The basics of container gardening

Gardening is a rewarding hobby that has been linked to health benefits like reduced stress and improved mental well-being. Gardening also can lead to an inviting home landscape full of attractive blooms and/or delicious foods.

Backyard gardens have long been planted after clearing a plot of land, tilling and amending the soil, and planting rows of favorite crops. However, gardening can be less labor-intensive and even more successful when people consider the many benefits of container gardening.

“Generally, they are very easy,” said Lynn Riley a master gardener with Snohomish County WSU Extension. Seniors would find container gardening convenient if they don’t want to have a garden to plant flowers. “You can grow just about anything in a pot.”

She added container garden is a great family activity which is fun for parents and children.

“It’s really a great way to teach kids how to garden,” Riley said. “It’s self-contained and not overwhelming.”

What is container gardening?

As its name implies, container gardening is growing plants inside of containers. These containers can be flowerpots, rectangular deck boxes or even large, raised garden beds.

Pros to container gardening

One of the advantages of container gardening is that plants can be moved in and out of sunlight to ensure the right growing conditions. This isn’t as easily achieved when gardens are stationary. Also, beginner gardeners may be more able to control soil conditions inside of a small container rather than a vast ground-based garden, which will require a good deal of manual labor. Pots and boxes also can be grouped together to create eye-popping displays, usually at lower costs than the sheer volume of plants that would be needed to fill out an expansive landscape.

Riley said people living in apartments or people with limited space can utilize containers to grow flowers or vegetables. They just need to have drainage.

“It’s really got a lot of versatility,” Riley said. Things as garbage cans, wheelbarrows or even a kiddie pool with holes drilled into the bottom are suitable containers.

She had a word of warning when choosing a container. “If something held toxic material, then avoid it,” Riley said.

Riley listed a variety of vegetables that can thrive in a container garden. She’s seen gardeners grow tomatoes in five-gallon containers. Peppers are great in a container as are carrots and lettuce. Bush beans and bush peas are other vegetables that can thrive in a container, but corn is difficult to grow.

Cons to container gardening

Container garden plants will not have direct access to the ground, so they need gardeners to create the ideal growing conditions. Developing the right care formula can be challenging. The home and garden resource The Spruce says that drainage is an important factor in container gardening, and most containers do not offer enough drainage holes. If water cannot escape the soil, the roots of the plants can rot and die. It’s not enough to add stones or gravel to the bottom of containers. Drill additional holes in the bottom (1⁄2-inch in diameter for small or medium-sized pots; one inch in diameter for larger pots). Also, be sure to check on soil moisture so that watering can be adjusted. During hot stretches, plants may need to be watered more frequently.

Riley said people gardening with containers tend to either over-water or under-water their plants. She acknowledged that soil tends to dry out quickly.

“There’s no real magic bullet,” she said, and recommends sticking a finger two inches into the soil. If it feels moist then the container doesn’t need watering. Also, water until it’s coming out of the bottom of the container.

The hot summer months may require more watering.

She also recommends buying potting soil for a container garden rather than using dirt from the yard. Potting soil is light and easy to use. It will also lack the seeds from weeds that might be in the soil.

νGrouping plants together

Grouping plants together can create visually stunning combinations. However, it is important to choose plants that require the same amount of light and moisture. Look at plant tags when visiting the garden center and select complementary plants or ask a store employee. Mixing different plant shapes, colors, and leaf textures, as well as plants of various heights, can help containers look filled out.

νFeed plants accordingly

Plants need nutrition to thrive in containers. Quality potting mixes will contain fertilizers, but nutrition will wane over time. Every couple of weeks, container plants will need either fresh potting mix or granular fertilizer added to feed them. Oregon State University Extension Services suggests using a slow-release fertilizer or worm castings several times throughout the season.

Riley said container gardens need more fertilizer because nutrients tend to leach out of the soil. She said gardeners should add liquid fertilizer to the water used to hydrate the plants every two weeks.

Container gardening is a great way to add plants to smaller patios, reduce the workload involved in maintaining expansive gardens, and customize conditions for optimal growth.

The Master Gardener program is a nationwide organization that started in the 1970s to provide information about gardeners and best practices.

Snohomish County has around 350 Master Gardeners along with three demonstration gardens — one located in Marysville and the other two in Everett. Riley noted the Marysville garden donated 4,000 pounds of fresh produce to the Marysville Community Food Bank.

To ask a question about a garden-related problem, email [email protected].