Have you ever tried a container garden? I have many childhood memories of helping my grandfather pick tomatoes, cucumbers, and radishes from our backyard garden. He grew up on a farm in Minnesota, so the suburban backyard garden was a little reminder of home for him. My grandpa would eat the cherry tomatoes like they were candy or would just brush off the dirt before biting into a radish. We had a decent sized backyard which gave us plenty of room to grow a few things. But as I have ventured out on my own, I have found creative ways to still have a garden, even when I didn’t have the luxury of a large backyard.
When we move to the Seattle area, we decided to rent for a while before purchasing a home. We wanted to learn about the area before deciding where we wanted to live in the long term. The one drawback with renting is that we have to be mindful of what we do to the house and backyard. The landlord might frown on us digging up things to plant a garden, so we opted for a container garden this year.
Whether you are living in an apartment or have a small backyard, having a container garden is a great option. It saves space, helps control pests and overcome soil issues, and lets you enjoy fresh, homegrown produce even without a yard.
Here are a few things to keep in mind if you are thinking about planting your own container garden this year:
Choosing a Container
- Anything that holds soil and has drainage holes in the bottom may be transformed into a container garden for terrestrial plants. You can go the traditional route of using flower pots or do something creative like using an old metal wagon. Just drill a few holes (as needed) into the bottom of the container to allow for drainage.
- For vibrant plant growth, make sure that your containers have adequate space for roots and soil.
Picking Your Soil
- Soils for containers need to be well aerated and well drained while still being able to retain enough moisture for plant growth.
- Never use garden soil by itself for container gardening, no matter how good it looks or how well things grow in it outside. If you just use garden soil, it will become compacted and your plants will have a difficult time growing.
- When growing in a container garden, it is common to use soilless or artificial media that contain no soil at all. I prefer to use a mix of garden soil and some of the soilless media.
- When these mixes are used, they should be moistened slightly before planting. Fill a tub with the soil mixture, add water, and lightly fluff the soil mix to dampen it.
- When filling containers with your soil mix, don’t fill the pot to the top. Leave about a one-inch space between the top of the soil and rim of the pot.
Fertilizer and Watering
- You need to do more than water to keep your plants healthy. A regular fertilizer program is needed to keep plants growing well and attractively all season.
- The choice of fertilizer analysis will depend on the kinds of plants you grow. High-nitrogen sources would be good for plants grown for their foliage while flowering and vegetable crops would generally prefer lower-nitrogen and higher-phosphorous fertilizer types.
- There are no hard and fast rules when it comes to watering. You have to watch your containers and understand how much moisture each plant needs. Feel the soil—if the first inch or so is dry, add water until it starts to drip out of the drainage holes.
Choosing Plants for Your Container Garden
- If you are a first time gardener, tomatoes are an easy way to test your green thumb. They can grow almost anywhere. Just add a tomato cage to your container so the plant has something to grow on.
- Tomato plants need to be in the maximum amount of sunlight as possible. And the hotter the temperature, the more vigorous the plant will be. When the tomatoes are setting fruit, keep in mind that they use a lot of water at this stage. The formula is one liter of water per cluster. So if a plant has five clusters of fruit growing, use five liters of water.
- Most fruit-bearing vegetables such as tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, squashes, and eggplant require full sun.
- Leafy vegetables such as lettuce, cabbage and spinach can tolerate more shady locations, unlike root vegetables such as radishes, carrots and onions.
Containers offer the advantage of being portable. As the seasons, temperature and light conditions change, you can move your containers so they enjoy the best conditions for peak performance. With the right container, water, and a little TLC you can have a garden to be proud of, even if you don’t have a backyard.