How much water is too much water?

[hrdavis96]

Hello everyone!

I know that growing plants in containers without good drainage is risky business as you can then risk your plants getting root rot and etc., however I currently don't have many options for planting other than these plastic containers with no drainage. I am trying to not over-water my garlic, however the bulbs have grown demanding roots and the plants are constantly thirsty. How can I make sure my garlic plants are getting enough water without over-watering them? I live in Florida. I don't know what zone this is (new gardener please forgive me) but it is becoming more humid as we get closer to spring and despite the sunniness we do get a lot of overcast days due to the rain. I know it may sound silly to grow garlic in a container but again, I don't have many options for my little garden this year. I hope this information helps and I appreciate any answers or advice I can get! Thank you!

[rainbowgardener]

Growing things in containers with no drainage is nearly impossible. I don't know why you would try. How hard is it to put them in some kind of container with drainage holes and put a saucer under them? See the thread on using various containers around the house for plants. This is a big long thread with many suggestions for various household items that can be recycled in to plant pots: viewtopic.php?f=48&t=22433&hilit=recycled+containers

Depending on what kind of plastic your current containers are, you might be able to just punch holes in them.

It's not necessarily silly to grow garlic in containers; they just have to have drainage. I don't know about the season for growing garlic in florida. Here, I plant garlic cloves in the ground in October. They sprout and then go dormant for the winter, start growing again in spring and are harvested maybe July. They like cold weather.

There are certainly other vegetables that are easier to grow in containers.

[imafan26]

If you are going to use a container like that consider a self watering container. The reservoir is on the bottom for the water and there is a partition 1/4 inch above the water level. Above the partition is the soil and plant. The air gap is essential for this to succeed. The pot does need a drain hole to maintain the air gap, but you can either run that to ground or glue in a tubing into an overflow container.

The soil in this container is regular potting mix, but it is only good for one plant. It does become anaerobic.

The roots will grow down from the wicking tubes in the reservoir but the air space will keep most of the roots above the partition from rotting.

Here's the website for how to make your own for a fraction of the cost of an earthbox.
http://www.postoilsolutions.org/documents/Earthbox.pdf