Fine Gardening

Archive for the ‘Container Gardening’ Category

One of the best things about planting a container garden is that you not only get to pick the type of flowers and plants you will be growing, but you can decorate the container as well. This gives you a chance to really show off your artistic side and put your distinctive touch on your container garden.

As you think about the types of containers you want in your container garden, you have to first acknowledge a few practical concerns. Make sure your container is large enough to hold the plants you want to put in it. Think about how often you intend to move your container and judge its weight accordingly. Also, make sure the plants in your container garden have adequate drainage. If your containers don’t come with pre-drilled holes, put down a layer of gravel before your potting soil.

The pots in your container garden can come in a wide variety of materials. Terracotta, a red clay with a Mediterranean feel, is very popular and comes in wide variety of shapes and sizes. Stone, marble, or cast iron are classic options, but they are both heavy and expensive. You can mimic these looks with cast stone or even high quality fiberglass or polyurethane pieces. Some people opt for a simple plastic container but then cover it in a bamboo or other natural fiber casing.

Once you have chosen the size, shape, and material for the pots in your container garden, it’s time to get creative. The best way to jazz up your containers is with paint. It is durable and won’t damage your plants. Depending on the location of your container garden, your paint job could be as simple as a single bright-colored stripe along the rim of the pot. This creates a nice effect if your container garden consists of multiple terracotta pots that each sports a different color of stripe. Simple geometric shapes can also be an effective decoration.

If want to invest the time, consider treating your pots with a patina finish. Using patina can make a new pot look like an antique, or disguise a simple plastic container as an aging copper showpiece. At its most basic level, patina finishing is accomplished by sponging or brushing layers of paint over your container. Different color combination’s create different finishing. However, if you are thinking of going the patina route for your container garden, you should do some more research into the technique.

Though not as long-lasting as paint, you can also decorate your containers by attaching additional materials. You might tie on a bow, but know that it will only last for one season. You can also consider gluing on bas-relief carvings and then painting over the entire pot to create a stunning Victorian look for your container garden.

A major advantage to planting in a container garden is that you have complete control over the soil composition, water level, and sun exposure for each individual container. However, you have to actively monitor all these factors in your container garden. It is more work than planting perennials and letting them come up every spring. However, with the proper care your container garden can be a year-round delight.

The first mistake the most people make in their container gardens is not providing adequate drainage for their plants. If the soil is too wet, the water can take up the places that are normally occupied by oxygen and your plant will effectively drown. Continually wet soil can also cause roots to rot or grow fungus. Make sure that your container garden has excellent drainage. The best method is to buy pots with lots of drainage holes in the bottom. You can then set your pot in a shallow dish to collect the excess water. You may also want to fill the bottom of your pot with gravel or crushed and cut plastic bottles to assist in the draining process.

Once you have established the right kind of drainage for your container garden you need to make sure that you are neither over- nor under-watering your plants. Touch the soil. If it feels dry, you need to water your plant more often. You can also monitor your plants’ condition to make sure they are getting the right amount of moisture. If their leaves are browning or drooping it probably means you need to water more. However, if they are turning yellow, especially at the bottom of the plant, you should water less and check on your drainage system.

The soil in your container garden is also key to your plants’ health. Since a container garden is a closed system, you won’t be getting nutrients from the surrounding environment. Therefore, when you first put in your potting soil, make sure it has a slow release fertilizer. After that, you should fertilize your container garden about once a week. Use an organic liquid fertilizer like fish emulsion, especially if your containers are near pets or small children.

As you assemble all the plants in your container garden, make sure that they all have similar light requirements. You have the flexibility to put your container in as much shade or sun as you desire, but you want to make sure your chosen condition won’t kill any of your plants. Don’t be afraid to prune or transplant parts of your container garden that aren’t looking so well. It can be tricky to maintain a healthy environment, so depending on your gardening skills you may want to cull all but the hardiest plants from your container garden.

With large backyard gardens becoming a luxury and more and more people catching the fancy of consuming “home-grown” veggies, Container Vegetable Gardening is the talk of the town. However, there are a few things to keep in mind before plunging into Container Vegetable Gardening as a simple hobby or a fine gardening enthusiast.

• Not all vegetables are suitable for Container Vegetable Gardening. This is because some plants have wide spread roots or are huge in size and your container may not be sufficient for the vegetables to grow well. To make your container vegetable gardening experiment a success, it is better to start off with vegetables like tomatoes, carrots, beets, peas, lettuce, cabbage, broccoli and peas. Also, herbs like thyme, basil and rosemary are good choices for container vegetable gardening.

• The container size plays a key role in container vegetable gardening to bear fruit. Since most containers will have to hold potting mix of at least 7-8 inches, it is best to have a container that is at least 8 inches deep and about 12 inches in width. While non-porous containers like plastic and metal can be used, wood containers are considered better as they are semi-porous and can be made durable if pressure treated or lined with plastic. Clay pots are porous too but there is the risk of breakage and damage.

• Drainage is of vital importance in Container Vegetable Gardening. By providing proper drainage holes in containers, your vegetables will not drown due to over-watering. These holes can be made in the bottom of the container.

• Adequate sunlight is an important ingredient in the success of container vegetable gardening. Tomatoes, peppers and cucumbers need a lot of exposure to sun whereas cabbage, parsley and other greens do well under shade. The advantage of container vegetable gardening is one can shift the containers as per the direction of the sun.

• While daily watering is necessary for most container vegetables, over watering may lead to stunted development. To avoid over watering, just insert a stick in the container soil. If there are good traces of soil on the stick, you can skip watering for that day.

• You can also use mulch like compost, leaf mold and straw on top of the soil to avoid loss of moisture. Do not forget to buy a soil-less or soil mix for your container vegetables. You can pick these from any commercial or retail outlets.

• Over watering container vegetables can wash away nutrients. Using a water soluble fertilizer once in a fortnight should do well for the plants.

• For container vegetable gardening to be a success, it is essential to do regular inspection of your plants for any insects or diseases.