My grandmother had a small garden in her backyard and it was one of her favorite hobbies besides decorating her home. She grew okra, jalapeno peppers, bell peppers, Lima beans, and eggplant. There is a difference between the flavor and quality of homegrown produce and the kind you buy at the store. When you grow your own food, there is an endless supply depending on how well you grow it. When my grandmother harvested the Lima beans, we had four bags full of them! Here is how to unlock your green thumb with these container gardening ideas.
What Are The Best Containers for Container Gardening?
If you’re creating an urban container garden on your balcony, fabric planters work well. These make great alternatives to plastic planters and they’re breathable. You can use fabric planters for lettuce, herbs, blueberries, and eggplant. Do you have old fabric reusable grocery bags? Use them as containers too. These are especially good for growing herbs. Another idea is to use large baskets as containers for your vegetable or floral plants. Clay and ceramic pots are some of the best containers for your crops because they’re sturdy.
Metal containers are a good choice for several reasons. They’re good for raised gardens and they don’t erode easily from bad weather conditions, unlike wooden containers. Metal containers are also easy to clean and maintain. Plastic containers may not be the most eco-friendly, but they’re affordable for those who are creating a container garden on a budget. Mason jars can be used to grow various herbs.
Indoor Container Gardening Ideas
Suppose you’re creating an indoor container garden. Some of the best plants for indoor container gardening are kale, spinach, and mixed salad greens. You can also grow herbs and certain flower plants indoors. The flower plants you can grow indoors are African violets, peace lilies, orchids, and geraniums. Place your plants in windows where the natural sunlight faces south of them. If you live without much sunlight exposure, purchase a few grow lights for your plants.
Use an indoor potting mix for indoor plants because it reduces the plants’ exposure to pesky bugs and other insects. In the summer months, it’s best to water your plants more but they may not need to be watered as much. The containers should have drainage holes for water.
When growing plants indoors, it’s vital to control the humidity in the room where the plants are. Open your windows periodically if the room gets too warm to reduce the formation of fungi on your plants. A room dehumidifier can also help reduce the humidity.
How to Water Container Plants
Before you water your container plants, it’s a good idea to know what types of plants you have since all of them have different watering needs. Container plants that need the most watering include herbs, tropical plants, and vegetable seedlings. Succulents don’t need as much watering. Water your container plants generously to the point of excess water coming out of the container. Ideally, you should water your plants in the morning because it gives your plants enough time to retain moisture before the heat of the day arrives. Water the soil and not just the leaves because it is the soil that needs more of the water. Drain excess water from the pot to keep the plants from decaying.
Best Plants for Container Gardening
You’re probably wondering which plants are the best for container gardening. Let’s take a look at a few of them:
- Pine is an excellent choice for several reasons. Pine is more resistant to restriction of its roots and pine also grows slowly. It is evergreen and this means it grows throughout the year, not just during certain seasons. Finally, pine doesn’t take a lot of work to maintain.
- Geraniums are good for container gardening because they’re easy to care for and they grow well in most conditions.
- Tomatoes are excellent in containers. Since they love lots of sunlight, place them in a sunny spot in your garden. Harvest time is about 60-80 days after planting.
- You can also grow peppers in containers. Peppers are low-maintenance and there are so many to choose from. Peppers need plenty of sunlight to grow well.
- Other neat plants for containers are radishes, lettuce, carrots, cucumbers, and green beans.
Vertical Container Gardening Ideas
Another idea is to create a vertical container garden. Some good plants to use for a vertical container garden include arugula, lettuce, spinach, herbs, and vine plants such as strawberries and beans. Use items like ladders, pallets, and wall-mounted planters. You can also use a pocket planter to create a vertical container garden for herbs.
Common Container Garden Problems
Here are some problems to avoid during container gardening. If your plants’ leaves are turning yellow from the bottom and the color is fading, this means you’re over-watering the plants. Plants with holes in the leaves mean that insects have eaten them. You’ll need to apply an insecticidal spray to them to keep the pests away. Plant leaves that have spots on them or are too powdery are not exposed to enough sun. You can move the plants to a warmer area.
Don’t use containers that are too small because the containers need room to hold the plant once it matures. Use larger containers for your plants. When you buy seeds for vegetables or flowers, make sure that you buy the variety that works for containers because not all varieties should be grown in containers. Underwatering is another mistake.
How to Create A Relaxing Outdoor Space With Container Plants
Now that you understand how to get started with container gardening, let’s discuss how we can use these container gardening ideas to create a relaxing outdoor space in your yard. Place a patio sofa in the yard and next to it, place two to three floral container plants. On the sofa, add some print or patterned throw pillows for decoration.
Add an iron outdoor table and spray paint it in one of the colors of your plants. Place two to three small herb plants in the middle of the table and put three sturdy chairs behind the table. Put a patio umbrella over the table area to keep guests cool.
Another idea is have a color theme using your container plants in your backyard’s design. Grow flower plants that are different variations of the same color. Or you may use a color theme that includes complementary color pairs such as blue, green, and yellow.
These container gardening ideas will assist you in creating a beautiful and relaxing space for your crops and guests who visit your home.
