My Summer Adventure Growing Compact Vegetables

On By durhammastergardenersIn container gardening, drought, gardening in NC, gardening in pots, Uncategorized

by Martha Keehner Engelke, NC State Extension Master Gardener SM

For several years I have tried to grow vegetables. My previous vegetable garden was on the side of my house and I didn’t see it unless I had a reason to visit that side of the house. There was only one small window that looked over the garden and most of the time, the shades were closed. When the heat of summer became intense, I “forgot” to water my vegetables. With irregular watering, my veggies often looked parched and burned. They withered and then they became diseased. By the end of July, I was sad and frustrated by vegetable gardening.

This year I tried something different, after reading about compact vegetables on this blog, I bought some at the 2026 Durham County Extension Master Gardener Plant Sale. I put them on my deck where I could see them ever day from my living room window. This year, my plants have been healthy, I have watered them consistently and I have enjoyed the fruits of my labor.

What are Compact Vegetables and how do you grow them?

Compact vegetables are specific cultivars that bear smaller fruit than their larger counterparts. Compact or patio tomatoes are usually determinate. They don’t give you tomatoes all summer and the fruit is smaller ranging in size from a cherry tomato to a tomato that is about 2-4 inches in diameter. Cucumbers, peppers and eggplant are usually a bush variety. They grow to a fixed size and need very little in the way of staking or trimming.

But there are some problems. Plants grown in pots don’t have a large earth buffer so they are susceptible to: rapid loss of moisture (They need to be watered daily and sometimes twice a day); nutrient depletion (this is related to the frequent watering); and root restriction (it’s important to use a pot that is big enough for the plant when it is mature and bearing fruit) not just when you plant it.

I planted each of my veggies in a container that was an appropriate size for the plant (8-12 inches in diameter and 6-10 inches deep). I washed the pots and disinfected them. I used a commercially available organic, moisture control mix that included compost. After planting, I sprinkled Osmocote® on the top and for 6 weeks I fertilized them with a liquid fertilizer every two weeks. I have read that it might be better to continue to fertilize with liquid fertilizer during the entire growing season because nutrients can be depleted easily. But, since we were in a drought, I thought that fertilizing the plants might damage the roots.1. I did water them daily and about two months after planting, I noticed that some of the plants (tomatoes and cucumbers especially) had lost some of their soil so I added soil and a bit of compost. The pots are on my deck which gets sun from about noon to 6 pm.

How did it turn out?

Quick Snack Cucumbers-This plant was the first to bear fruit. I have harvested about 20 mini (2-4 inches) cucumbers. They are delicious. There are virtually no seeds and because they are so small and the skin is thin, I didn’t peel them. I enjoyed them in salads and as a readily available snack.

Quick snack cucumber (Cucumis sativus) is known for its compact, patio-friendly growth and ability to produce crisp, bite-sized fruit without needing a pollinator (parthenocarpic). (Image credit: Martha Engelke)

Fairy Tale Eggplant– My plant has yielded about 40 eggplants so far and there are more on the bush. However, they are very small, 2-3 inches when ripe. For a while, I thought they would get bigger so I let them grow to about 5 inches and they became pale with a bitter taste. When they are ripe they are delicious with no seeds. They can be baked grilled or roasted. I sauteed them in olive oil with some tomatoes, onion and basil, and topped everything with parmesan cheese. Yum!

Fairy Tale Eggplant (Solanum melongena) is very small and the plant at its peak is covered in the fruit. However, in the second photo the eggplants at the top were over ripe and bitter. While I didn’t have enough eggplant to make a full meal, I did use them several time to make a tasty side dish. . (Image credit: Martha Engelke)

Sweet Confetti Peppers-my plant is loaded with these but only a few have ripened. When they are growing they are green then yellow. They look ready to eat but they have little taste and they are hard until they are fully ripe. They are ripe when they turn red or they are red striped. At that point they taste like a sweet bell pepper.

Sweet Confetti Pepper (Capsicum annuum) is a lovely plant with variegated leaves. The photo on the right shows the maturation of the fruit from green to red (Image credit: Martha Engelke)

Purple Tiger Peppers-This plant is very ornamental. The leave are variegated and range from green to purple. The plant is covered with 1 inch peppers that turn from green, to purple to red. They are rated at 5,000-10,000 Scoville Heat Units (SHU). In comparison, a jalapeno pepper is 2,0000-8,000 SHUs. I like this as an ornamental plant but it is too hot for me to eat (I know many people will disagree). I tried to reduce the heat by removing the seeds and membranes (the Capsaicin, the chemical that makes peppers spicy is really in the membrane but this is attached to the seed), This was difficult and tedious because the peppers are so small.

Purple Tiger Peppers (Capsicum annuum) are an heirloom variety and can be used as an addition to salsa or other spicy dishes but if you don’t like the heat, they are a beautiful ornamental plant. (Image credit: Martha Engelke)

Orange Hat Tomatoes -This is a Russian heirloom variety. It is considered to be a micro-dwarf determinate tomato and it only grows to 6-9 inches tall. I got about 10 delicious small tomatoes and then I noticed that that they seemed to stop ripening. I read one article that said they really don’t like a lot of heat. This was the time period when Durham was experiencing temperatures near or above 100 degrees every day. In retrospect, I think I might have brought them in and put them under my grow light.

Red Hat Tomatoes (Oranzhevaja Shapochka) are self-pollinating and you can encourage pollination by shaking the main stem. (Image credit: Martha Engelke)

Bush Early Girl-This determinate tomato grew to about two feet tall. At first, it was loaded with green/yellow tomatoes in clumps of 4-6. A few of the tomatoes fused. I worried that I needed to trim off some of the tomatoes but I consulted an experienced vegetable grower and was encouraged to leave them alone. I have harvested 6 small tomatoes and they were quite good. There are several more tomatoes on the vine but they are not ripening as fast as the earlier ones. A few have developed the beginnings of blossom end rot. I consulted with our Extension Agent Ashley Troth who is an expert on growing tomatoes. She said:

“in general tomatoes really suffer with the heat and struggle to set fruit. Even with fruit forming, extreme heat can prevent them from ripening properly (and so the fruit stays green longer). The blossom end rot could be from lack of water, not because you didn’t water enough, but because things just dry out so quickly in pots in extreme heat you can still have problems.”

Bush Early Girl tomatoes (Solanum lycopersicum) are known for their early fruit that tastes like the fresh tomato you ate as a child (at least it does to me). The last picture shows how beautiful they are when they ripen properly. (Image credit: Martha Engelke)

What did I Learn?

This was a very positive experience for me and I think that I am hooked on these tiny vegetables with great flavor. I had to adjust my expectations on the size and amount of harvest but for me and my husband, this was very manageable and fun. Heading out to the deck and cutting off enough eggplant to combine with my tomatoes and eating my own cucumbers in my salad gave me a sense of accomplishment with not too much work. I will be buying more at the 2027 Durham County Extension Plant Sale and I hope you will join me. The sale will be held on April 10,2027. Be sure to save the date and look for more details in the future.

Note: 1. According to NC State Extension, you should avoid fertilizing plants during a drought because it encourages new growth, which increases the plant’s demand for water and makes in more vulnerable to heat stress.

Additional Reading and Resources

NC State Extension provides excellent advice on how to care for plants grown in pots.

The University of Minnesota Extension Office gives step by step instruction on how to start your vegetable harden in a container.

Shortlink: https://wp.me/p2nIr1-7MQ

The Death of the Illicium: Was it Natural Causes or Murder?

On By durhammastergardenersIn Uncategorized

A conversation about Hydrophobia

by Lisa Nadler and Deb Pilkington NC State Extension Master Gardener SM volunteers of Durham County; and Dr. Ashley Troth, Durham County Extension Agent

Background

The Durham County Extension Master GardenerSM (EMG) volunteers manage the container gardens at Cocoa Cinnamon Coffee Shop at 420 W Geer St. in downtown Durham. For the customers, this provides a beautiful and peaceful surrounding while they gather and drink coffee. For the EMG volunteers, this is a container garden that provides endless learning and teaching opportunities.

This past winter, our four Hardy Anise Shrubs (Illicium parviflorum ‘Florida Sunshine’) planted in the galvanized containers at the back of the seating area took a hard hit from the cold, freezing rain and shifts in temperature. Last year, they were beautiful and full with their lime green leaf color, but this year they were scraggly and tired looking, requiring pruning of dead material in the spring. They had also sunk in their containers as the soil compacted. As with many of our plantings, we used a bulk half and half mixture composed of Sand Hill soil and a mixture of aged pine bark and soil booster (a leaf compost and food waste mixture). We use soil in all of the larger containers because with this volume it’s much more affordable than bags of potting mix (which is not actually soil).

image of two large metal trough containers with illicium planted in them. Plants are vibrant and green.
Close up of illicium plants with slight browning due to winter cold damage

The Illicium in its prime after planting. The Illicium with winter cold damage prior to pruning and replanting (Image credit: Lisa Nadler; Deb Pilkington)

In June, we decided to take the Illicium out, add more soil to the containers and replant them in the same spots. We also planted some tiny plugs of a beautiful native groundcover in the orchid family called Rattlesnake Plantain (Goodyera pubescens). We watered everything vigorously.

Within a week, the Illicium were dead….Murder or natural death?

healthy illicium plants just after replanting
Illicium plants one week after planting, significantly browned and with dying leaves

The Illicium aft replanting in June; The Illicium one week later. (Image credit: Lisa Nadler)

Below is part of the email discussion about what happened between two EMG volunteerss and our amazing Durham County Extension Agent, Ashley Troth.

Reviewing the Facts and Evaluating the Evidence

Over many emails, the EMG volunteers shared their thoughts and ideas about what they observed, and tried to understand what might have happened. The major takeaways at one week post planting were:

  • “Wow, the Illicium looks awful – what happened? I’m scratching my head about this one. 
  • The leaves look desiccated (dried out) and they are snapping, although some are still green. 
  • Given that the Illicium in both containers appear to have universally wilted so quickly, I wonder if an abiotic mechanical or chemical causal agent involved. 
  • Or were we over or under-watering? Looking at roots will be helpful. 
  • Could something have been bad about the soil we brought in? 
  • Could someone have poured some coffee or alcohol in the container?
  • Were we too rough when we dug them up and replanted them?
  • Let’s discuss this with Ashley to see if we can figure out the cause.”

It was especially confusing because the Goodyera planted all around them look fine. And we used the same soil in another container as well and the plants there looked fine.

Developing a Hypotheses Based on the Data

With the cause of the Illicium’s demise still a mystery, we asked Ashley to take a look at the plants and to see if there was anything we might be missing.

Ashley’s response after investigating the containers and the plants: I looked at the Illicium and I don’t think it can be resuscitated. I think the problem is the soil. I dug down about eight inches and removed a handful of the soil. It was dry and dusty. So even though you watered well, the likely culprit is the high organic content of the soil mix, which becomes ‘hydrophobic’ when dry. (According to the American Heritage Dictionary, that means ‘lacking an affinity for water; unable to absorb or be wetted by water’). The Goodyera likely survived because the top inch or two of the soil was wet. Also the Illicium can be especially sensitive to dry soil.

Hydrophobic soil repels water and is still dry after watering. (Video credit: Amber Trax)

“Often times these bulk soils are fine, but it’s been so dry, and more recently so hot that I suspect a lot of bulk mixes are just baking in the sun. A bagged potting mix would probably have been fine, because they’re often bagged with a certain moisture content, but a bulk mix, especially now, might need to be really rehydrated to be ready. All this to say, you picked a perfectly fine soil mix. It’s just gone through a drought (like all the rest of us), and needed extra care. The soil should be fine once it’s rehydrated.

Implementing a Plan Based on the Evidence

EMG volunteers: Thanks Ashley. Can you help us understand this better? What does it mean that a soil becomes “hydrophobic.” Is this something that happens often? How would we have known this?

Ashley: I will admit this is a bit of an art (and an observation game), but here’s a bit to get you started. What you have to remember about all of this is that organic matter (and clay) holds water really well – but only to a point. Beyond that, it dries out quickly and is very hard to rehydrate. This is the point where we call it “hydrophobic,” and we have to work really hard to get it rehydrated.

EMG volunteers: Okay, we’re sad but ready to move on. Can you be specific about how you “rehydrate” a soil mix? 

  • Is this done once the soil is in the container, in buckets before adding to the container, in the bed of the truck that is carrying the load? 
  • How long does it take to rehydrate?
  • How do you know when it’s rehydrated?
  • Doesn’t it just dehydrate again once in the container? Or is there a way to know that you are adequately watering to keep the soil from dehydrating again?”

Ashley:

  • Where do we “rehydrate” the soil: Rehydration can realistically take days to a week, so it’s fair enough to do it in the containers after filling. Some water will come out the bottom, but if you’re adding a fair bit of water regularly (once or twice a day), you’ll see that as the week goes on when you dig down into the soil it’ll start being wet at deeper levels. You have to have a spade or something similar to actively be checking though, because for a while it will seem like the water is going in, but it’s really moving through the soil quickly and draining out the bottom. You’re just trying to constantly re-expose the organic matter to water until it’s able to finally take it up. 
  • How long does it take to rehydrate: It could take days in small containers or pots, even if they’re sitting in trays of water. It could take closer to a week or even ten days in a large container or raised bed. 
  • How do you know when it’s rehydrated? Dig down regularly (and as deeply as feasible) and really just get your hands in the soil. Even if it appears dark it might not be wet yet. It should hold together in a clump when squeezed and feel at least slightly damp to the touch. 
  • Doesn’t it just dehydrate again once in the container? The soil once rehydrated will hold water well unless it’s left to dry out for so long that it drops past the lower level of hydrated and becomes hydrophobic again. Luckily, things like living roots and leaf cover help protect the soil once plants are actively growing in it, so this is often more of a problem with things like bags of potting soil that have been left open too long or bulk soil media that has been left to bake in the sun.”

EMG volunteers: Okay, that makes sense! So, it wasn’t murder although this could be classified as plant-slaughter. Just an unfortunate situation that led to their early demise. We are always learning something new! That’s why it’s so fun to be a Master Gardener!

So, here’s our new plan. We have removed the Illicium and added them to our backyard brush pile (with a few tears). We moved the Goodyera into small pots and will keep them alive until we replant. We’re going to leave the containers empty for the summer, with a good layer of mulch atop. With the drought and the heat, it’s just too much to consider replanting now that we are in early July. 

When we get into the fall, we’ll water the containers/soil daily for 7-10 days. Each day, we’ll dig down into the soil to see how far down the soil is hydrated. Once we’re convinced that the soil is rehydrated, THEN we add plants. 

Summary

What did we learn? That even though organic matter is so important for overall soil health, it does have a point at which it no longer will hold water. At that point it’s “hydrophobic” so even if you water it, the water basically “bounces” off and is not taken up by the soil. This would only happen in situations where the soil is in a very dry environment for an extended period of time. This could happen in a drought like we’re in now or if you left a bag of potting mix open in your garage for an extended time. Once the soil is hydrophobic, you need a serious effort to get it rehydrated, often watering the soil daily for many days (depending on the size of the pot/container). You need to dig down into the soil daily to tell when rehydration has occurred. Once the soil is wet (forms a clump when squeezed and feels wet) you’re finally ready to plant. If you add plants before that time, you risk killing your new plants because they will not get enough water.

Hope you have learned as much as we did!!!

Additional Reading and Resources

University of California Department of Natural Resources. If your house plants or container plants seem to repel water, submerge them in a bucket of water, soak them or slowly water them.

Mathew Huchteman at the University of Missouri Extension Office has great advice on the science, prevention and treatment of hydrophobic soil.

Shortlink: https://wp.me/p2nIr1-7KW

Editor: Martha Keehner Engelke