How to Make a Decent Container Garden
First, you must choose the right pot. You should always use a pot with good drainage, as your plants will be able to absorb water from the soil easily. If the soil is too dry, your plants can quickly become sickly and die. On the other hand, if the soil is too moist, your herbs and vegetables may develop an unsightly green, leathery texture instead of a beautiful green foliage. Therefore, it is important to know what the proper potting soil conditions for container gardening are, and use a potting soil mix that will fit those conditions.
Many people who are new to container gardening do not realize that drainage holes need to be drilled into the bottom of the pot, as well as the top. There are several reasons for doing this. One reason is that your soil could have some sort of fungi growing on it, and these fungi will eventually eat away at the soil around the drainage holes. Another reason is that sometimes, soil pockets develop, and these can easily lead to mold if there are no drainage holes in the pot. Finally, by allowing air to circulate around your plants, it is more likely for roots to get water, which is very important during the summer months.
Some pots have slits along the rim, while others have drainage holes in the lid or on the bottom of the pot. Your container garden plans should include detailed instructions for the best places to drill drainage holes, but if you are a handyman type, you might be able to drill the drainage holes yourself. Be careful to keep from drilling too much damage into the pot, however, or you might end up with a pot that is too weak to support the plants in it.
If you cannot do this yourself, or are not sure about your ability, then you might want to consider hiring a professional to do it for you. Most landscape supply stores carry pots with drainage holes, as well as other potting soil materials that will work if you are not patient enough to keep digging holes for drainage. In fact, if you are serious about container gardening, digging drainage holes can actually be a big help to your plants. Just watch out when you are watering your plants, because over-watering them could cause them to wilt. If you are going to go to all the trouble of planting a container garden, then you might as well give it the chance to flower and grow well, right?
You will also need to decide what kind of pot you will use for your container garden, because there are different potting soils out there. A soil that is moist is better for your plants than dry soil, so you might want to choose a pot that has drainage holes. The more shallow the pot, the better it will be for growing plants in it. There are also baskets that make good containers, and they come in all sorts of shapes, including hexagonal and octagonal shapes. You don’t have to stick to square or rectangular shapes, though, if you are after a circular container garden.
After you have chosen your pot and your container garden plan, you will need to get started planting. This means you should get started as soon as possible, especially if you are in the planning stages. Your container garden could span several feet of earth, or only a few yards, depending on how much space you have to work with. Keep in mind that you will need to water your plants every day, so water your plant about one inch below the topsoil, and more if necessary.
If you are using raised beds for growing plants, make sure the beds themselves have good drainage holes, so you can plant directly into them without having to dig. Raised beds with good drainage holes also save space, which is important if you are planning to replant your herbs or vegetables down the line. Another thing to keep in mind when choosing pots for container gardens, is to choose ones that are lightweight. These pots are less likely to topple over when being transported from one location to another.