How to Grow Great Container Gardens

Containers provide a way to organize your garden.

Container gardening works well indoors, in greenhouses and on decks and patios, and even has some advantages over in ground gardening. With a little planning, you can have a container garden that makes the most of whatever space you have to work with.

Things You'll Need

• Growing media
• Potting soil
• Window screen
• Fertilizer
• Water-storing crystals
• Sand
• Casters

Instructions

1. Choosing appropriate planting containers, such as 5 gallons or larger -- 12 inches depth and diameter -- for vegetables and herbs. Grow salad greens and smaller annuals in shallow pots and or wok-shaped pots. Add drainage holes if not present and saucers so pots can drain. Containers can be ceramic, wood, plastic or even coco bark baskets. Paint to change the look with a quality outdoor lacquer paint or stain. Seal the inside of wooden planters to avid deterioration within a couple of seasons.

2. Fill the containers with the correct growing media, the most important factor to container gardening success. Provide plants well-drained premium potting soil, combined of vermiculite and perlite, peat moss, sand and bark. Avoid adding topsoil or other clay-based soils because they compact.

3. Place a piece of window screen in the bottom of each pot topped by an inch or so of gravel. Mix a time-release fertilizer with the potting soil according to the package directions. Look at the time-release fertilizer as insurance in addition to maintaining regular feedings. Add water-storing crystals as well to the soil.

4. Start seeds indoors or in a greenhouse six to eight weeks before your projected outdoor planting date. Select container-specific tomatoes and other plants labeled bush, compact or dwarf. Move the containers outside when the time is right.

5. Add a complete fertilizer every 10 days or so as fruits begin to appear on vegetables.

Tips & Warnings

• Avoid heat buildup and water loss by using larger pots and by arranging pots together so that pot surfaces are shaded by other plants and pots.

• A layer of sand will help keep gnats and other pests from laying eggs in houseplant soil. Putting large planters on casters makes it easy to move plants between sunny and shady areas as needed.

References

• University of Illinois Extension: Successful Container Gardens

Resources

• Texas A&M University Horticulture Program: Container Gardens