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Container gardening is something anyone can do even if you live in the city. Planting flowers or herbs are ideal for this type of gardening. It’s an excellent alternative or addition to a real garden, especially if you don’t have a lot of space to work with.

1.  If you live in an apartment and want to add a window box, check with the landlord to see if you’re allowed to have one.  Certain landlords ban them and fear that they will damage the structure of their buildings.  Realistically, a well prepared window box won’t cause any damage as long as it’s anchored firmly in place. You can buy special brackets to do this and stores also have drip trays so that you can catch any excess water that drains out of it. Not only are they attractive, but window boxes make it difficult for intruders to climb in through windows. They have to tackle the plants first!

2. If you want to add a large container to your balcony or if have access to a flat roof, check to see if there are any weight restrictions before installing it.  It’s worth remembering that one cubic yard of compost weights one ton – and that’s only its dry weight.  If you then add the weight of a container, plants and water, you could be placing an intolerable strain on the floor or roof which may not be able to support it.

3.  When planting a window box, remember that you are creating a miniature landscape. Consider including some dwarf or slow-growing plants, such as conifers, and one or two trailing vines to soften the edges.  Add splashes of color by introducing some summer bedding plants like petunias, pansies or tulips.

4.  Wooden half-barrels are among the cheapest forms of large containers. To prevent these barrels from rotting, they need to be lined with plastic sheets with some drainage holes punched into both the plastic sheets and the barrel.  Unless you are planting a tree, you won’t need to fill the entire barrel with compost. Instead, fill the bottom half with a layer of broken shards of pot to provide drainage, and then add some ordinary garden soil before topping up the barrel with compost to an adequate rooting depth.

5.  To add an aged appearance to your garden ornaments and pots simply paint them with a little milk.  This will encourage moss to grow on them, and they’ll soon look as though they’ve been there for years.

6.  Remember that a large pot filled with compost and plants will be very heavy, so save yourself the struggle of moving it by selecting your preferred location and positioning the pot there before filling it.

7.  For maximum impact group pots and containers of varying sizes together. Single pots can look a little lonely and plants like to have company.

8.  Please note that pots or containers that hold less compost than a conventional eight inch diameter pot will need frequent watering in summer.

9.  Every month or so, prick over the soil of any containers or tubs in which long-standing flowers are growing to prevent it from becoming compacted.  This allows the soil to absorb air, water and nutrients.

Container gardening is both convenient and versatile. You can go all out or just plant one single pot or window box. It’s a fun way to enjoy a bit of gardening during the summer months.

I have been successful with regular gardening. But every thing I grew in pots died.

Think of how marvelous your home smells when there are wonderful kitchen aromas wafting around while you are cooking with fresh herbs. It could be your Aunt Helens recipe for marinara sauce or a well spiced Indian dish given to you by your neighbor. The key is the fresh herbs that give each dish a distinct flavor and aroma. Fresh herbs from the super market are expensive so why not pot some fresh herbs on a sunny windowsill inside your home. If you know a few tricks it is easy to have a container garden of fresh herbs right in your bright kitchen. If the kitchen doesn’t have at least six hours of sun put your herb container garden somewhere that has the necessary hours of light.

Pick containers that go with the décor of your home. Since herbs are pretty plants anyway, a well chosen pot will only add to its beauty. After you have chosen the herbs to grow and the container to grow it in put some stones or broken pieces of pots in the bottom of the container to ensure good drainage. Aeration is needed for herbs and this method works well. A loose soil works best for herbs as a compact soil will inhibit root growth.

To plant your herbs, put a bit of soil into the container, add the herb and then loosely fill with additional soil. To keep it simple, put a Popsicle stick with the name of the herb in the soil next to the plant. Keep a small notebook handy to write down the needs of each individual herb you are growing. Now, you are on your way to growing and using fresh herbs and seasonings.

To ensure your herb container garden is a true success there are a few other tricks you should know about. It is crucial that your herbs get from six to eight hours of sunlight per day. If there is no place in your home that this is possible, then purchase some grow lights from your neighborhood garden center. Having your herb container garden indoors cuts down on the amount of fertilizer you will use. Read the information tag for how much the herb will need. Unfortunately, even indoors, pests can be a problem. Be very careful not to use commercial insecticides because you will be using your fresh herbs in cooking. Here is a recipe for a natural bug repellent:

In a jar, combine 1 teaspoon dishwashing liquid and 1 cup vegetable oil. Shake vigorously. In an empty spray bottle, combine 2 teaspoons of this mixture and 1 cup water. Use at ten-day intervals (or more often if needed) to rid plants of whiteflies, mites, aphids, scales, and other pests.

Container Herb gardening indoors will not only add flavor to your food but will also add color and texture to your home. By growing your own herbs you will never lack seasonings for your food and it may even grow into a bigger hobby of growing herbs for medicinal and beauty purposes too.

Happy Herb Gardening!

Copyright © Mary Hanna, All Rights Reserved.

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Hi..I was wondering if someone could tell me what vegetable plants are easiest to grow for containers.I do not have the room for a full size garden this year but would like to be able to grow some vegetables this year.Thanks

Flower gardens are not just for outdoor planting. One could very well plant a flower garden in pots that can be kept indoors, on a terrace or balcony, or perhaps a front porch or screened patio. Oftentimes, flower gardens will flourish in a more healthy fashion because watering and pest control issues are diminished.

Because container flower gardens are grown in a controlled environment, they benefit greatly and show their appreciation of receiving protection from extreme heat and dehydration by putting on a spectacular show of flowers.

The great thing about nurturing a flower garden in containers are all the wonderful and eye catching flower pots one can grow them in. Flower gardens grown in the right flower pot not only enhance the beauty of the flowers themselves but oftentimes, become the focal point in the room.

Container flower gardens can be placed in ones favorite locations around the home. Because an indoor flower garden is not affected by nightfall, it can be enjoyed not just all day long but all evening as well.

A few Tips To Remember

1. When purchasing flowers to add to your flower garden, do not overlook the small plants that are just starting out. The smaller the flower the cheaper it will cost one to purchase. With the right nurturing, these little beauties will grow to be large beauties in no time at all.
2. Know the ideal growing environment for plants purchased. If a plant is shade loving (such as most ferns) that does not mean it does not need sun in order to grow. All plants and flowers need sun in order to grow. Place these types of plants in an area that receives indirect sunlight.
3. On the other hand, if plants call for a sunny location, do not place them in an area where the sun beams down hard all day long. This will cause the water to evaporate rapidly, not allowing the root system to remain moist enough to enjoy all the nutrients given it. Instead, place the plant in a location that receives full sun for no more than four hours a day or be prepared to water more than once daily if needed.
4. Feed the flower garden organic nutrients once a week. Compose tea is my favorite, however, Miracle Gro manufacture some outstanding products to aid in the healthy growth of flowers and plants.
5.    DO NOT OVER DO IT! Flower gardens benefit from additional nutrients but, one can over feed them so please follow the manufacturer’s instructions when it comes to how much and/or how often to use their product.
6.    REMEMBER TO WATER! The fastest way to kill a flower garden is to consistently forget to water it. Flower gardens are a lot like people in so much as they cannot go an extended period of time without water. If that should happen, you will find yourself back at the garden center purchasing replacement garden plants.
7.    ENJOY! Take full advantage of the opportunity to “sit back and smell the roses!” What is the point of nurturing a flower garden if one fails to find time to relax and take it all in?

I hope I have inspired and encouraged you to plant a container flower garden. It is my belief that we all deserve to have a little sunshine in our lives and a well maintained container flower garden offers just the right amount.

Container Gardening for all Seasons: How to Plan, Plant and Grow Container Displays for Year Round Color
Price: $20.00

• Ships within 2 business days
• A guide to creating container gardens that bring color and fragrance to every season.

Container Gardening for all Seasons: How to Plan, Plant and Grow Container Displays for Year Round Color
Product Description
A guide to creating easy-to-maintain container gardens that bring color and fragrance to every season. Includes a directory of almost 200 plants, organized by color and season, plus a month-by-month guide to keep plants thriving in their particular garden environment and local climate-while keeping maintenance and expenses to a minimum.
Container Gardening for all Seasons: How to Plan, Plant and Grow Container Displays for Year Round Color

Container Gardening for all Seasons: How to Plan, Plant and Grow Container Displays for Year Round Color

Container gardening has to be the simplest form of landscaping. It takes very little effort, you don’t have to be an expert gardener, the attractive planters can fit in with virtually any decorating scheme, you can move em around, and the best part, weeding is virtually non-existent. If you hook up a drip watering system, you don’t even have to water them!

Some basic rules to remember are:

- allow for adequate drainage by putting gravel in the bottom of the pot

- use containers that are large enough to accommodate a mature plant (to save you transplanting)

- know your plants – if they like sun – don’t give them shade

Try to be creative by combining a variety of plants in various complimentary color combinations or better yet, combine them to reflect different themes. Here are a few ideas to get you started.

Salsa Garden

Get bright yellow or orange planters, or create your own by decorating with a cactus or lizard pattern. Include the following plants: two chile pepper plants, one golden tomato plant, a tomatillo or husked green tomato plant, and cilantro.

Pizza Garden

Include these homegrown treats on your next pizza: oregano, basil, fennel, onions, bell peppers, roma tomatoes, and eggplant.

Stir Fry Garden

The next time you make stir fry, here are your veggies, just add shrimp or chicken: Onions, zucchini, bell peppers, carrots, green beans. Add stakes for the climbing beans and let the zucchini trail over the sides of the container.

Pesto Garden

You’ll love this pesto garden containing just basil and garlic.

Pasta Sauce Garden

You’ll have the freshest sauce in town with this garden that contains: roma tomatoes, beefsteak tomatoes, onions, basil, oregano, thyme, garlic.

Herbal Tea Garden

Make a fresh cup of herbal tea by picking a few leaves and allowing them to steep in a tea ball. At the end of the season, you can bring your planter indoors or trim your herbs and dry them. Here is a good selection to begin with, and don’t be scared to mix and match: bee balm or bergamot (also used in Earl Grey), lemon balm, mint (choose different types), and relaxing chamomile.

If you’re working out in the garden on a hot day, fill a tea pot with water, throw in a few leaves and let it steep to make Sun Tea.

Culinary Herb Garden

There is nothing like using fresh seasonings for your cooking and this selection can be used in hundreds of different dishes: Thyme, lemon thyme, basil, oregano, rosemary, cilantro, marjoram, chives, dill, parsley, sage, and tarragon. You may need two large containers for this one!

Tomato Salad Garden

In your container plant beefsteak tomatoes, green onions, and basil. Just add lots of extra virgin olive oil and some Italian bread and you’ll have a salad you’ll want over and over again. It’s even more decadent if you add mozzarella cheese.

Scented Garden

Nothing is nicer than sitting outside and catching a scent of a fragrant bloom. Just run your hand through these plants to get an extra whiff: lavender, scented geranium, rosemary, and lemon balm.

Much contrary to the traditional outdoor gardeners who usually require a store full of gardening tools, the container gardeners find it much easy with only a handful of gardening supplies required for them to indulge in their favorite hobby. As more and more baby boomers are retiring and giving up their single residence homes for apartments, condos or town homes, the hobby of container gardening is gaining quick popularity. After all, why should one have to give up ones favorite pastime just because one doesn’t have a backyard anymore?! Container gardening is the way to go! With few good supplies you can enjoy the beautiful blossoms right in the comfort of your home.

Pots and Planters

A great benefit of container gardening is that you can customize the looks of your interiors as you desire. So if you need an oriental look, you can opt for the special feng shui’d containers available in the market. There are many more thematic containers that can be considered as well. Another useful tip to help you constantly change the look of your interiors is to avoid planting directly into the containers. Before planting, you should put a layer of plastic sheet or a hidden clay pot in the container. The plants should them be put in containers with these layers in between. This will help you swapping the plants in different containers to modify the look of your home. You must also ensure that enough drainage holes are poked below the container for excess water to seep out. In order to prevent soil also from seeping out along with water, you can make use of gardening supplies like coffee filters, convex pottery shards or pebbles.

Potting Soil

It may seem odd to buy dirt when you can find it everywhere around for free. However, please note that the common dirt may be heavily infected with pests, bacteria and fungi that can be disastrous for the plants.

It is because of this reason that many companies make available specially treated soil that is sold with other gardening supplies. Such soil is enhanced with pesticides, water absorption materials and fertilizers. Potting soil is even baked by a few companies to help get rid of diseases and pests. It is usually very cheap and can work wonders for your garden.

Plants

Your purchase of the plants along with the gardening supplies will be dependent on what type of gardening zone is your container garden located in. You need to give good thought to various facts like the weather conditions, placement (whether outside or indoors) etc. while making purchases for the plants. To get the best look, you must get creative. Different plants can be put in the same container or different plants from different containers can be bunched up together in a large planter box. You can even try mixing a few perennials with annuals that will add a splashing colorful look for a part of the year.

A few essential gardening supplies: Elbow grease, gloves and Spade

There are two different approaches that are adopted while planting flowers in the containers. First approach says that you put a little dirt at the bottom of an empty container with the help of a spade or trowel (as it is popularly known), follow it up by balancing the plant in the hole at the center of the container. After this, fill up all of the surrounding empty space with dirt using the trowel. Second approach is quite simple. You fill up the complete container with dirt and then dig up a hole to put the plant into it.
No matter what method you adopt, plants will grow well in both the cases. However, the importance of a spade (trowel) in both the procedures cannot be neglected.

It is observed that if the bottom edge of a root is cut before planting a plant into the container, it catalyzes the growth of the plant. Also, you must take care that most plants prefer to grow in the same soil that they were bought in. So, while planting them you must ensure that they are introduced into as compatible environment as possible. There are so many customized gardening supplies available for container gardening in the market that it becomes imperative for the gardening enthusiasts to continue their hobby even after moving out of a single residence home.

Check out this video about container gardening:

Patti Moreno, the Garden Girl, installs a drip irrigation system from www.dripworksusa.com in her container garden. Save, Water, Time and the Planet. SUBSCRIPE TO MY FREE MAGAZINE visitor.constantcontact.com

If you want to try your hand at growing your own organic flowers and vegetables but have no garden, don’t worry. Many people grow organic products successfully using a container. You can keep the container wherever is convenient or move it around if you need to.

A container describes any vessel which can hold soil. It might be natural, such as a clay or wooden container, or you can use an old wheelbarrow, plastic carton or bucket. As long as it is not going to fall to bits when watered, you can make use of it. It is important that your chosen container can drain because most plants dislike being over-watered. If the container does not have holes in it, you can make some with a drill or knitting needle, depending what the container is made out of. An inch or so of broken clay pots, gravel or pebbles in the bottom of the pot ensures good drainage, while a layer of leaf mold or ripped up paper on top of the clay or gravel can help to retain adequate moisture.

Living, organic soil is very important in organic container gardening. If you are using a garden, you can gradually add organic matter to the existing soil but if you plan to use a container, you need to begin with organic soil. You need organic soil, capable of holding water without drenching the plants’ roots too much because there is no subsoil in the container. Adding peat moss to the organic soil is a good way to do that. You can grow organic products in peat moss by itself without adding soil if you prefer.

Depending on the size of your chosen container, you can grow whatever you like in it. As long as the pot is big enough, you can choose from herbs, tomatoes, eggplant, zucchini, lettuce and many other vegetables. Organic seeds and plants should be used for organic gardening to produce a true organic product, but as long as you don’t plan to sell the product, it is up to you. It can be fun to experiment!

Pest control is much easier in organic container gardening than in regular gardening. You can see the whole plant and pick off bugs such as hookworms. You can bring it to a faucet to wash the leaves and stem when the plant is in a pot instead of in the garden. You probably won’t see cutworms if you are using containers but you might find slugs. Simply sprinkle diatomaceous earth on the soil around your produce to get rid of them.

If aphids make a home on your plant, you can sort this problem out by buying a pack of ladybugs which will eat the aphids without destroying your produce.

Anyone can have a go at organic container gardening. It is easy and can be very satisfying to grow your own food. Organic food tastes so good too. If you can place your container in a sheltered area with natural light, it is possible to grow produce in it throughout the year.