Container Gardening

I made a discovery. You see, I love flowers and plants, but there is limited yard space where I live, so I thought that I would have to be content with admiring the lush gardens and greenery of others' gardens. Then I discovered the concept of container gardening.

Well, actually, the concept of container gardening has been there all along - I had just never really thought about it or considered that it could be the answer to my gardening woes. But, once I discovered it, I decided to give it a try, and I am quite pleased with the results.

If you to try container gardening and want your garden to be successful, you should choose good containers for your plants. But how do you know if the container you want to use is right for your plant?

First of all, use your imagination to choose containers for your garden. You can plant in old bathtubs, crocks, barrels, baskets, bowls, wooden boxes, and sacks - just about anything. I've even seen someone use an old commode - yuck! However, there are things to consider when you're trying to choose suitable containers for your plants.

You should avoid choosing containers for your plants that have narrow openings - your plant is already contained, it needs as much room as possible to grow and thrive. You plant does not have access to the soil and room to spread out as much as in a traditional garden, so that means that you should not hinder its growth and development any further if you can avoid it.

Thinking about cheaper plastic pots? Don't. These cheap plastic containers are more inclined to deteriorate in the sun. And if you're thinking about terracotta pots for your garden, remember that clay pots dry out in the sun. This means you'll have to be careful to water as often as necessary and make sure your plants are not getting overheated and drying out.

Glazed ceramic pots are an excellent choice, but often they do not have enough drainage holes in the bottom. So you'll most likely have to add a few. If this is a problem, you will want to, at the least, add a 1-2 inch layer of gravel at the bottom of the container before adding your soil.

A lot of people like to use wooden containers for their gardens because these containers can be built to specification, but wood can rot easily. So you will want to choose woods that are less susceptible...

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If you do a lot of gardening, then you'll definitely want a good pair of gloves to protect your hands. You may be thinking, "Aw, but I love the feel of dirt on my hands." There's nothing like running your hands through the soil to feel connected to nature, and that's okay once in a while. But protecting your hands is vital if you do a lot of heavy-duty gardening.

Choosing the right gloves for gardening is a personal decision that all depends on what your needs are. Many times it all comes down to what you are going to be doing in your garden or yard. For example, if you're going to be raking, weeding, or digging, you'll need a different type of glove than say, if you were going to be pruning a thorny bush or something that might do more damage to your hands.

While some gloves may be perfectly acceptable for most of your gardening tasks, you'll want something totally different if you're working with water or chemicals, such as gloves that are waterproof and repel chemical and liquids. Your gardening supplier can assist you in choosing the right glove depending on the task.

After you've decided what your glove will be used for, then it's mostly a matter of style and comfort. You'll definitely want to try on your gloves to make sure that they are comfortable and fit properly. To check for proper fit, try on the gloves (both hands) and make a tight fit fist. When you do this, there shouldn't be any tightness or pinching. Gloves that fit improperly can cause blistering and chafing, which means they are useless for protecting your hands.

You will also want to gauge how well the gloves work for you when you are performing various tasks. You may want to test the gloves while holding a garden tool, such as a hoe or rake. Go ahead and pretend you are working in your garden - this is the only way to be certain that the gloves will meet your particular gardening needs. Also, if you are going to be planting using seeds, try picking up some seeds to be certain that your new gloves will be flexible enough for this task also.

Gardening gloves can be sewn with the seam either inside or outside. Which type you choose is up to you. However, you should be aware that gloves with seams sewn on the outside will wear out faster than gloves with seams on the inside. But of course, the choice is up to you...

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