How to Grow a Container Garden

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By Gardengates
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Grow a Container Garden

Container gardens allow you to garden in a small, controlled space. To make yours successful, here are some ideas on how to plant one.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

Step 1

There are many pots to choose from...

A container garden is just what it says; a garden grown in a container. Choose your container for practical as well as aesthetic use. Make sure you will have plenty of room for your plants, the pots offer good drainage holes, you have trays or soil underneath to avoid staining, and the pots are located in the right position to offer your plants the light they need.
Step 2

A mixed planting

You can have a large container with multiple plants which will function as a mini-garden for a small space, for a way to grow large single specimens, to grow edibles close to the kitchen and to enhance the design of your patio, balcony or garden. If you plan on planting a big pot, place it in its location before planting -- and before it gets too heavy to move easily!
Step 3

An herbal strawberry pot

Use container gardening to grow herbs close to the house for easy snipping. Long containers work well for small-growing herbs and make it easy to find each herb plant so you can cut what you need conveniently. Herbs should be grown in full sun. Another way to grow herbs and small vegetables is to use a strawberry pot where each plant can look decorative yet be set off by itself for easy access.
Step 4

Vegetables can be grown in containers. Strawberries are great for pots.

Try growing vegetables and fruits in pots. You will need large pots for the larger growers like zucchini plants and tomatoes. Use a rich loam for soil and make sure pots don't dry out. Regular light feeding will be necessary for good harvests. Set your pots in groups so they look attractive and give them full sun.
Step 5

Planting

HOW TO POT: Put crocking (stones or broken pot shards) in the bottom of the pot for drainage. Fill your pot with the appropriate soil. Plant your plant in a container that has more than enough space to handle the full grown plant(s). And water the pot thoroughly until the water comes out the bottom.
Step 6

A Japanese Bonsai garden

Container gardens can become an art as with bonsai. Learning to train and prune these container plants will take lots of practice.
Step 7

Decorating the decor

Use them as a way to fill a niche that would look lost or empty. This is but one of an endless selection of design ideas.
Step 8

For more ideas on how to design with the plants you grow in pots, please read the sister article to this: How to Design a Container Garden.