Planting A Garden In Pots

Planting a garden in pots can bring out the farmer in you. You take care of the plants from the time you plant them and over time, you reap the rewards in the form of flowers, fruits and vegetables. If you have a space constraint or not lucky enough to have an outdoor garden of your own, you can still have greenery around you by planting a garden in pots in a sufficiently open area like a patio, a balcony or a doorstep as these would provide the required space for a productive mini-garden. Moreover, the limitations of maintaining an outdoor garden such as poor soil conditions, pests and soil borne diseases can be easily overcome by planting a garden in pots or containers. Management of your greens is easier this way and a ready access to the pots save your time and serve as a fun learning process for your children!

Pot/Container Selection: Planting a garden in pots can be started by choosing the right kind of pot for your plants. Every plant has a different requirement but on a whole, almost any type of container can be used for growing your greens. Generally, a pot must provide proper physical support and good drainage. It is also critical to choose the right size of pot based on the size of the plant. The bigger the plant’s root system, the wider and deeper the pot should be. Planting a garden in pots give a visual punch to the ambience of your home. Earthen pots, bushel baskets, tubs, wooden boxes, pots made of thick plastic or simple plastic trash containers are the most commonly used mediums of growing plants. However, it is important that the pot drains sufficiently. It is considered best to have the drain holes located along the side of the container, about half an inch from the base of the pot. Planting a garden in pots is low on maintenance and high on rewards!

Watering: Proper watering is vital for a healthy and successful pot garden. In hot climates one needs to water the plants more often but usually, one watering per day is usually sufficient. However, what needs attention here is the drainage. Poor drainage slowly kills the plants and steals away it’s nutrition quotient. If the pot becomes water logged the plants will die due to lack of oxygen. As a solution to this problem ‘Water-holding gels’ are becoming popular nowadays for use in pot gardens. These are known as ‘Hydrogels’ which are starch based. It is suggested to mix the hydrogels in the soil before planting your greens. Another way to water your plants is with drip irrigation operated by an automatic controller. However, the people who have just started planting a garden with pots can do without any complicated mechanisms and stick to hand-watering their plants.

Feeding: When it comes to feeding, fertilization is essential for your plants as they would be growing in containers and cannot absorb the minerals and other forms of nutrition naturally available in the soil outdoors. The fertilizers available in the market will either be time-release or water soluble. ‘Time release’ fertilizer is mixed with the soil at planting time. ‘Water soluble’ fertilizer is added to the water and used only when the plants begin to grow. Plants require less water and fertilizers during the period of slow growth hence, it is good to keep an eye on the speed of growth of your plants in order to feed them properly.

Pests: Plants grown in pots/containers are vulnerable to the same diseases and insects that are common to the plants grown in any outdoor garden. Hence, it is necessary to keep a check on your plants for diseases and pests. For example, if mites or white flies attack, spray them away with insecticidal soap or other anti-bacterial solutions such as EPA-approved fungicides and insecticides.

Light: It is but natural that almost all plants grow best in full sunlight than in shade. However, leafy crops such as spinach, parsley, cabbage etc., are more shade tolerant. One major advantage of planting a garden in pots is that you can keep the plants in the areas where they can receive the best possible growing environment.

Try growing flowers, shrubs, crops etc., in pots and it can be very rewarding visually and otherwise.

Planting A Garden In Pots