how to garden in containers

Learning how to garden in containers is the solution when we don't have the space or inclination for a large garden.

What if the soil in our yard is not satisfactory? We may not want to bend over to pull weeds. Our yard may be shady, except for the stairs and deck.

• Gardening in containers is the answer to our dilemmas.
• If we want to grow some veggies, container vegetable gardening is our answer.
• Flowers in container really perk up our yard. Plus, they provide food for the butterflies and hummingbirds.
• Even many landscape plants will grow in containers.

Dress-up the deck with container plants.

where can we put our containers?

We can grow in containers on our balcony, up the side of the steps, in hanging pots, on the patio, our deck or anywhere we can fit a container.

• Put the plant containers where they have adequate sunlight.

Vegetables grow the best with a minimum of six hours of sun per day. Shade vegetables will grow with as little as two hours on sunlight. But two to six hours is best for most vegetables.

Flowers and herbs in a container, also like two to six hours of sun per day. There are of course many exceptions.

Some flowers like Impatiens will grow in full shade. They actually do better with less sun. Roses need six hours or more in order to grow and flower well.

• When we live in a city apartment or condo we may do our container vegetable gardening on the rooftop, a balcony, in the alleyway, on the sidewalk or where ever we can fit a container.
  

Some people do container gardening out of necessity. If our property has poor drainage, gardening in containers is the answer. Or if we have poor soil, learning how to garden in containers solves that problem. When we put good soil in a container and our plants will grow wonderfully.

Originally I planted some fruit and vegetables in tubs in the backyard to keep the dog from running over the vegetables. Then I realized how much easier it is for a senior to take care of plants above ground level. It's much easier tending plants in containers.

how to choose our containers

• We may choose our containers for appearance. What will look good with the color of our house or what will look good on our patio table.

Container plants compliment the house and yard.

We can grow vegetables, flowers and herbs in just about anything that will hold soil. We may use pots, pans, buckets, tubs, whiskey barrels, livestock water tanks, an old sink, a bath tub or a wheel barrel. We may even build our own containers, such as raised beds.

• Choose containers that are large enough to hold the roots system of the vegetables. Large plants like tomatoes and zucchini squash need at least 12". Smaller plants can get by in shorter pots.

Tomatoes grow very well in containers.

If the container is used, find out how it was used previously. We don't want to plant our vegetables in a container that contained toxic things like paint, pesticides or other chemicals.

Five gallon buckets are great for container vegetable gardening. They are readily available and they are easy to move around with their handy handles.

Small containers for flowers will be easy to move around. If they are large containers that will need to be moved, consider putting them on wheels or casters.

• Make sure the containers have adequate drain holes. This may mean drilling holes in the bottom of plastic buckets and tubs.

Use a 1/2" or 3/4" auger bit and drill several holes in the bottom of a bucket. A larger tub should have at least a 1" hole about every six inches. Some people like to drill the holes on the sides, just above the floor of the container.

Some of the clay or ceramic pots for sale don't have any drain holes in the bottom. Use a masonry bit to make their drain holes. Drilling into a ceramic pot with a regular drill bit may cause it to crack, so use a masonry bit.

what soil do we use in containers?

• Apart from the sun, the soil in our containers is the most important aspect of how to garden in containers.
• Our best bet for soil is to purchase commercial 'potting soil' mixes.

Raised bed containers solve drainage problems.

The container's soil must both drain well and be able to retain moisture. It should not compact and become soggy causing the roots to rot.

Bagged topsoil does not work well in containers. The natural soil from our yard does not work well in containers. It's too heavy and does not drain well.

We may improve the drainage of natural soil or bagged topsoil. Mix them with plenty of organic matter such as compost, peat moss or vermiculite.

Some people make their own containers soil mixes. But if you have a limited number of containers, your best bet is to purchase commercial 'potting soil'.

• Select potting soil, bags labeled garden soil are too heavy for using in containers. The plants will sit and sulk in heavy, wet soil that doesn't drain well.
• The commercial soil mixes have also been sterilized to kill any pests, diseases and weed seeds.

Fill the containers with the potting soil.

• Small pots can be filled to about 1" below the rim.
  
• Larger pots should be filled to 2" or 3" below the rim. Then when you water, the soil won't wash out of the pot.

what can we grow in containers?

Almost any plants that grow in the ground can be grown in containers.

It's fun to add color spots in our yard with containers of flowers. The container may be stationary or it may be a hanging basket.

Even if we live in a third story apartment, we can put out a hanging basket of flowers to feed the hummingbirds.

Share our lovely gifts of God in containers.

vegetables for our containers

• Container vegetable gardening is very rewarding.

Today the plant breeders are coming up with more compact sized vegetable plants. Any of the leafy vegetable such as lettuce, spinach and kale, etc. are naturals for a container.

The larger vegetables like tomatoes and squash now have compact, bush or dwarf varieties that fit very well into a container.

The sprawling vegetables like cucumbers, winter squash and even the melons have bush varieties suitable for container vegetable gardening.

The vine-like plants like cucumbers or beans may be planted next to a trellis, a fence or grown on tomato cages.

Grow some vegetables for the dinner table.

We can grow fruit in containers, too. Strawberries, figs, bananas, blueberries, raspberries plus more, will all grow in containers.

how to garden in containers

Plants need light, water and some fertilizer to grow and prosper in containers. We covered light already, above.

how to water our container plants

• Check the soil with the index finger in the soil, up to the first knuckle. Does the soil feel dry? If so, it's time to water.

As a general rule container plants require daily watering, with some variations.

Large containers are watered less often. Small containers don't have as much soil. They dry out faster and more than likely will need daily watering.

During hot or windy days, the soil can dry out very quickly. So the container will probably require extra watering.

During cool or cloudy weather, we don't have to water so often.

Do container plants need fertilizer?

• Yes, we especially need to fertilize. That's how to garden in containers.

How does a plant get its nutrients from of the soil?

A plant picks up the nutrients when are in solution. Dry nutrients have no way to get up into the plant.

Container plants are watered more often than plants in the ground. The constant watering washes the nutrients out of the container.

When we planted our container garden originally, there may have been time-released fertilizer in the mix. Maybe we added compost or rotted manure. These nutrients last from 3 to 4 months.

So, after 3 or 4 months we need to give the plant more nutrients - fertilizer.

Since the plant can only pick up nutrients that are in solution. Using a soluble fertilizer is the way how to garden in containers.

• Fish emulsion is good or any other liquid fertilizer with equal numbers. Apply the liquid fertilizer every 2 weeks.

In order to prevent burning the plants, make sure the soil is moist before applying the fertilizer.

The liquid fertilizer will go into the plant for immediate use. This keeps our plant happy and healthy.

It's a joy gardening in containers