How to Grow Container Plants Organically

Pot up your garden - flowers and vegetables, houseplants, herbs and even shrubs - with smart organic combinations. Use all kinds of planters and pots and outgrow your sunroom or patio in no time!

Things You'll Need

• Balanced Organic Fertilizer
• Compost
• Fish Emulsions
• Peat-based Potting Soil
• Pots And Planters
• Sand
• Seaweed Fertilizers

Instructions

1. Amend a good potting soil to make it better: 4 parts good, peat-based potting soil, 2 parts organic matter, plus sharp sand, lime and slow-release fertilizer. Plan to replace the soil in the pots every two years even if you don't change pots.

2. Pick plants and pots that suit each other - avoid putting little plants in huge pots or vice versa to keep root zones balanced with top growth. Be sure every pot drains: elevate them above their saucers on pot feet or brick wedges.

3. Fertilize monthly during the spring and summer, less often in fall and winter for most plants. Fish emulsion or seaweed fertilizers have what most plants need.

4. Watch the sunlight on container gardens - give each enough to keep growing without scorching their leaves. Transition pots gradually when moving them inside and outside with the seasons.

5. Keep a close eye on your plants for pests - pick bad leaves off, stomp and squish bugs when you find them. For bigger problems, see "Control Pests Organically."

6. Isolate new plants for a week or so; also isolate any pots immediately upon finding signs of pest problems. If organic controls fail, dump the plant to prevent further infection.

7. Space pots for good air circulation around each one. Harvest vegetables, herbs and flowers regularly, and prune plants to shape as you pick and after blooming.

8. Put a small plant like a coleus in a small pot amidst your container garden. Like a canary that alerts coal miners to trouble, this plant will show you the danger signs of water stress first. When it wilts, water all the pots immediately.

Tips & Warnings

• Water a container so water pours out the drain holes, then fill the container to its top again.

• Don't use composted manures in potting mixes for indoor plants, but do add them to outdoor planters. The extra-dense organic matter will hold lots of water, and the odor won't be as bothersome.

• Feed plants in sun rooms or greenhouses all year; when there's less light and less growth, cut back on fertilizer and water.