How to Grow the Perfect Container Garden!

Fresh grown vegetables are so great! New, red potatoes are terrific for supper and fresh herbs from the garden is the ideal touch. You say you don't have room for a vegetable garden? That's okay! You can plant a vegetable garden in a container!

You can grow more than flowers in a container, though that is the first thing people think of when you talk about container gardening. People have been putting produce and herbs to their containers for a long time. Consider of the wonderful feast you can have by growing vegetables in your planters. Peppers and small tomatoes grow wonderfully amid flowers. Their cheerful fruit is a beautiful attraction in the blooms. Garlic and onion starts add spiky foliage to your potted planters, plus garlic will help keep the bugs away!

What about setting aside a few containers to only vegetables? Strawberries are a plant that in fact does better in a planter than in the ground. Strawberries like to spread by putting out runners . When there is no more room for new plants, the strawberries start to develop fruit. How yummy to have fresh strawberries just outside your door!

It doesn't take a lot to grow a container garden, but a few suggestions are valuable.

Properly set up your pot. Your container will need good drainage so make sure it has drainage holes drilled in the bottom. If your container doesn't have holes for drainage, you can add gravel to the bottom or drill holes yourself. Deep containers can get by with a layer of styrofoam at the bottom. This will help with drainage and reduce the amount of soil you use. This will also make the pot easier to move around. You will need to make sure you have enough soil for a strong root system.

Don't ever use garden soil in a container. Typical garden soil is heavy and is not best for container plants. For the best drainage, you need a good potting soil for your container garden. Mix regular potting soil with compost and peat moss to get a nourishing soil that is great for containers. It is a great idea to combine in time release fertilizer while you are mixing the soil. Most time release fertilizers last about three months so plan to add more at that time.

When you are transplanting new plants, dig the hole about twice as large as the plant's root ball. Then back fill the hole with some loose soil, this will give the new roots soft soil to attach in. It is very vital to knead the roots of the plant before you place it in the hole. The plant roots have been confined to a small area while they are getting their start, however they need to break free and they need a little help from you to do that.

Give your plants a nourishing start by using a root starting fertilizer as you are planting. Mix the liquid fertilizer with water and add it as you plant each new plant to your container. Moving to a new container causes the plants to go into shock and root starter helps to prevent this.

Take the scissors to your new plant. This is a difficult thing for many gardeners to do. It is so tough to cut your brand new, healthy plant! The reason for doing this is so they plant will put it's energy into growing healthy roots. This is difficult if the plant is trying to preserve full blooms or large amounts of foliage as well. Generally you need to trim the plant back by two thirds. You will have a fuller, healthier plant in the end if you cut it back now.

Be certain that you put plants with like requirements together. If a plant requires full sun, don’t pair it up with a plant that requires in partial shade. For the best results, arrange your container garden by size and individual plant requirements.

Containers are a terrific way to have fresh produce all summer long. Growing your own fresh produce is worthwhile and enables you to provide nourishing food for your family. Try container gardening, you will like the results!

Article Source: http://physicalfitnessarticles.net

Piper is a self-employed writer who likes fitness, good nutrition and the great outdoors. She loves to work in the garden with her Mantis cultivator. She likes going for walks, music and cooking. Look at her website, www.smallgardentiller.org to discover all about finding the best small garden tiller so you can have a charming yard too!

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