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Container Gardening - Page 2

© Keith Muraoka

As you can see, container gardening gives you the oppotunity to experiement on a small scale without putting a hole in your pocketbook. Try new plants whether you buy one or a dozen. If you don't like them or they don;t perform well, you can move them without leaving a gaping hole in your garden. Almost any plant can be grown in containers, too. A plant that goes unnoticed when massed in the garden may take on an exciting new personality when isolated in a container.

The basics of container gardening usually comes down to soil medium and water. Never plant containers with plain garden soil. It simply will compact into rock-hard soil that can't support crowded roots in containers. Always use a sterilized potting mix that you can buy at any nursery. You can improve these soils by adding your own peat moss, vermiculite, sponge rock or organic matter.

Because container soils need to be light and fast-draining, they'll also require more water and fertilizer than plants in the ground. Depending on the size of the container, daily waterings aren't out of the question during hot weather. Also, make sure containers have drainage holes to prevent roots from rotting.

Try container gardening. You'll enjoy it!

----------------------------------------------------------------More on container gardening can be found at: http://mel.lib.mi.us/science/contain.html or at www.goldenacregarden.com

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