Container Gardening

Container Gardening Advice

Here are some thoughts on container gardens:

• Start small and build on your successes. Don't try to buy/do too much at first.

• Try lots of herbs. They are easy to grow, often beautiful and fragrant to boot. Rosemary is great. Mint is delicious but will get scraggly on you (hint - keep it trimmed). I'm dying to try chives next year. My neighbor has them.

• Don't be too quick to purchase every plant in the store on your first trip - again, start small - make several trips over a few weeks in spring. You will be surprised at the new things that come into the stores during that period. Spreading your selections allows you time to do your potting chores promptly without an exhausting day in the garden.

• Only buy what you can plant today or tomorrow. You wouldn't bring a new baby home and store it in the garage for 3 days.

• Ask questions at your local plant stores - find the knowledgeable clerks and pump them for information.

• Find a gardening association, or attend their plant sales, for wonderful tips and great localized plants. Gardeners love to talk about what they love doing. You may also get some free bulbs or plants this way!

• Make sure all your pots have holes in the bottom for drainage. Try not to buy any containers without: If it's hole deprived but too cute and you must have it, drill a hole in the bottom if possible, or use it only as a base or outer pot holder.

• No plant lives forever. If one is past its prime, pull it up and move on. You're not a failure as a gardener because a plant died. No point trying to nurse a sad tomato over the dog days of August. Just replant for fall.

• Use mulch. Cover the potting soil with 1 -2 inches of mulch and refresh it if it thins in late summer. This reduces the amount of watering needed and helps your plants make it through the heat in far better shape.

• I've just learned this one in the last 2 years - get some rolling potholders. These are fantastic! I have mostly shade in my garden area but I can move the containers around to get more sun as needed.

• Enjoy your garden everyday by establishing seating nearby. A plant you don't see regularly can get forgotten and neglected fast! If you can keep an eye on it, you can usually keep it growing. We have our coffee on the porch every chance we can.

By TexasCostumer from Denton, TX

Container Gardening on a Deck

By Kenneth S. from Copperas Cove, TX

Recycled Container Gardening

Gardening Using Recycled Containers

I have grown tomato plants that got over 6 foot tall. I have been using the same containers for the past 4 years. I had my husband drill some drain holes in the bottom. If you don't have a cat, ask your friends or advertise on a place like Freecycle. I see people have them offered quite often.

You can also look for any kind of container at the second hand stores. I've not only grown tomatoes but beans, peppers, greens and herbs.

By Jill from Blue Bell, PA

Polymer Crystals for Container Gardening

By fossil1955 from Cortez, CO

An Introduction to Container Gardening

Choosing Your Crops

The varieties of vegetables, flowers and herbs that thrive well in containers are nearly limitless. Vertical "climbers" like bush beans, peas, cucumbers and tomatoes adapt to container conditions easily. Vegetables like lettuce, eggplants, onions, carrots, peppers, potatoes-even corn and squash work well, too. In general, small, quick maturing crops perform best, as do compact varieties of normally large plants like cabbage and melons.

A Good Growing Medium is Key

The success of container grown plants is highly dependant on the quality of growing medium provided for them. Both air and water are needed to support proper root growth so container soil should be somewhat porous. The soils typically used in gardens tend to be too heavy for container gardening. They compact easily and don't offer good drainage. A packaged lightweight potting mix works well. Some of these are slightly acidic so amendments may be needed. There are also soil-less potting mixes available designed specifically to deter insects and soil-borne diseases. If you purchase mix, avoid those containing peat moss. Look for substitute ingredients like coir or bark products. The impacts from extracting peat have become a real environmental concern. You can also make your own growing mix out of equal parts sharp sand, loamy garden soil and compost.

Types of Containers

Containers can be purchased, built or recycled from items found around the house or garage. The most important consideration is choosing containers that best accommodate your plants. Onions and radishes will grow fine in aluminum cake pans. Root plants, like carrots, need a deeper container.

Plastic containers are lighter weight, but can become brittle in cold temperatures. Terra Cotta containers are wonderfully porous and beautiful to look at, but are heavy, break easily and tend to dry out more quickly. Wooden containers made from Cedar or Redwood are more naturally rot-resistant than other woods. Metal containers heat up rapidly which can cause root damage, so consider using a clay or plastic pot as a liner. Other things to consider are color and drainage. Dark colored containers absorb more heat, sometimes too much, which can damage plant roots and make it difficult for them to thrive.

Make sure all your containers have adequate drainage on the bottom or sides near the bottom. Place them on brick feet or place a saucer under them to catch excess drainage or consider setting them on castors (before filling with heavy dirt!) to keep them easy to move.

The Care & Feeding of Container Plants

Watering: Plants growing in containers dry out more quickly and need frequent watering. Because their roots can't dig deeper to find moisture, they need constant attention. Check them daily in warm temperatures and give them water until you see it draining from the bottom of the container. Keep newly sown seeds and transplants moist and water older plants when the top inch of soil becomes dry. Mulch containers with grass or gravel pebbles to reduce moisture loss between watering.

Fertilizing: It's necessary to supplement the growth of container plants with fertilizer due to nutrients leaching out from frequent watering. After the first 3-4 weeks of growth, add a diluted organic fertilizer like seaweed extract, fish emulsion, manure tea or compost tea when watering. Do this every two weeks and adjust fertilizer levels as necessary according to how the plants respond.

Light: The amount of light your container needs will vary by crop. Most plants require at least 5-6 hours of full sun per day. This can be maximized with the addition of reflective materials (aluminum foil, glass marbles) placed around containers.

By Ellen Brown

Container Gardens

"Container gardens are one of the fastest growing segments of gardening. Containers can be grown where traditional gardens are not possible including apartment balconies, small courtyards, decks, patios, and areas with poor soil. They are an ideal solution for people in rental situations, with limited mobility, or with limited time to care for a large landscape."

Container Gardening - Thinking Outside The Box

I took an old metal fan apart and unscrewed the wire basket parts (had one on each side of the fan), then placed cocoa liner I'd bought inside the wire basket, and placed wire hangers on the basket to hang it, filled it with soil and planted low hanging vine plants in it for 2 nice hanging baskets.

I took an old vase with barnacles on it my family had found while snorkeling, drilled 3 holes in the bottom, put in soil and planted succulents inside.

I took an old metal teapot, drilled 3 holes in bottom, filled with soil and planted pansies in it.

These pots are unique and did not cost a dime, recycle some items and see what you can come up with for your garden this year. It is fun and they sure last longer than those ugly plastic pots you'd buy.

By Linda from Fort Walton Beach, FL

Fall Clematis Container Gardening

By Connie from Ballwin

Some Great Tips for Container Gardening

Finding and Selecting Containers

• A container should be large enough for plant roots and potting soil, but you don't need any more than 18 inches. If you're filling a very large container (like a stock tank, etc.) fill the bottom up with other materials (2-liter plastic bottles, sand and landscaping cloth) before filling the top 18 inches with your soil mix.

• Landfills, flea markets, rummage sales and farm auctions are great sources for containers.

• Wagons and carts are wonderful for holding containers because they can be easily transported around the yard. Just make sure the containers site in them at a height so that the flowers are tall enough to be seen from a distance.

• An old wooden ladder can make a charming container holder. Hold containers in place with screws drilled up through the bottoms of the rungs.

• Look for faux ceramic containers at garden centers. They are usually made of a light weight foam and cost significantly less than their ceramic counterparts.

• Use plants in the front of your house to guide visitors to the entry by selecting flowers and plants in a similar hue as your front door.

• The plastic hangers on pots from the nursery can twist and break in the wind. Metal baskets that hang from chains are better. They usually come with fibrous insets, but they won't dry out or leak water as much if you line them with black plastic before filling them with soil. Don't forget drainage holes!

• Reuse and recycle. Try to create containers out of already existing items. This will leave you more money to spend on plants.

Designing With Containers

• Just like interior design, containers look best when grouped in odd numbers (e.g. groups of 3s, 5s, 7s).

• Change container arrangements for the seasons: flowers in the summer, gourds in the fall, and evergreens in the winter.

• Match your containers to your setting. Take a good look at the architecture of your home and your existing landscaping. If your front door is formal, the container you place next to it should be too. If your setting is more casual, milk cans or a pair of old Wellingtons will add a touch of whimsical charm.

• Showcase the plant, not the container. Choose simple, solid colored containers for your flowers and plants. Terra cotta containers tend to look great with flowers or plants in shades of red, orange yellow. Green, white, silver and brown work well, too.

• Fill out your patio décor during summer parties by arranging to share containers with neighbors when each of you is entertaining.

• Create a design with plants by including a "Thriller, Filler and a Trailer." Start with a tall or colorful focal point (thriller). Next build around the sides and front with a shorter plant (filler). Finally, add a trailing plant to cascade down the sides (trailer).

• Ornamental grasses make great "thrillers and fillers" for containers.

• Plan your color scheme for the year ahead of time. This will make it easy to focus on combinations once you start shopping for plants.

• The color of the flowers you select for your containers can create a calming and soothing effect (pinks, whites, blues) or really energize and activate people (reds, yellows, oranges). Keep these effects in mind when placing containers in entryways to your home.

• Don't worry too much about overcrowding plants in containers. To get that full look of an arrangement you see at nurseries (Wave Petunias, for example) you'll need at least three plants per container.

Soil for Containers

• Soil-less planting mixes like Ferti-lome work best for container gardening. They are lighter in weight for window boxes and planters and hold their chemical composition better, which makes insect and disease problems less likely. FYI: One 5 pound container can weigh as much as 25 pounds when regular garden soil and water are added.

• Filling extra large containers with a soil-less mix can be costly, so create a mix using peat moss, vermiculite (or perlite) and sand mixed with regular soil.

• A large plastic trash can with a lid is a convenient way to store all of your soil mix in one place. Get one with wheels and transport it around the yard to wherever you need it.

• At the end of the season, dump used soil-less mix into the veggie garden or into existing flower beds to improve drainage.

Caring for Container Plants

• Plants in containers must be fertilized often. Keep it simple by using a balanced water soluble fertilizer (10-10-10) at 1/2 strength once per week throughout the season. As an alternative, you can use a rooting solution when you plant (high middle number), followed by a few weeks of a balanced fertilizer (10-10-10) and around mid July, change to a bloom boost solution (high last number).

• Keep moisture in your containers by covering the soil with a layer of decorative moss, sea shells or small rocks.

• Dedicate the same day each week for fertilizing all of your containers.

• To avoid root rot and water stains, never let containers stand in water for more than 1/2 hour before dumping off the excess.

• Dead-head or pinch off dead flowers daily to prevent plants from using energy to set seeds.

• Containers with narrow bases tend to dry out faster so keep an eye on their moisture levels.

• Add polymers to soil to hold in moisture (available at garden centers) but read directions carefully. Absorbing and retaining too much moisture will cause the soil in your container to heave-popping your plants right out of their pots.

Miscellaneous Tips

• Every container gardener should have a cordless drill/screwdriver. Carry it with you around the yard and make drainage holes in your containers or to drill holes for hanging up baskets or fastening planter to things.

• Containers can be set on stands, blocks of wood or bricks to avoid water marks on decks and patios.

• Keep a diary of the plants that work best and get to know the people working at your local nurseries and garden centers. The larger discount stores with garden centers usually order plants from reputable nurseries, but they can look sad and neglected in a hurry. Find out what day the truck comes if you want to snatch up the healthiest plants.

• Container gardening is good therapy. It's great for older folks or for people who have physical limitations because pots and planters can be raised, lowered and moved around to suit an individual's needs. Container gardening can also be a good alternative for gardeners undergoing chemotherapy that have been told to steer clear of regular garden soil. Container gardening is best done with a soil-less mix or pasteurized soil so it can provide patients with the therapeutic benefits of gardening while keeping things safe and on a manageable scale during recovery.

By Ellen Brown

Three Tier Garden Container