It's very trendy (and quite practical if you don't have a lot of land) to do container gardening. You can get very creative with container gardening. Containers don't necessarily need to cost a lot of money either. You can use a lot of things you already own for container gardening.
Whatever you use as a container, it just needs good drainage, good potting soil, and the proper amounts of sunlight and water. Use your imagination! If your time is limited as well, you might consider purchasing self-watering containers and buying bags of pre-mixed potting soil from your local garden supply.
Some common containers:
- Flower Pots
- Plastic or clay pots
- Hanging baskets
- Barrels
- Drums
- Planters
- Bushel baskets
- Old bathtubs
- Washtubs
- Other baskets or boxes
- Plastic garbage cans
- Window boxes
- 5 gallon cooking oil cans
Container Gardening Tip:
1) Paint the inside of metal containers with asphalt paint.
2) Paint the outside of clear glass containers with dark paint.
3) Punch holes 1 inch above bottom of containers to allow drainage.
4) Line your baskets with plastic film and make slits to permit drainage.
Gardening Idea: You might place your containers...
- On your patio
- Along fences and in fence corners
- In and around your flower beds or ornamentals
- Adjacent to walkways and driveways
- Near the foundation of the house
- On your porch
- On your balcony
- On your apartment building's rooftop
- In your sunroom
Some suitable vegetables for container gardening and appropriate container size:
- Bush beans (2 gallon container)
- Beets (1/2 gallon)
- Carrot (1 quart)
- Cabbage (5 gallon)
- Swiss chard (1/2 gallon)
- Cucumber (5 gallon)
- Eggplant (5 gallon)
- Leaf lettuce (1/2 gallon)
- Green onion (1/2 gallon)
- Bell pepper (2 gallon)
- Summer squash (2 gallon)
- Winter squash (3 gallon)
- Tomato (5 gallon)
- Cherry Tomato (1 gallon)
More Gardening Tips
Patio peach or patio apples can be grown in half-barrel containers.
Strawberries do well in grow bags or specially-made strawberry pots.
A 4-gallon basket would be ideal for: tomato, eggplant, cucumber, pepper, squash, beans, or peas.
Smaller pots could hold: chives, herbs, leaf lettuce, or summer radishes.
A 1-gallon planter or pot makes a good home for: hot peppers, strawberries, cherry tomatoes and romaine (or similar smaller vegetables.)
In an 8-gallon basket, you can grow practically any vegetables.
Try your hand at container gardening today. In addition to the benefits associated with eating fresh vegetables and herbs, you'll find gardening reduces stress and promotes mental relaxation.
Gardening Idea
Try themed container gardening. For example, in a very large container, plant an Italian garden; a 'salad' garden; a Cajun garden...
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Copyright March 2006 by Sally Morton, Reproduction without permission prohibited.
