Container Gardening

Container Gardening Advice, Ideas Design and, Pictures. Whether you are getting up the nerve to try growing a few petunias, or are have a full fledged container garden vegetable farm, you’ll find useful information here. What you need to know to get started container gardening. Making beautiful container gardens can be quick and easy of choosing a Container for your garden. Five flowering plants for sun even a laundry basket can make a great container garden. This approach dovetails nicely with my own philosophy which I call “Slacker Container Gardening ” In a nutshell, in my container garden, the aim is not perfection, it’s about gardening like you live and enjoying the process. Another important tenet of “Slacker Container Gardening,” is to keep it guilt free. I want my container gardening to be a guilt-free zone. I will make mistakes, I’ll even make some really ugly container gardens, which I’ll either fix or kill, but either way, it’s just a waste of time and energy to feel guilty about it. My one request is that someone reminds me of this philosophy in the middle of the summer, when I suddenly revert back to being a type A, container gardener. Potting soil a lightweight potting mix is needed for container gardening.

Gardening in containers is one of the most versatile and creative forms of garden design. Potting mix most container gardeners have found that soilless potting mix works best. Some helpful techniques, including choosing containers and growing media potting mix, selecting plants, and planting, fertilizing, and watering your container garden, are discussed in this publication. Styrofoam peanuts can be used in the bottom of the container rather than filling it fully with potting mix. Potting Soil A lightweight potting mix is needed for container gardening. Media A fairly lightweight potting mix is needed for container vegetable gardening. Most potting mixtures become compacted and plants become root-bound over time. Organic the ideal container medium must be porous to drain well but high enough in organic matter to hold water, because roots require both air and water. Packaged potting soil available at local garden centers may make a good container medium but be sure that it is not too high in organic matter. Organic fertilizers such as fish emulsion or blood meal can also be used if desired, but may be available too slowly for actively growing plants, or may develop sour aromas.

Container vegetable gardens guidelines for how to create container vegetable gardens for those with no yard. Container vegetable gardens are another great alternative for those that don’t have access to back yards. Soils are best suited for vegetable container gardening. The primary keys to successfully growing vegetables in containers are to plant them in the proper-sized container and to keep them watered. Durability and Cost Pots that are porous may look more natural but can deteriorate quickly if consistently exposed to moisture and freezing temperatures. Wood are the most natural and blend into the garden seamlessly, while stoneware provides colors to the mix, plastic is less expansive but seemed to be odd in the natural setting.

One more thought:

Never reuse the same potting soil from the previous growing season because it may contain disease organisms. Most municipal water systems on the Front Range are from mountain sources which are excellent and cause few problems. However, water from wells and much of the Western Slope is often high in salts or carbonates which will cause some problems. Salt build-up is damaging to plants causing burned leaf edges, stunted growth, and fewer blooms. If saucers are used to catch drained water, empty them to prevent salt buildup. Kerry Smith , Extension Home Horticulture Specialist , Auburn University. Soil straight from the garden cannot be used because it will notdrain fast enough, resulting in too little air for the roots, and it pulls awayfrom the sides of the pot when dry. Decoration Pots of blooming petunias make the most austere entrance or sparsely decorated balcony or deck feel warm and inviting. Time-release fertilizer and automatic watering systems can reduce that time even more. Carefully selecting plants will result in a beautiful, yet functional, display with function. Doing so may cause fertilizer burn and kill your plants. If you are away a lot, consider an automatic drip emitter irrigation system. Do not add more than the recommended rate of any fertilizer, since this may cause fertilizer burn and kill the plants. Just because a little is good for the plants does not guarantee that a lot will be better.