Patricia R. Barrett - Container Gardening: Storey Country Wisdom Bulletin A-151

Patti Barrett

Gardening in containers gives the plant lover, no matter what size his garden may be, the extra gift of flexibility. Even if you have large flower and vegetable beds on your property, the importance of a few containers for instant color and drama wherever its needed cant be underestimated.

If you live in a condominium, apartment, or small home where space is at a premium, container gardening takes on a new significance. Remember that you can, with patience and practice, grow almost any plant in almost anything that will hold soil. Not just a mix of petunias and geraniums for porch color, but anything you like: vegetables, fruit trees, lilies, shrubs, even small trees!

The choicewhat you want to grow and what you want to grow it inis yours. And one of the best parts of gardening in containers is that its fun and easy to correct any mistakes. If your color combination didnt work out as you planned, you simply try again.

The only downside about container gardening is that it can become addictive. One beautiful container of plants usually leads to another and then another. Soon the pots will be taking over your terrace. Just remember to leave room for a chair so you can bask in the glory of your movable garden.

This book covers the basics of successful gardening in containershow to plant and maintain in and around your house or apartment, on your balcony, terrace or patio, outdoor plants that might otherwise grow in a garden. It is aimed at both the seasoned gardener and the person who simply enjoys color and beauty around the home. The sections that follow answer questions about what makes a good container and what makes a good plant for it; how to plant in containers; different mixes of flowers and vegetables; and how, once planted, to care for your container.

Plant strawberries in a terra cotta jar for a balcony or patioa portable garden you can taste!

While we cannot cover everything in these few pages, we hope this will help you get started on what can become a pleasant pastime and rewarding occupation.

Let your imagination run wild when you think about what to use for a container. You are not limited to clay and plastic flower pots when you want to grow plants outdoors. Of course, these pots are basic, work well, and look fine in any garden schemebut so do lots of other containers.

Traveling in Greece, I was amazed at the collections of potted plants by nearly every doorway. Every whitewashed house had a vivid collection of flowering plants and herbs growing in any kind of tin imaginable. Olive oil cans with the tops cut off were especially plentiful, and the plants looked lovely growing out of these colorful and practical containers. Grouped on a front step basking in the Mediterranean sun, the mixed array of cans one wouldnt normally associate with gardening seemed just right.

You can create a versatile, movable garden by placing flower pots in a childs wagon.

I tried the cans myself and, although they didnt look quite as well on my New England porch as they did in the hot reflected light of Greece, they did open my eyes to trying different types of containers. An old metal washtub I found at a flea market graces my front step with a colorful array of annuals each summer. That, along with an old ash bucket from a wood cook stove and a collection of other old buckets makes a display that looks just right with my Colonial home.

Once you begin looking, you will see that the choice of containers is limitless: large wooden boxes or tubs, half-barrels or boxes, large plastic pots, even garbage cans. A crate can be lined with a plastic bag or a wire basket can be lined with moss. Window boxes, hanging baskets, stone troughs, lead cisterns, and lovely antique urns can all be used as containers for your garden plants.

I know a small house in Michigan whose front yard has nothing but flowers growing out of the strangest assortment of items: old wheelbarrows, old red wagons and large wooden ones, watering cans, old wooden buckets and metal buckets and pots of every kind and description. For a house that has a small amount of land and soil that is mostly clay, it works.

The use of new materials such as concrete, artificial stone and plastics have added to our choice of containers. Large pots that look like pottery are made of plastic and have the advantage of being lighter and easier to move about.

Whatever pot you choose for your garden, there are a few rules to keep in mind. In any container, good drainage is a must. Excess water needs to come out of the container so that the plants roots dont rot from the excess moisture. Plants will become weak if grown for any length of time in waterlogged soil. If you have a large attractive container that simply cannot be drilled, plant your plants in a smaller pot that fits inside.

Heavy containers are easier to manage if placed on a wheeled platform.

A container must be of an adequate size for the plant or plants that will be growing in it. If a pot is too small, the nutrients in the soil are used up too quickly or the plant could quickly become root-bound.

The material of the container is also important. The rate at which the potting mix will lose water is directly related to what the pot is made of. Soil in a terracotta pot dries out more quickly than does that in a plastic one, an important consideration when it comes to a plants upkeep.

Daylilies will need frequent watering and a large pot to accommodate their roots.

Weight should also be considered. You dont want a container so light that it will blow over in a strong wind. And, while a pot that is too heavy to budge may serve as a focal point in the garden, you usually want something in-between. If you are in an exposed area that gets a bit of wind, be sure your container has a wide base to ensure stability.

Remember that once soil and compost are added to the container it gets much heavier! If you are gardening on a roof top or balcony you might need to consider a container made of a lightweight plastic that just looks like stone.

If you are converting something to be used as a container you may have to treat it so it lasts longer. You can extend the life of a wooden container by treating it with a preservative, but avoid those like creosote which are harmful to plants. You may want to treat cast iron pots with an anti-rusting material.

Surround smaller pots in a larger one with peat moss, gravel, or perlite.

Pottery cannot be left out during a cold winter when the alternate freezing and thawing will cause the pots to crack. Move them inside or empty and store them under cover.

Pot color is even a consideration. In warm climates, light colored containers are better. Dark colored ones may absorb too much heat in the late-day sun.