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 Home
and Garden Supply – The
Basics to Begin Your
Container Garden
By Dan Fenstemaker,
Inventor of the Original
INTELETOOL
Container gardening is
fun, easy to begin,
inexpensive (you may
even SAVE money growing
plants or vegetables you
would otherwise
purchase) and really
great for folks who
don’t have much yard
space for ground-bed
gardens. There are few
things you want to
consider before you set
off to the Home and
Garden Supply store.
Here are five.
1. What Type of
Containers to Use.
If you are simply
thinking functional,
then any plastic pot or
even plastic bucket or
other appropriately
sized container will do.
If you can re-use pots
you already have, even
better!
If you are thinking
decorative you can use
wood (a plastic liner is
highly recommended),
ceramic (can be
beautiful but is
fragile), terra cotta
(they are porous and dry
out quickly so you will
need to water
frequently) or standard
clay pots (but be
careful of staining on
surfaces).
2. What Type of Soil
to Use. For
container gardening, you
do not want to use
regular garden soil,
because it does not
break apart well and
usually does not drain
well.
Use potting soil,
especially in shallow
containers, allows the
plant’s roots to spread
out easily and allows
for proper drainage. If
you choose to use a deep
pot, still use potting
soil but you can mix in
a little garden soil,
too. Any Home and Garden
Supply will have the
potting soil you need.
3. What Seeds to Use.
Simply put, hybrid seeds
are fine. The basic
difference between
hybrid seeds and
heirloom seeds is that
plants grown from hybrid
seeds do not produce
fertile seeds of their
own. So, for most,
buying new seeds each
year at your local Home
and Garden Supply store
is very easy, but for
those who don’t have
this option available,
choose heirloom seeds
and harvest the seeds
from the plants they
produce.
4. What Location to
Use. If you are one
of the rare and
fortunate souls that
live in an area that is
warm year-round, putting
your containers on your
deck or patio or yard is
fine. Make sure you have
good sunlight exposure
(usually South or
Southwest is best). If
you need to keep your
containers indoors, you
can put them in a foyer,
enclosed patio, sun
room, or anywhere you
get the best sunlight
exposure. Make sure you
are careful of wood
floors or any other
surface you don’t want
stained.
5. What About
Watering. The amount
of watering depends on
the plants you are
growing. Watering
frequency also depends
on the porous nature of
the container you are
using. Material like
wood or terra cotta, are
quite porous and will
dry out more quickly
than glazed ceramic or
plastic.
Your first watering
should be a good one. If
you have soil that is
really dried out, even
watering it well may
leave air pockets. A
quick trick is to
submerge the plant and
the soil under water
briefly and gently press
out the air bubbles.
Only do this for a few
moments so the soil
doesn’t break down and
dissolve. This helps
remove the air pockets
in the soil.
Container gardening is a
fun way to grow
beautiful flowers and
plants, and it’s a great
way to have lovely fresh
vegetables during winter
months. If you are new
to container gardening,
ask for help at the Home
and Garden Supply store,
and start out small. You
will soon find container
gardening a satisfying
and healthy past time
you can enjoy all year
through.
---
Dan Fenstemaker is a
home and garden supply expert.
For more great
information on
home and garden supply,
visit
http://www.inteletool.com. |
