What is Container Gardening?
Container gardening means just that--gardening in a container ... any kind of container. Old wash tubs, buckets, laundry baskets, enamel pots, ceramic pots, plastic pots--virtually any kind of container can be used to create a container garden.
Container gardening is a way for everyone to have plants anywhere! The container can be on your porch, on a windowsill, in your yard, beside your front steps, on a deck or patio--any place you can fit a container.
The only requirement is that the container has some way for the water to drain away from the plant's roots so they don't become waterlogged and begin to rot. If the container has a drainage hole, be sure to place something beneath the container so the surface under the container isn't damaged.
What Plants Can Be Grown in a Container?
You can plant almost anything in a container: flowers, vegetables, herbs, even small shrubs or trees if the container is large enough.
You can mix plants if you are careful to put plants with similar needs in the same pot. For example, geraniums like lots of sun and rather dry conditions, so you would plant them with other plants that like sun and dry soil. Plants such as impatiens and coleus that prefer less sun and more water should be planted in a different container.
With vegetables, you may want to choose the smaller varieties such as cherry tomatoes, or some of the new varieties of baby vegetables like fingerling carrots or small cabbages. Look for those marked "dwarf" or "midget." If you grow tomatoes in pots, choose determinant varieties.
You can put plants that would not live outside over the winter into containers so that they will be easy to take inside in fall.
The secret to successful container gardening is to use a good quality potting soil and to add fertilizer, because the plants will not be able to extend their roots beyond the container to get nutrients.
Planting in Containers
The first step is to put soil in the container. Do not use soil from your garden for container plants. If the container is not very deep, you can simply fill it with a good potting soil. But if the container is very large or very deep, you might want to try this trick:
Since the roots of most plants go only about six to eight inches into the soil, put empty plastic pots upside down into the bottom of deep containers (empty soda bottles work well also). This saves you the expense of filling the bottom with potting soil, and greatly decreases the weight of the finished planting in case you want to move it.
To reduce the demand for water, you may want to add a water-absorbing gel. This is a granular product that absorbs 400 times its weight in water and then looks like chunks of clear gelatin. If you soak these granules and mix them into your potting soil before you use it, your plants will draw the water out of these jelly-like chunks when they need it. Then when it rains, the gel will reload with water and you will not have to water quite as often.
Water-absorbing gels are available at most garden centers.
Here is a table of how much of the water-absorbing granules to use for various amounts of potting soil:
| Pot Size | Amount of Gel to Use |
|---|---|
| 6" | 2 cups hydrated gel |
| 8" (1 gal) | 6 cups hydrated gel |
| 10" (3 gal) | 8 cups hydrated gel |
| 11" (5 gal) | 1 gallon hydrated gel |
Mix the soaked granules into potting soil that has been moistened, and put this mixture into the container to about six to eight inches from the top. Then add the plants.
If the plants are in pots, remove them from their pots, loosen the roots, place them on top of the potting soil, and fill in between them. If you are repotting plants, you will want to loosen and shake off most of the old soil.
When you have everything in place, water the container thoroughly to be sure there are no large air pockets in the soil.
Don't Forget the Fertilizer
Remember that potted plants have only the soil in the pot to provide their nutrients, so you must keep replenishing those nutrients. At planting time, you may incorporate a slow-release fertilizer into the soil. This will reduce (but not eliminate) applications of fertilizer during the rest of the season. Without a slow-release fertilizer, you will need to apply fertilizer about every 10 days. Whichever fertilizer you use, follow the label instructions carefully. Even if you use soil that contains fertilizer, you will need to begin adding fertilizer once those nutrients are depleted.
Deadheading to Extend Bloom
Deadheading is simply removing the dead or drying flowers. Nature has programmed plants to flower and develop seed. When the seeds have formed, the plant believes its job is done and it stops blooming. So you have to keep removing the spent flowers if you want to prolong the bloom period.
If you check your plants and remove dead flowers every day or so, it won't take more than a few minutes and your plant will bloom almost continuously.
Maintenance
It is important to water your plants as needed. Sun and wind dry the soil and the plant needs water to survive. Even with the gel, you will have to water your plants, but not as often. During extremely hot weather you may have to water every day.
Be sure you place your containers carefully. A place that is shady in the morning can be quite hot and sunny after midday. If your plants prefer less sun, place them where they will get sun in the morning and shade in the hotter part of the day. Of course, if your plants are sun-lovers it is better for them to have morning shade and afternoon sun.
