A container garden is simply a plant or a collection of plants that grow in a container, and it may or may not grow with a medium.
The nice thing about container gardens is that they can vary widely in style and size, and you can produce a variety of different plants in containers.
And the benefit of this is that you can bring greenery into any space, and you control the environment, so it’s a very versatile option for gardeners where you can grow indoors or outdoors.
Why container Gardening?
Container gardening is ideal for those with limited space or who live in an apartment with a balcony or have a small yard. Container gardening is an excellent way to grow plants without taking up a lot of space.
Container gardening is also a good option for those who are too busy to maintain a large garden. So, if you’re busy, working a lot, but still want to grow some herbs to use in your cooking, container gardening is a great way to do it.
Another reason planting in containers is significant is because you have control over the growing environment for your plant.
So you can bring some freedom for your plants from the weather extremes such as drought, excessive heat, excessive water, and then also the plague of pests that might bother your plant.
Container gardening is the best fit for you if you don’t have a large garden but want plants on your front porch or patio near the house to enjoy while sitting out and relaxing, or if you want some herbs close to the door so you can run out and pinch off some basil or rosemary to use in your dinner recipe.
Process of Container Gardening
1. Choosing a location
The first step in the container gardening process is to assess the available space. So this may entail walking around your property and taking stock of what you have, whether it’s a city house or a balcony off your apartment.
Simply looking at what spaces you have available, and this is an area where you can get a little creative because it doesn’t take much space to grow something, and you’ll discover that you can grow things in the most unusual places.
Take a look at your balcony, patio, small yard, windows, or find a blank wall. Things can be grown anywhere. So be imaginative and have fun with it.
The sun is the last thing you should consider because the amount of sunlight that your outdoor spaces receive determines what flowers and vegetables you can grow.
2. Container Options
Container gardening is all about the containers you use to grow your plants in. The next step is to consider your container options, and the sky is the limit in terms of the types of containers you can plant in.
The following are the different container options that are readily available and the best options for container gardening.
Flower Pots
When it comes to planting, this is the first thing that comes to mind. If you have a patio or balcony, you could definitely put a couple of potted plants in the corners or on a small table or whatever else you can think of.
Flowerpot sizes range from small to large ones. The big ones can be used to grow vegetables like tomatoes and pepper.
You can find these anywhere in a big box store, online, or you can always ask your friends and family. A lot of times, you can find these at garage sales also.
Wooden Boxes
A wooden box is something you can find at estate sales, flea markets, antique stores. These are a little bit more compact so that you could fit more of these in a smaller space.
These are not much cheaper. They cost around $4 to $5. If you want a more rustic look for your garden, you can go for this option.
Hanging Baskets
This is an effortless thing to do, especially if you have even more limited space.
If you don’t have a balcony but have space where you could hang it outside of a window, that could be an appealing option. Hanging containers won’t take up any area on the floor
of your patio, your balcony, or whatever. You can hang these up so that you have plenty
of extra space in your outdoor area.
Raised Beds
Another option for container gardening is using raised beds. If you live in the city and have a small backyard, raised beds are a great way to make the most of the space.
It’s also more attractive in smaller spaces to use raised beds rather than just planting a garden because you can organize it better. It keeps things looking a little bit cleaner, which is important in small spaces where things can quickly become cluttered and cluttered.
Having a raised bed in your backyard will keep things looking neat and tidy.
3. What to Plant
The next thing to consider, as far as what plants to buy, is what you want? Do you prefer flowers? Do you want to use herbs in the kitchen, Or maybe you want some tomato plants, pepper plants on your patio because you like eating those.
This is the next step, so this will be a personal preference thing. Just know that when it starts to get colder outside, you need to bring that plant indoors.
So if you don’t have the space to store your perennial plants, then maybe don’t plant those. But you can plant them in containers. Just know you’ll have to bring it in when the snow starts flying.
4. Choosing the Medium
One thing which you need to consider when creating your container garden is the type of medium you choose for your container. You want to make sure that you select a potting soil or potting mix.
Don’t use your backyard’s native or native soil or what may be referred to as topsoil in stores. That’ll be compacted soil with fewer nutrients, and what we really want for our container garden is a medium that allows our plants to access the nutrients.
We want it to be light and fluffy, allowing the roots to grow freely. The ingredients of coco coir and Sphagamos in a potting soil mix or potting mix are beneficial because they allow for nutrient access and water retention.
5. Let’s Start Planting
Now that you’ve determined what you’ll be planting and in which container, follow the steps below to get started.
- The first step is to lay out the plants so that you can plan how you will plant them.
- The following step is to prepare your container. If your container has any gaps, line your container with parchment paper.
- Apply a layer of drainage to your containers after that. If your containers don’t have holes in the bottom, a layer of rocks on top will help your plants drain.
- After that, fill your containers with a high-quality all-purpose potting mix.
- Add a layer of wood chips to protect the soil and help it retain moisture.
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