Container Gardening

It has occurred to me that perhaps folks want to garden but don't have the space. The good news is as long as you have a space for a container, you can garden! Areas that work are roof tops, court yards, patios, decks, window boxes and even an overhang where you can put a hanging planter.

Earth boxes are wonderful for vegetables. (http://www.earthbox.com/) They are a patented system that has a base of water with a filler hole. You can't overwater! The plant's roots are able to get down into the water through a shelf that sits over the water. The soil is placed on top of this shelf and the plants on top. Be sure your vegetables will get at least 6 to 8 hours of sunshine per day. The advantage to containers are, you can move them to follow the sun if necessary!

There are many other advantages to continer gardening. Of course space is number one. Several containers don't take up that much room. Also, container gardens don't generally have the weed or insect problems of gardening in a patch of lawn or field. Containers are generally cost effective, depending on what you use. But even if you purchase something, it can be used over and over.

Another wonderful thing about container gardening is the plant diversity you can enjoy. Annuals, perennials, woody plants, grasses, vegetables and even water plants can be container grown. You also have choices of many containers for your space, cost and mobility. Types of containers are made of wood, plastic, clay, ceramic, metal or even an old boot will work.

It is important that your container have drainage. If there isn't a hole in the bottom, make one. If the container is large, such as a whiskey barrel, you can fill some of it with those packing peanuts. Fill a plastic bag with them to take up nearly half of the room of the barrel, then put a layer of landscape fabric over the top and add your soil. The landscape fabric is porous so the soil will stay put and water will be able to drain through it.

I don't recommend putting stones in the bottom of your containers. They make the container too heavy to move and it isn't certain that they provide enough drainage to actually work. If you have a week of rain, they won't drain at all. You can probably get away with using them inside your home where YOU control the amount of water the planter gets.

Dark colored containers heat up quicker and can cause moisture and heat stress, so put lighter colored containers in direct sun. Clay is porous so those pots will dry out quicker than plastic. Hanging planters will also dry out very quickly. They may need water every day during very hot weather.

The type of soil you use in container gardening is important. Soil from your garden, lawn or field is too heavy and can hold insects. The best soil is something "soil less" such as Pro Mix (there are other brands.) These mediums contain peat moss and vermiculite and nutrients for your plant. They are light but hold water well. Look for anything that doesn't contain soil in the name.

If you have several very large containers and don't want to purchase planting mediums, you can amend garden soil with a little peat moss, vermiculite and compost. Commerical cow manure is fine. You might get more weeds with this soil so beware. The recommendation is to not reuse your soil the next year, but I will often amend my old soil over and over each season. This is done by dumping the soil in the garden in the fall, after the plants have been removed. In the Spring, put it back into your containers with the amendments.

Your containers will need to be kept well watered and fed often. Some people believe in using a weak fertilizer every time they water annuals in containers. When using fertilizers, be certain you are using the correct type for the plant and the correct amount. And please water the plant with plain water first, then add the water with the fertilizer. You don't want to burn those tender roots. Miracle Grow is a favorite fertilizer of many nurseries.

I love to mix several plants in one container. I've mentioned Garden Gate Magazine in a previous post. Every issue has a container recipe. The 'recipe' shows exactly where to put each plant and then shows the photo of the container at its peak. I've tried many and they are fabulous.

It's very addicting, this container planting! I hope you enjoy it as much as I do!