GARDEN + GARDENING + GARDEN DESIGN + GARDENING TIPS & ADVICE

Container gardening is becoming increasingly popular. Fresh fruits and vegetables can be produced with just a container, some soil-less potting mixture, seeds, fertilizer, sunshine, and water. Such a garden can provide just enough cucumbers, lettuce and radishes to keep those summer salads lively!

When placing your container on your deck or balcony (or wherever you can find a good, convenient spot), be sure to choose a location that gets plenty of sunshine and allows for adequate air circulation.  Ready access to water can also save valuable time and allow you to quickly and efficiently care for your fruits and vegetables.  A word of caution about watering: growing a garden in a container will require a bit more watering attention than a traditional in-ground garden plot.  Hot air and dry breezes can quickly dry out container soil.  In addition to the environmental conditions, container gardens don’t have a deep subsoil to draw moisture from.  Pay close attention to the moisture content in your container, paying extra special attention as the summer days grow longer and hotter, keep in soil moist.  Also, too much water can cause plant damage if too much water is applied and your container does not drain sufficiently.

When planting in containers, remember that sometimes less is more – by that I mean, don’t over crowd your container with too many plants.  Adequate information on planting and plant spacing for many different fruits and vegetables can be found at www.essentialgardenguide.com.

• Read 5 Common Mistakes Homeowners Make When Building A Flagstone Patio
• Understanding Container Gardening
• FEED YOUR FAMILY: GROW A GARDEN

This entry was posted on Monday, April 24th, 2006 at 9:36 pm and is filed under Gardening General. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.