Container Planting

I have to say, I don't like getting muddy digging soil, and this is not needed for container gardening. This and the ease of protecting my plants from weeds and pests has definitely made me *more* excited to garden!

You can use a lot of things you already own for container gardening. There are no exact rules about watering your container garden plants. However, you have to become acquainted with the needs of various garden plants and treat them as individuals with their own needs.

Getting Started

When container planting it is always suggested that you use a good potting soil and never use garden soil. You need to prepare the soil mix with perlite, peat or vermiculite that can retain moisture for a long time and yet be free draining. The soil provides weight, a reservoir of trace minerals, and an environment in which beneficial soil organisms flourish. The organic component provides water-holding materials and also improves the drainage.

I prefer an organic soil but a sterile, soil less media is lightweight and can work well for growing flowering annuals, although some fertilizer addition, not needed for the organic based soils, will probably be prudent.

A good mix whether organically based or synthetic should wet relatively easily, and should not compact excessively when wet.

An indoor container garden need be no more than several pots with a single plant or several plants in a single container. To begin, measure the area you want to decorate with your plants, and decide how many plants your space will comfortably hold. Other trailing plants are sweet potato vine and creeping Jenny.

When Should I Water?

To test soil moisture, let your fingers do the walking! Press a finger into the potting mix to a depth of about two inches. In general if it feels damp, do not water. If it is dry - water it well, to ensure that the whole container become well soaked.

How Do I Get That Rustic Look?

To give an aged look to a shiny new galvanized bucket or watering can, smear a handful of moist soil haphazardly over the surface. Let this dry and then use a gloved hand to scrape or wipe off any lumps that have stuck to the surface.

Some gardeners produce really natural looking vertical planters out of a rustic wood lattice lined with black plastic and then filled with a lightweight medium. Alternatively, you can also use welded wire, shaped into cylinders, lined with sphagnum moss, and filled with soil mix. Depending on the size of your vertical planter, 2-inch diameter perforated plastic pipes may be needed inside to aid watering.

Potting-on

As your plants grow they will become root-bound and less vigorous in growth unless you pot them on into larger containers. Find a larger container, and transplant using good quality soil. To avoid or minimize transplant shock you must take care to handle the roots gently and don't forget to water them well after re-potting.

A larger pot holds a larger volume of soil, which in turn can store substantially more moisture than a pot half the size. Obviously, the more water a container holds, the less frequently you'll need to water it! You can also add a timed-release fertilizer to the soil you add while potting-on.

Start by using the right sized containers for plants you mean to grow through the summer.

Containers can be whatever suits your eye and pocket book, from fancy big clay pots, lightweight pots, and window boxes, to wine barrels, recycled pulp containers, wooden boxes or even big drain tiles you may have available. If you intend to leave your pots outside all winter and you live in a cold climate, don't forget they must be frost resistant.

Various styles, colors, sizes and finishes will help you create a beautiful outdoor space.

Steve has a great enthusiasm for container gardening, including container vegetable gardening and organic container gardening, which comes across in his writing and information about plant containers. For inspiration you could not do better than visit the Container Gardening site.