Tag Archives: container gardening

Tips On Choosing Plants For Your Container Garden

Growing a container garden is really easy and useful. A wide assortment of vegetables, fruit and herbs can be grown in pots. It is easy to start your plants from seedlings that can be obtained at the local garden center, however many people prefer to grow their own starter plants in little pots inside, transferring them into a bigger container after they’ve grown sufficiently. Keep reading for a few of the most popular alternatives for these undemanding and portable gardens.

Many people choose to begin container gardening with herbs as they tend to thrive in this atmosphere. The trick is to pick out a pot that’s a suitable size for the type of herb you’re cultivating. Certain herbs, due to their more modest size, are well suited to a smaller container, such as basil, chives and parsley. However, a lot of herbs are considerably larger. For instance, sage needs a large container since it’s actually a bush.

Most horticulturists raise tomatoes in their vegetable patch, and they make a great addition to a container garden, too. Flavorful tomatoes can be hard to find. The tomatoes you buy at the grocer are harvested before they’re ripe and are subsequently ripened through artificial means, consequently they won’t be nearly as delicious as the ones you grow yourself. Many kinds of tomato are suitable for being grown in a container, particularly small varieties such as cherry, grape and roma tomatoes. An added feature is that they are quite ornamental.

Other veggies that are frequently grown in pots are carrots, peas, beans, lettuce, squash, cucumbers, peppers, scallions and radishes. Even potatoes and corn have been known to grow in a pot! The truth is, almost all veggies can be raised in a pot if you take good care of them.

People don’t opt to raise fruit in pots as often as veggies and herbs, perhaps for the reason that it’s considered to be too complicated. However, strawberries are a good option for a container garden, and they grow very well in a wide range of different pots. This is an extremely hardy plant, and can be grown in “grow bags” created particularly for that purpose, which can be hung pretty much anywhere outside.

Another fruit that is well suited to container gardening is a dwarf fruit tree. Many small citrus trees will grow well in big pots. Quite a few kinds of dwarf berry bushes will also grow productively in pots, for example raspberries and blueberries. One downside is that they tend to weigh a lot and can’t be transported with ease.

The benefits of a vegetable garden can’t be beat. You’ll get to enjoy fresh picked produce and you’ll get some great exercise at the same time! From the organic vegetable garden to herb gardening, you’ll find the information you need at the Vegetable Gardening Site.

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Keep Your Kids Busy Gardening With Garden Pots

Have fun with your kids while doing something useful – container gardening! This will certainly help keep them from getting bored and they will love learning how to plant in garden pots. And, seriously, what could possibly be better than getting their little hands dirty while growing their own food. They might just be inclined to try some new foods they wouldn’t ordinarily try (I know this works since I saw it happen with my own 6-year old son.)

The Containers

A good place to start is with the containers. Garden pots can be made from a wide variety of raw materials like wood, stone, clay, plastic, etc. The safest material that I would recommend for your kids is plastic since it is really hard to break and its lightweight. The second best option is wood. Usually wood containers don’t hold water well and are used for decoration. You will probably end up putting the pot that holds our plant into the wood one.

This is a really good time to have your kids decorate the pots. On both wood and plastic, acrylic paint works great. Be sure to use paints that are non-toxic. Once your child is finished, pick out a location now where you want the pot to go since it will be harder and heavier to move when its filled with soil.

The Soil

I recommend using a good potting soil as opposed to putting in plain old dirt. Potting soils are blended specifically for use in containers and they are made to hold water (which means less watering – and less maintenance). Its always a good idea to help freshly placed plants get a good start by feeding them with the proper nutrients. Mix the recommended amount into the potting soil (a guide will be printed on the bag). Be careful not to add too much as this can kill the plant.

The Plants

Pick your plants according to size and type – flowers, vegetables or herbs. Some plants (like tomatoes) require larger pots. If the plants do get too large for their pots, they can be easily transplanted into larger garden pots later. So, you can see how this is a great project for kids as the plants need their love and attention as they grow. Your kids are sure to love seeing the fruits of their labor.

Andy Raydall has been working in gardens since early childhood and has always been interested in educating others on gardening and landscaping techniques. If you’d like to know more about container gardening, visit AllGardenPots.com

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