container-gardening

No Space, No Problem: Everything You Need to Know About Container Gardening

Do you want to grow plants on your backyard but you don’t have enough garden space? Then, consider container gardening. It utilizes tubs, half barrels, and pots which enables you to conveniently grow any plant you like on your area even if it has little or no space.

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Container gardening helps you grow various plants such as flowers, fruits, and vegetables in your containers, tubs, or pots. You can put them on your small yard or your driveway, or hang them on your balcony. Growing thyme, chives, and basil are also best in pots, which you can conveniently put right outside your kitchen door.

Container gardening can also add versatility and appeal in your garden. Plants can lend attracting color and provide a focal point in your space. You can place them on the ground, hang them from your porch, or mount them on your windowsill. Moreover, check out more of these helpful insights below to know more about container gardening.

The Benefits of Container Gardening

Container Garden

Growing plants in your containers or pots can be beneficial. Let’s take a look at these essential benefits of container gardening listed below.

  • Accessibility - Growing your plants in containers can help make gardening more accessible to almost anyone which includes your children and the elderly.
  • More variety - Container gardening allows you to grow any plants you like including those that are not suitable to grow in the garden soil. You may also raise your plants next to each other even if they might have different soil needs.
  • Versatile - Container gardening allows you to grow your plants anywhere in your backyard. You can put your pots or containers on your courtyard, patio, balcony, or your rooftop.
  • No Weeding - Weed seeds may not find their way into your pots or containers since they have a small surface area.
  • Mobility - You can easily move your pots or containers that can suit your needs. You can also quickly place them on a sunny or shady area during the day.
  • Flexibility - You can quickly rearrange your plants to suit the season or whatever you may like.

Container Drainage

flower-pots

Drainage holes are essential for whatever container you choose. It helps prevent waterlog and help keep your plants healthy all the time. Without drainage, your plants may die as well. Hence, the holes must be big enough to allow excess water to drain out of your containers.

However, you can also use containers without holes. They are best used as cachepots that can help you manage large plants and other heavy pots more conveniently. You can grow your plants in ordinary pots or containers that you can put inside a decorative container like cachepot and move them separately.

You can also use hanging baskets, double-walled containers, window boxes, and self- watering pots. They are an excellent option to grow smaller plants that need frequent watering efficiently.

Container Sizes

Container Sizes

Container sizes may be large or small. However, it’s better to grow plants in large containers since they can hold more soil compared to the small ones. They also help keep moist to stay longer and keep your plants hydrated.

Small pots or containers like hanging baskets are more prone to drying out especially during the summer. Thus, you need to water them at least twice a day to keep your plants alive.

There can be a lot of factors to help you determine how large a container you must use. It’s necessary to decide what type of plants you’d like to grow in each of your pot. You also need to consider the size and shape of your plants’ root system, and how they rapidly grow as well.

Rootbound plants can fill out every square inch of the soil, dry out rapidly and may won’t grow well. For this type of plant species, you need to choose a large tub or pot to provide them with enough root space. You can also opt for light-colored containers since they can help keep the soil cooler compared to the dark ones.

Container Preparation

planters

It’s necessary to decide the best location where to put your pots or containers before filling them with soil and plant. It’s also essential to keep them watered throughout the day. You may also need to look for an area where your plants can receive morning sunlight and get shaded especially during the hottest part of the day.

Make sure that your containers have drainage holes. However, it isn’t necessary to cover them with a gravel or pot shards before you add the potting mix. Instead, you can place a layer of newspaper or towel over their holes before adding the mixture to help prevent the soil from washing out.

Moreover, if you’re planting a mixed container, you can disregard or ignore the space requirements and start planting densely. When you’re planting shrubs and trees, you need first to trim off their circling roots and cover their root balls at the same level. Then firm the mixture gently and settle by watering them thoroughly.

Container Materials

pots

Each of your containers can offer merits and disadvantages. The terracotta or clay containers are attractive, but they can be breakable and damaged easily by the thawing and freezing. Hence, you need to put them in a frost-free location to help prevent them from harm and keep them year-round.

Cast concrete comes in a range of sizes and attracting styles. It’s a type of container that can last longer and you can leave outside in all weather. Plain concrete containers are also very heavy. They’re not suitable to put on your balconies or decks since they’re difficult to move.

If you prefer using the lighter pots, you can choose fiberglass and plastic containers. They are inexpensive, and you can avail in many shapes and sizes. You can also use the polyurethane foam containers since they can resist against cracks. They’re even an excellent choice for potting up plants and grow them outside year-round.

Selecting Plants for Containers

rain-wet-succulent-garden

Almost any herb, flower, shrub, vegetable, and small trees can grow successfully in the pots or containers. Growing compact and dwarf cultivars is best, especially in the smaller pots. However, it’s necessary to select plants that can effectively suit the amount of sunlight or shade and the climate that your container may receive.

If you’d like to grow fragrant plants like heliotrope, you need to place your containers in a location where there's less breeze which may disperse their scent. You can also be more creative by combining edibles, upright and trailing plants, and flowers for a more pleasing and colorful effect.

Container Garden Care

Container Garden Care

You need to water your container plants thoroughly. However, it may also depend on various factors such as pot size, plant size, and the weather. Don’t let the soil in your pots or containers dry out entirely since they can be hard to rewet. You can also keep your large containers attractive by putting a layer of mulch that can help retain moisture.

You also need to feed your container gardening plants regularly. You may fertilize them using water with compost tea, seaweed extract, and diluted fish emulsion. You may also consider foliar feeding to provide essential nutrients to your pants. You can start feeding them once every two weeks and later adjust the frequency depending on their response.

Pro Tips for Container Gardening

stair gardening

You can garden like a pro by using your pots or containers. You can grow flowers and other plants you like and arrange them in your backyard. You don’t need to invest in fancy pots or containers for you to improve your garden. Instead, you can get your garden growing by utilizing any pots that have drainage holes.

It’s also interesting to experiment with the arrangements of these containers with various materials and sizes. It allows you to show off your resourcefulness and creativity. Moreover, make sure also to refrain from using too big pots since the soil is heavy for you to move them around.

If you’d also like to grow decorative plants on your backyard, you can opt for three different ones that have complementary colors. You can grow one on the center that serves as the focal point, then choose the other one that can spill over the edge, and lastly, you can add a filler like abundant leafy species all year round.

You can also take your container gardening into a higher level and put your pots to work by combining grasses and ornamentals with herbs and vegetables. It’s an essential way to achieve and make the best out of beauty and practicality.

Takeaway

Container gardening will help add versatility and appeal in your space. It’s also a way to grow almost any plant in your small area using pots or containers. Just like connecting into a reliable and clean energy provider like Astral Energy, doing so can also help make the environment greener and make your outdoor space more energy efficient.

About the Author Laura Bennett

Hello, I’m Laura Bennett. I love nature especially when it comes to flowers and different kinds of plants. I started a very small garden behind my house and I named it Humid Garden. So, I created this blog to provide aspiring and inspiring thoughts about gardening for gardeners and anyone who has the intention of keeping a garden.

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