Garden Pots
Container gardens are quite popular, just as much as regular gardens, but can be made up of plants and shrubs that grow in pots and containers.
The biggest advantage of a container garden is that it is highly mobile.
This is vital for people that live in rented houses, which may warrant frequent moving and shifting.
It is also a great way for people that have a shady back yard or garden to keep plants and flowers… and even vegetables.
Containers can be moved around to ensure that plants get sufficient sunlight.
Besides that, you can move your outdoor container garden indoors during harsh winters too. This advantage means you can successfully grow exotic tropical plants in colder climates.
While working on container gardens, it is vital that you understand the basics of growing plants in containers as against growing them in the ground.
Container Shape and Size
The most vital part of this is the root system. The roots of the plants hold it together and provide it nutrients. It is important that you have to provide sufficient space for the plants to develop a good root system. This will determine the quality and longevity of the plants.
There are certain plants like herbs that have a small root system, for such plants small pots or shallow containers are good enough. If you are planting small shrubs or trees, you need to look at a more spacious container. This is because their root systems are wider and denser.
Container Drainage
Typically, all containers come with some drainage holes at the bottom.
Depending on how the container is placed and the kind of soil, these containers will drain water at different rates. You need to match the drainage rate of the container with the moisture requirement of the plant.
Plants like cacti can rot due to excessive moisture while those like ferns can dry to death.
There are different techniques of regulating the drainage rate. More holes mean faster rate of drainage. So you can drill new holes of seal existing holes to regulate the rate at which water drains from the container.
Similarly, placing the container in direct contact with the solid base like cement can reduce the drainage rate. Elevating it over wooden block can increase the rate.
Container Material
The container material also determines its price, weight and ability to withstand harsh winters.
Typically metal containers are light, inexpensive and winter proof.
Wooden ones are heavier and costlier than metal one but are winter proof too.
Others like concrete and terra cotta can be reasonably pricey and quite heavy; besides they are not winter proof and can crack in really cold climates with frosts.
Plastic ones are cheaper, lighter and in some cases winter proof.
Choose your container material to suit your plants and climate.
Earthbox Container Garden System
This is a revolutionary innovation in the container garden space. It is a container that comes with accessories to improve plant growth with reduced fertilizer and water use.
It comes with a container, an aeration screen, water tube, a couple of mulch covers and casters for locking. This is a self-contained container ideal for gardening indoors as well as outdoors.
Besides, these branded ones; you can also get simpler containers for your garden from your local nursery too.
One of the great things about container garden is that landscape is not limited to the shape of the garden.
You can purchase gardening supplies pots in artistic style and even container stands for your plants and designs your own indoor or outdoor garden.