Last Updated on October 31, 2021 by Phil
Container gardening is a great way to grow plants if you don’t have a lot of space.
With a bit of creativity, you’ll be able to enjoy beautiful flowers in and around your home. You can likewise grow edibles in pots or containers which lets you enjoy your own source of food anytime.
To help you get going, here’s how to start a container garden anywhere.
Plants are wonderful to have both indoors and outside. If you live in an apartment or don’t have a lot of space for a yard, containers are an amazing way to enjoy gardening. Whether it’s plants, flowers or herbs, they make the environment more welcoming.
It’s also been shown that plants make people happier and reduce stress. These are two things everyone needs in life.
Here’s how to do it.
How To Start A Container Garden in 8 Easy Steps
1. Decide what plants you want to grow
One of the best things with gardens is that you get to choose what you want to plant. It’s all up to do. For the most part, you get a free hand it selecting what your garden with grow. This gives you the freedom to grow flowers, hers, vegetables fruits or other things.
However, with container gardening, you’re a bit more limited. In addition, do consider whether you’re starting your potted garden indoors and outdoors.
Finally, how much space you have for your garden.
When it comes to container gardens, veggies and herbs are among the most popular options. They’re easy to grow in these environments. They’re also low maintenance. Plus, they’re edible which lets you grow you own food and save money in the process.
2. Get a container for your plants
Once you’ve decided what plants you want to grow, the next step is to choose the containers. The type of containers you select will largely depend on how much space you have and what kind of plants you’ll need.
For example, if you want to grow herbs, you’ll be able to grow them on trays or hanging against the wall. But, if you want to enjoy avocados or lemons, then you’ll need wider, deeper pots to house dwarf trees.
For the most part, pots and crates do an amazing job. But, the types of containers you can use to house your plants is only limited by your creativity.
3. Find some sun
Sun is one of the most important things that plants need to grow. So, it’s important to take it into consideration fairly early on. How much sun your garden received will vary significantly for indoor and outdoor container gardens.
It’s easier to get a lot of sunlight outdoors. The same isn’t true indoors. But, that doesn’t mean you won’t be able to grow plants indoors.
When planning an indoor garden it’s important to find a spot that gets a lot of direct sunlight. This is why areas beside windows work really well.
Most plants will need at least 3 to 6 hours of sunlight. Many require more than 6 hours of sun exposure a day. So, it’s essential to find spots that are able to provide this.
If you don’t have areas in your home that get that much sunlight, then the best thing to do is choose shaded plants. Depending on how much sun you can manage, you can get partial sun plants or partial shade plants. For very little sunlight, go for full shade plants which need less than 3 hours of light daily.
4. Fill the container with rich potting soil
Almost all plants need soil. It’s what they feed off to get nutrients. This makes the soil you choose very important. One common misconception that people have is that all soil can make plants grow and flowers bloom.
While the logic sounds right, that isn’t the case. The reason is that not all soil is designed to help plant grow. This is why it’s important to get rich soil. Soil that contains enough nutrients help your plants get to where they need to be. In addition, plants like soil with a pH that’s around 7.0.
pH levels tells you whether the soil is too acidic or alkaline. Ideally, you want it balanced. Too high or too low pH levels prevents plants from growing optimally. Although they do make it ideal for some plants.
With container gardening, you want to get potting soil that can fill around 2 to 4 inches of the pot. Do check the seed packets since some plants will need deeper or wider pots for their roots to grow in.
5. Start planting
Now it’s time to start planting. The best way to do this is to buy seed packets. Whenever you buy seeds, make sure to get the high quality seeds. This makes sure they grow. Otherwise, you’ll be setting yourself up for failure.
With seeds, it’s also crucial to read the proper planting instructions on the packet. They’ll tell you everything you need to know about growing that specific plant.
6. Don’t forget to water regularly
Along with sunlight, you’ll need to regularly water your plants. Most plants shouldn’t be overwatered. There’s a higher risk of doing this with containers. This is why it’s important to make sure that your pots and containers allow for the excess moisture to drain out.
Too much water sitting on the plants for long periods of time increases the risk of disease and pests. Both are very bad things for gardens, especially indoors.
Just as overwatering isn’t good, you don’t want to let the plants dry out either. This is why it’s important to know how much water your plants need.
Herbs for example like damp environments. So, they do better with more water. Cacti and a few other plants that can withstand droughts do well with little water.
7. Aerate the soil
Aerating is a great way to make sure that your plants get all the nutrients they get. While you won’t need to do as much work to aerate potted plants like you would your yard, it’s still an important step to do.
One of the advantages of containers is that you don’t need a lawn aerator to aerate your container garden. A handheld cultivator works just fine.
The downside is that due to the space, you need to be more careful. It’s important that you don’t poke at the roots or accidentally pull them out while aerating the soil.
If done correctly, aeration will allow your plants’ roots to absorb water, fertilizer and air more efficiently helping them grow healthier.
8. If you grow herbs or vegetables, harvest them when time comes
One of the best ways to save money and get your choice of fresh food is to grow your own edible garden. At first glance, it seems daunting to even try to grow your own food. But, the reality is, many of these edibles are actually easier to grow than flowers.
Many herbs are very resilient and require low maintenance. This makes them a popular choice. Plus, you don’t need a lot of space since herbs are small.
Vegetables do require a bit more space and soil. Depending on the type of veggie you choose, you may need to allot more space. Cabbage and lettuce for example don’t need a lot of room. But when they blossom, the leaves take up extra room. So, you’ll need to space your plants out at intervals to give them enough room to grow.
The good news is, herbs and veggies don’t take a lot of time to harvest. Herbs often only need 2 to 3 weeks and they’re ready to be used for cooking or flavoring your food.
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