Walliser - Container gardening complete: creative ideas and essential knowledge for small-space growing

creative projects for growing vegetables and flowers
IN SMALL SPACES

jessica walliser

To my son Ty, the most amazing thing Ive ever grown.

Container Gardening Complete has been one of the most ambitious projects of my career. I learned a lot along the way and had a heck of a good time designing, building, growing, and photographing all the fantastic projects. None of it would have been possible without the help of the great crew of professionals at Cool Springs Press, my supportive family, an amazing group of photogenic friends, and a rock-solid bunch of gardening compadres. To all of you, I give a gigantic, heart-felt thank you!

My editor, Todd Berger, deserves a big dose of gratitude for entrusting me with this project and handing me the reins to run with it. Thank you for answering my many questions and for everything you did to help this book come to fruition. Its been a pleasure working with you!

To my band of extremely gracious models/friends, Brad and Greta Severson, Bobby and Lisa Standish, Rebecca and Mike Berty, Ron Sims, Susan Washburn, Nora Pickell, Liza Thornton, Kelli Russo, Jackie Simpson, and Hannah Reiff, I raise a glass to you and thank you for your willingness to hold a prolonged pose and dig into a project with energy and enthusiasmand for wearing long sleeves and pants on some very hot days!

Also, thank you to the good folks at Garden Dreams Urban Farm and Nursery in Wilkinsburg, Pennsylvania, for their contribution to one of the projects featured in this book, the Good Bug Wheelbarrow Garden. Randy and the crew at Soergel Orchards and Garden Center in Wexford, Pennsylvania, deserve the same appreciation for providing me with some of the plants and gorgeous containers found throughout these pages.

Ron Sims was gracious enough to design and build the two woodworking projects featured in the first chapterthe Cedar Planter Box and the Pot Dolly. Thank you, Ron, for your attention to detail, your creative work, your good nature, and for allowing me to feature your designs in these pages.

Thank you to my neighbors and friends, the Kennedys, the Normans, the Washburns, the Seversons, and the Bertys, for allowing me to stage some of the photographs at your homes. And, a big-time hats-off to the many wonderful gardeners who let me come to their gardens and take photographs, including Mary Odom, Anna Singer, Jessica Carson, Robyn Macerelli, Katie Casker, Seth and Sonja Finn, Zolina Cook, Joyce Bolanovich, Jamie Earl, Ilona Yerger (my awesome mom!), and the Worlds Best Kitty and Garden Sitter, Liza Thornton.

To Paul Wiegman: Im going to thank you forever and ever for all you did way back when to help me develop this wonderful little career of mine. Had you not welcomed me into the world of radio all those years ago, things would not be as they are today.

My fabulous business partners at SavvyGardening.com, Niki Jabbour, Amy Andrychowicz, and Tara Nolan, have my utmost appreciation for their professionalism, humor, and friendship. When writing a book, theres nothing better than having the unfailing support and well-seasoned advice of other authors. You guys rock!

And most importantly, to my husband John and my amazing son Ty: your inspiration, support, and love mean the world to me. Without the two of you, life wouldnt be nearly as much fun. Youre everything that matters.

Container gardening is far from a new invention. Humans have been growing plants in vessels since soon after the Neolithic Revolution thousands of years ago. While the methods and materials we use have certainly changed over the years, our intent has not. We continue to grow plants in containers to provide food and beauty for ourselves and those we love.

At the beginning, humans who grew plants in pots may have done so to overcome adverse soil conditions, more carefully tend a highly treasured medicinal plant, or focus irrigation needs on a smaller area in places where water was scarce. Todays gardeners, however, have a far more diverse list of reasons for growing plants in containers. Yes, many of us still use containers to avoid having to garden in soil with poor drainage, contaminants, or lousy fertility, and we still use them to grow coveted plants. But we also grow plants in containers to save time and space, reduce weeding and other chores, beautify our living spaces, and show off our creativity and sense of personal style.

Container gardening allows us to grow our own fresh food, even in a very limited space, and it affords a level of flexibility not found when growing these plants in the ground. With container gardening, we can feed our families without ever having to turn the sod, spread wheelbarrows of mulch, or fire up even a single piece of gas-powered equipment. Heck, you dont even have to own a shovel to grow plants in containers.

Were also gardening in pots for purposes beyond ourselves. Were designing plantings to attract and support butterflies, bees, and other pollinators, and were filling containers with nectar plants for hummingbirds and berries for songbirds. Weve come to recognize that habitat container gardening is a wonderful way to help all sorts of wildlife, without requiring a lot of space or effort.

There are many reasons to grow plants in containers, including avoiding soil conditions that are less than ideal, saving space, reducing gardening chores, growing food, or perhaps just because you want to grow something beautiful.

Container gardens can be designed to provide habitat and food for pollinators, such as this great spangled fritillary butterfly.

Growing edible plants such tomatoes, peppers, eggplants, and many others in containers requires much less effort than building and maintaining an in-ground garden, especially if you utilize the advice offered in this book.

The point is, whether youre gardening in a suburban neighborhood, on the balcony of an urban high-rise, or at the end of a long country lane, you can grow a broad diversity of plants in pots. And truth be told, you can do it for whatever reasons youd like.

But growing a thriving container garden requires more than simply filling a container with dirt and sticking a couple of plants in it. Paying careful attention to container choice, soil composition, plant selection, and maintenance needs always pays off in spades, increasing your chances of having a healthy, productive container garden. Thats where