How to Find the Right Gardening Containers

Share:

How to Find the Right Gardening Containers

Staff Writer · Sep 16, 2010

Gardening can save you money besides being a great way to relax. With the use of gardening containers, anyone can enjoy the fruits of their labor. Regardless if you have lots of room or very little space, container gardening is a fun way to garden. Container gardening allows you to be creative with colors and pot designs. They allow mobility for sun, shade or attraction. Container gardening can be accomplished for fruits, vegetables, herbs and flowers. There are multitudes of container types that work well for gardening.

Location and Size of Area

A sunny location is the first thing to consider. Measuring the spot where you plan to put the container is important, so that you don’t get a container that is too large for the area, if you are limited on space. Measuring the area will also help you decide what configuration of container you can use such as round, rectangular, square or triangle.

Container Size

Depending on what you plan to grow will determine the size of your containers. Larger plants require larger containers. Place large, heavy containers on platforms with wheels to help make them mobile, if you plan to move them around. Plants such as tomatoes, eggplants, squash and peppers require a larger container of at least five gallons. Plants such as herbs, lettuce, radishes and spinach grow easily in small containers. Whatever type of plant you are growing; use a container that is two times the size of the root ball.

Container Materials

Options for containers include resin, fiberglass, metal, terra cotta, plastic, ceramic, polycarbonate, wood and bamboo. Half whiskey barrels, large ceramic and terra cotta containers work well for large plants or a mixture of several plants put together in one pot. Terra Cotta or clay pots absorb moisture, so watering needs to be more frequent.

Terra Cotta, glass and ceramic break easily, so if you have children or pets, you may prefer another material. Wood is more durable, but it may need some treatment to keep it weatherproof to last longer. It does retain moisture better than terra cotta and may not require as much watering. Plastic containers are not very expensive and do not break as easily as glass or ceramic, and they hold moisture rather well.

Turning other things into containers is easy and decorative. This may include antique milk cans, wheelbarrows, tires, boots, plus whatever your imagination can dream up. The container that you use should have some weight to it, so wind does not blow it over. If you are using a lightweight container, add bricks or stones to give it some support.

Drainage

It is important when choosing a container that it have several holes in the bottom for good drainage. If you find something that you would like to use for a container, but it does not have holes in the bottom, you can usually drill holes.

Use your imagination to give your garden the look you desire. Be sure that it is receiving enough sunlight, water, nutrients and proper drainage to keep it healthy and productive.

You might also like:

Moving into a new apartment or rental property can be both exciting and stressful. From packing up your belongings to coordinating logistics, there’s a lot to manage. However, one aspect that is often overlooked is what to expect on move-in day regarding the condition of your new unit. Surprisingly, according to recent surveys, a significant […]

Jessica Lee

 · Mar 12, 2024

On ApartmentRatings, real renters have the ability to rate and review their apartment communities based on their experience touring and or living in the communities. ApartmentRatings offers renters the ability to see what life is like at a community through a report card grade style format called epIQ. Every month we highlight apartment communities whose […]

Jessica Lee

 · Feb 28, 2024

On ApartmentRatings, real renters have the ability to rate and review their apartment communities based on their experience touring and/or living in them. ApartmentRatings offers renters the ability to see what life is truly like at a community through a report card grade style format called epIQ. Every month we highlight a major city across […]

Jessica Lee

 · Jan 31, 2024