Anyone looking for a simple way to garden should try container gardening, gardening done out of a box or pot. Growing crops has never been easier, especially when it comes to protecting your plants from infestations of pests that may damage or kill off your crop. For instance, the following suggestions will show you how you can grow virtually anything (flowers, herbs, or vegetables) using the container garden strategy.
Water Requirement
Most gardeners know that your plants need to have enough water to survive – this is no different with container gardening. In fact, a container garden requires more watering than plants in the ground. This is probably the largest reason that container gardens fail – they do not receive enough water every day. Plants in a container are limited in that their roots can’t reach down and find water that’s beneath the surface. The plants, because they are in a container, rely upon you to give them adequate water. The amount of water you have to give them will depend on the particular plants and time of year, but you have to look at them daily to assess moisture levels.
Temperature and Humidity
Even though it’s easier to control the conditions for a container garden than a typical outdoor garden, you still have to make sure that the temperature and humidity are right for the plants you’re growing. You should pick plants that are local to your area or have the ability to adjust to your climate conditions. If you’re growing desert plants such as cacti, excessive humidity or low temperatures could be a problem. On the other hand, plants that require a more moist environment, such as tropical or jungle plants may need some extra moisture, which can be supplied by spraying their leaves in addition to watering them frequently. You also want to keep plants with similar needs in the same container.
Drainage
You can make container gardening into an art form by choosing creative and unusual containers. Your plants do not care about what the containers are all about; just so they will hold them and have sufficient drainage. You will need to assess the amount of area you have to work with when you are deciding on what containers you want to use.
Some possibilities include wheelbarrows, old trunks or crates, wicker baskets and wooden kegs, just to name a few. You may find yourself scanning the world around you for items that would make good containers for your plants. You container garden may indeed say a little about who you are; let your thoughts run rampant. If you have never taken a stab at potted gardening, there is really no reason to not do so. Perhaps you will learn that container gardening is practically effortless, especially if the time-honored form of gardening is something you are familiar with. On the other hand, even people who have no previous experience with gardening will not take long to see that if they grow seeds in pots or planters they will be able to reap the rewards of container gardening.