Container gardening or pot gardening is one of the easiest ways to grow flowers and vegetables at our convenience without worrying much about the soil and water requirement. These containers can be moved anywhere based on our convenience and the sunlight requirement. Now-a-days gardeners are growing all varieties of vegetables in containers because they are much easier to maintain then the traditional ones. Traditional gardening takes lot of effort to maintain especially in winter seasons as some vegetables cannot survive in extreme cold weather conditions. We need not worry about such problems in container gardening as these plants can be moved to safer places when the temperatures are extreme. To get started with container gardening we need to follow some basic steps.
Container size
There is no restriction in choosing the containers, but the size and the material should meet your planting requirements. Just remember, for bigger vegetables we need to go for larger pots because the roots of a bigger sized plant will not grow well in a smaller container. They can be of different materials – plastic, wood, terracotta, cement etc. We can also use things like boxes or buckets that are around the house as containers unless we are very particular about their aesthetic look. While some people prefer hanging or wall mounted containers to decorate their gardens, others go for vertical gardening to minimize their space. It is just the preference and the enthusiasm that is making these gardeners utilize the opportunity to grow plants in limited space.
Watering
Since containers have less amount of soil when compared to ground, the water required to maintain these plants is also minimal. However, we need to make sure the pots have a drain to release excess water otherwise the plants may die because of improper watering. In order to grow the plants healthy, sometimes we may have to water plants twice a day especially in summers because the container soil will not hold water for long duration.
Start with small plants
If you are starting to learn container gardening, then start with simple herbs as they are very easy to grow and maintain. Growing vegetables is a bit tricky and it requires some gardening practices to maintain the plants in a healthy condition. It could mean that all your efforts will go waste if the vegetable plants are not properly maintained. Especially, veggies require proper soil composition and enhancers to get a good harvest. Any mistake in mixing the compost or fertilizer may result in very poor yield. Hence, beginners can initially start with herbs and slowly keep on increasing their garden one-by-one to fresh vegetables and fruits throughout the growing season.
Move it to sunlight or shade
One of the biggest advantage with container gardening is greater flexibility & control, with less disease and pest issues. Now we need not worry about losing our plants in summer or in winter seasons due to extreme climatic conditions. All we have to do is move it to a convenient place where it gets sufficient sunlight to grow the plant well. Many people prefer to keep their herbal gardens very handy on the kitchen counter tops because they can instantly use these fresh herbs into their culinary items. Overall, with simple investment and planning, we can grow and enjoy abundant crops of fresh vegetables and fruits at home.