Container Gardens

Container Gardens

List of Plant Ideas for Container Gardens

Container Gardens for:
Growing Food and Flowers

Container gardening makes it possible to garden in almost anywhere. People are using container gardening in balconies, roof tops, decks, porches and indoors.
Flowers, vegetables, fruits and herbs can be grown in almost any vessel with good drainage and it's non-toxic. The vessel just has to be large enough to accommodate the plant of choice and light enough if you are bringing it indoors. If my planters are stationary, the bigger the better. They use less water and the soil stays cooler.

As for containers:

I look at the size of my plant and then decide on the decorative pot. If I am using a wood container, I like to line my wood container with a plastic liner or I use a plastic pot as a sleeve to protect my wood. Then in the fall I just bring the potted plant in the plastic pot indoors. To cover the plastic pot rim outside in the large container; I just mulch everything. Right now I am using gravel to mulch my containers, because chipmunks and squirrels won't leave my plants alone. First I used chicken wire and they found a way of lifting the wire. Gravel works! I was surprised.

Flowers are good for container gardening?

Around my patio, I use annuals. Mostly geraniums, grasses, sedums and Calla lilies because slugs and snails don't seem to like them. For growing anything in containers, I usually put something tall in the middle or around the back. Something that grows well and covers the soil and gaps. The three principles of flower arranging; A thriller - a filler and a - spiller.

What vegetables and fruits grow well together in containers?

I grow mostly salad crops, lettuce, tomatoes, peppers, herbs, and marigolds. For some reason Zon6 is not long enough for peppers to grow to maturity outside. I start my pepper plants indoors, transplant them to a bigger pot and keep them indoors. I tried growing peppers outdoors and bringing them in before the first frost, but the aphids did get the best of my peppers and eventually they all died. I washed and sprayed everything, but I still lost them. So I grow some peppers outside ( usually end up picking them green ) and some indoors. It's January 17 and my pepper plants are still blooming by my sunny window.

Fruits and trees for container gardening:

Dwarf fruit trees works well. Once I grew a lemon and a fig tree in a container outside, but I had to bring those indoors for the winter. Right now, I have a cedar tree that my daughter grew from seed growing in a wood container by the back door.

Raised Planter Garden:

I think Raised Planter Containers are so creative. Some of the raised planter containers comes with "crop hoop covers". If you cover your garden with a plastic hoop cover, you might be able to extent your growing season.
If you need to sit down to garden, this type of garden planter works, because it's just a shallow box with legs. If you are making your own container garden, you can adjust the legs to the height you need. As for irrigation, you can rig drip-irrigation or just fill up a plastic bottle with water, poke a few holes around the bottom of the bottle and poke the full bottle in the soil next to the plants that need the extra moisture. With a raised garden it's easier to keep Critters and Pests out of it as well.
I have raised vegetables beds and I find it easier to weed, fertilize, water and keeping it tidy. If I can only do one bed a day, that's what I do.

Best Containers for Landscaping Pots?

For me the bigger the better; more soil less time spent watering.
I like wood, metal or terra cotta.
Once I plant them, they will stay on that spot, but right now I have 3 wooden containers that I have to move. They needed to be moved last year. Where they are, I need a garden path. Next year's project. :)

Things I use for container gardening:

This is where I get creative and use whatever I have and only buy when I find something special that just pops in my car.
At the moment I'm using what I have like; husbands old boots, hanging baskets old watering cans, old metal buckets and extra wood from old wood projects. Indoors, I try to put my plastic pots in decorative containers or just leave them on a plant saucer in their plastic pots until next spring. I love the look and growing in clay pots, but I can't leave them outside during the winter. However, sometimes I do put them outside and feel spoiled until it's time to scrub them and bring them indoors.

Vegetable plant combination ideas for container gardens:

I plant what we like to eat like;
1 bush Tomato, Basil and a Marigold per pot. Marigolds will deter pests and insects.
Pepper, Parsley, Oregano and a Marigold etc.
I usually plant, 1 vegetable, 1 herb and 1 flower depending on the size of the container.

Perennial container gardening ideas:

I like ornamental Grasses, Hostas, Roses, Perennial Candytuft, Sedums and dwarf trees.

Keys to container gardening success:

Soil:

The potting soil mixture should be light, but be able to hold moisture and drain well. Basic garden soil is too heavy and compact and will not drain well. You can also buy potting soil or make your own.
With 1 part potting soil, 1 part compost, 1 part sand, vermiculite or perlite. Vermiculite will keep your pot from being too heavy and easier to move around .

Water:

Don't let your container garden soil dry out completely. It's hard to hydrate the soil and plants to its original form. I water my containers early in the morning and if it's very hot, I will do it again after supper. Watering at the end of the day, tells my body to slow down. Early in the morning watering with a hot cup of coffee in hand is heavenly.

Food:

I give my containers liquid food, compost tea or worm casting tea every two weeks. If I miss a week, my planters still look happy.

Deadheading:

Removing all of the dead leaves and flowers will keep your container garden looking fresh and healthy. Happy Gardening!
Perennial Gardening || Garden Content || Growing Food || Flowers || What's Blooming this Month

Cons about container gardening?

Weight.
Outside - the bigger the container the better.
Inside - it's the weight of the container that's a problem for most people.
My Mom uses plant caddies with rollers on all of her heavy containers. It makes her large plants a lot easier to move around. For small pots you can buy the plant caddies at the $Store. If you have a pot that's too deep for what you need, you can add some of your plastic recycling to the bottom of the container. Some Vegetables would be happy with that, because they have shallow roots.

Selecting plants ( flowers ) for container gardens:

Container gardening is a great way to brighten up a deck, balcony, a dark corner or just for a pop of colour wherever it's needed in the garden.
A suggestion for plants that will do well in pots, containers, urns, throughs, sinks or on hanging baskets.
Position your container before filling it - a watered container is very heavy. :)
Make sure your container has proper drainage and then you're ready to go.
Water and feed your plants regularly.
I feed mine with compost tea, fish emulsion every couple of weeks during the summer.
I also water my smaller potted plants every day during the hot summer.

Note: Most of these container plants are Hummingbirds and Butterfly magnets as well as being good for container gardens.
I also like ornamental grasses for height in my containers and Fuchsias for hanging baskets.

Container Gardens

List of Plant Ideas for Container Gardens

• Container Gardening
• Growing Food
• Growing Flowers

• Garden Content
• Perennial Gardening
• Seed Packet Templates
• Homemade Pesticide & Herbicide
• Seeds - Harvesting, Drying & Storing
• Infusing Oils & Vinegars
• Printable Templates
• Photography

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