An Introduction to Container Gardening

If you like gardens but don’t have space, don’t despair! If you have enough space for a pot on your balcony, deck, patio - or even a sunny window - you can indulge your gardening passion by creating a container garden.

It used to be that only those with their own land could enjoy the luxury of gardening. Today, it is possible to have a garden just about anywhere through the use of container gardening. Container gardening lets you create the illusion of a bountiful landscape without all the work of tilling up and maintaining a big plot of land. Container gardening doesn’t have to limit your plant choices either. You can use containers to grow perennials, annuals, vegetables - even small trees and shrubs!

Just like a full size garden, container garden requires some planning and work. You’ll need to know your USDA zone to identify plants that grow well in your climate. You’ll also need to take into consideration the amount of sun you get at your location when choosing which plants to grow.

Unless you have the right conditions to grow your own seedlings, you may want to purchase plants from a nearby nursery. Keep your plants outside (if possible) for optimum sun exposure, but protect them from temperatures below 45° F and strong winds. That’s another great thing about container gardening. If you’re hit with unexpected cold weather, you can simply bring your plants indoor to protect them from frost!

Some people think that plants need to be in the ground to grow well, but it simply isn’t so. Many plants do very well in containers. When choosing your container, keep the following things in mind. You’ll need to provide proper drainage so that your plants won’t have to sit on soggy soil. You’ll also need to consider size when choosing a container. Having to constantly repot your plants is a big hassle, so choose a container that gives your plant plenty of room to grow.

Container gardens may cost a little bit more at the beginning, since you’ll need to invest in container, soil and plants. However, container gardening is low maintenance, so it pays off. You’ll use a lot less fertilizer and water compared to large scale gardening. Plus, you’ll save hours of time in back-breaking labor required to maintain a large garden patch. For this reason, many people prefer container gardening, even if they have the space for a larger plot!

Even if you don’t have a balcony, all is not lost. If you rent an apartment, check with your landlord – you may be able to use window boxes or hanging baskets to grow your plants. Either one works well for many blooming plants and vegetables. If none of these options works, check in your area for community gardens. Many cities have small plots available for people to use for a small fee. Community gardens can be a great way to get to know people or find friends who share your passion for gardening.

When autumn sets in, don’t despair. You may be able to extend your growing season by moving plants to a sheltered area or by providing them with artificial lights designed especially for plants. There are also many plants that are cold hardy and well suited for container gardening. You may want to take a look at Mexican feather grass, jasmine, Eulalia grasses and cornflowers for growing during the cold season.

It’s easy to extend your growing season by choosing plants that are suited for each season and replanting accordingly. There is a lot of advice available online if you have questions - just do a search online to find suggestions on how to grow roses, bulbs, vegetables and more in your containers.

TheGardenStaff.com is a great resource for information on vegetable gardening, rose gardening, water gardening and more. Let us help your garden grow!