent development opportunities, it must be planted in properly prepared soil. It should consist of:

• mixtures of mineral fertilizers;
• wood ash;
• humus;
• forest land.

After the barrel is filled with earth, you can plant strawberries in it. During the growth process, the culture must be watered abundantly.

Separately, it should be noted that not all strawberry varieties can be grown in a barrel. Best suited for this purpose:

• "Queen Elizabeth";
• Brighton;
• "Geneva";
• Freestar;
• Kimberly.

All you need to provide yourself with a good harvest of your favorite berries is regular watering. You can simplify the task by using an irrigation pipe. If you fill it with water, the soil will be evenly moistened on a permanent basis.

With proper summer care, multiple crops can be harvested. Strawberries begin to bear fruit in June and ends in September.

In addition to these most popular crops, other plants are grown in barrels. In such containers, you can get an excellent harvest of greens. This is a real find for those who spend the summer in a country house with a small courtyard.

A similar scheme can be used for growing greens in winter. Only in this case, instead of a barrel, you need to prepare a large container from under the water.In a plastic five-liter bottle with the right amount of soil, greens will grow very well. A big plus is that during the cold season, you can get several harvests of fresh greens.

Other crops can also be grown in barrels. The main thing is to properly prepare the soil step by step and plant the plants.

1. Cucumbers are grown about 30 centimeters apart and 25 centimeters deep.
2. Carrots should be about 20 centimeters deep. The distance between the seedlings is about 3-4 centimeters.
3. Eggplants are planted in large containers at a depth of about 15 centimeters. No more than 3 eggplants should be grown in one barrel.

Also in such tanks, you can safely plant melons, such as watermelon or melon, vegetables (horseradish, potatoes, peppers). Weaving plants (beans, peas, asparagus) will also feel good in barrels.

Summing up, we can say that even without the opportunity to equip full-fledged beds in your country house, vegetables, fruits and berries can be grown in barrels. The harvest will be of no less quality, and it will take less time to care for the plants.

See the video about growing cucumbers in a barrel.