How to Plan for a Long-Season Container Garden

Container gardening is great for people who don't have the space or time for a full-blown garden. Stairs and porches make perfect spots for these easy-to-manage gardens. The trick is to make the beauty last so you can long enjoy a striking display in a single container without having to replant. Begin by choosing plants carefully.

Instructions

Difficulty: Easy

General tips

1. Buy a container large enough to support several kinds of plants with at least one drainage hole. You'll find many options in terracotta, plastic, ceramic and wood. Fill three-quarters with a commercially available, lightweight, porous planting mix.
2. Choose an assortment of plants with similar needs for sunlight and water. Include a central upright-growing plant for a sense of permanence and structure--a dwarf Alberta spruce, for example, or, in mild climates, a Japanese aralia.
3. Ring the central plant with smaller plants to create interesting texture, foliage and color combinations. Include plants with a long flowering season, such as a cockscomb (Celosia); those with attractive foliage, such as coleus; and blooming annuals.
4. Soften the edges of the container with cascading plants, such as sweet potato vine, English ivy and lobelia, that hold their form.
5. Keep the display in peak condition with regular care. Provide a continuous supply of moisture and fertilizer. Pinch off fading flowers to encourage plants to continue blooming.
6. Remove annuals as they begin to die, filling in gaps with blooming annuals. Or start fresh with a new burst of seasonal color.

Growing vegetables

7. Choose a deck, staircase or patio that receives at least 6 hours of sun a day. Because soils in containers warm up quicker than garden soil, plants get off to a faster start. If your location is shady you can still grow vegetables. Plant leafy and root crops such as salad greens, radishes, carrots, beets and spinach.
8. Buy containers big enough for the mature root system and water regularly to avoid letting roots dry out. Vegetables grow fast and are set back if stressed.
9. Grow salad greens, radishes, carrots, beets, spinach and bush bean varieties, including 'Frenchie' and 'Provider', from seed. Plant seedlings of tomatoes that don't vine. Plant bush squash, such as 'Gold Nugget' and 'Cream of the Crop', and bush cucumbers, such as 'Bush Pickle'. Peppers and eggplant also grow well in containers.

Tips & Warnings

• In regions where containers can winter out-of-doors, you can plant the container in fall and include spring-flowering bulbs in the mix.
• Consider an automated drip watering system to ensure that plants get the water they need (see 118 Lay Out a Sprinkler System).
• To ensure hardiness of container- planted perennials and shrubs outdoors in winter, choose plants suitable to a colder climate, two hardiness zones north of your location.
• Leafy and root vegetables (lettuce, carrots) need less light than fruiting kinds (tomatoes, peppers, beans).
• Don't use garden soil for container planting. It's heavy and holds too much water, which can suffocate or drown roots. Garden soil may also introduce pests, weeds, seeds and diseases.

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