Container Gardening

Ultimate Beginner’s Guide

Quick Tips That Can

Give Anyone a Green Thumb

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Container Gardening For The Beginner

Have Your Own Indoor Container Garden

What Type of Indoor Garden to Have

Choosing Plants

Indoor Gardening Quick Tips

Build Your Own Shelving

Outdoor Container Gardening

Growing Shrubs

Factors to Consider when Deciding on the Type of Container Garden You’ll Have

Preparing the Container Prior to Planting

Make Your Own Potting Soil for Outdoor Plants

Make Your Own Outdoor Plant Fertilizer

Pruning and Training Your Plants

Weather Protection

Dry Climate Plants

Ending

CONTAINER GARDENING FOR THE BEGINNER

So, if you picked up this book, I’ll bet you have admired other people’s gardens and thought to yourself, ‘one day I’m going to have a garden like that’.  AND NOW, you’re finally going to make that thought a reality, but you need a little guidance on how to begin your very own container garden.

Container gardening is a great way to start, whether you have limited space, funds, or want to start out small.  Container gardening is versatile and adaptable, offering the opportunity to grow plants; you may not otherwise be able to grow in your climate.  This type of gardening makes it possible to try out new plant types, one at a time; move them around to see where they thrive best.

You will not get bored.  Container gardening also allows you to be creative and accentuate certain specialty plants that may otherwise get lost in the massiveness of a large garden of plants.  You have varying staging opportunities to make that special plant the center of attention, or a subtle accent of others.

Container gardening also allows you to grow a variety of plants year-round, and this is exciting, especially when living in a climate that has a short outdoor growing season.  Most plants thrive well, both indoors and outdoors, as long as they receive ample sunlight, moisture and room for the roots to breathe and grow.  Truly, your imagination can soar to new heights!

Have Your Own Indoor Container Garden

Bring the garden inside!!!

While this is not a new concept, it can be intimidating at first.  One can quickly become overwhelmed with all the “what-if” questions and thoughts like where would I put it…I’ve never been able to grow anything, what plants can I grow, and on and on.

Container gardening has been around for centuries.  Don’t think florists were the first ones to put a pretty flower in a pot and enjoy it indoors!!!  I would like to think that a blooming plant’s beauty was admired long before that!  In recent years container gardening has become quite common. It allows you a great amount of versatility.  The size, the type of garden you choose, the ability to change plants out as often as you wish.

As long as you can provide a sunny spot for growing (usually a south or west-facing area, or artificial light) and keep the plants watered, a successful indoor garden can be very rewarding.  You won’t have to worry about frost, high winds or those little outdoor creatures that may decide to reap the benefits of your hard work, feasting on your lovely flowers or diving into those veggies that are ready for pickin’.  And the best thing about it is that it allows you to grow fresh flowers and veggies year-round.

So, if you’re ready to give it a whirl, we are going to give you the hoedown of how to have your own indoor garden and make a green thumb out of you with our quick tips.

What Type of Indoor Garden to Have

Small container gardening is simple.  Choose the area in your home where you plan to stage your indoor garden.  When making this decision, there are a few details to consider:

Type of garden – flowers, vegetables, herbs

Types of containers – shelving, individual containers, make your own, find recyclables

Space – amount and location

Lighting – will you rely on natural or will you also supply artificial light

Availability to electrical outlets – this is important if you plan to use artificial light

The type of indoor garden you have is only limited to the available space and your imagination.

Choosing Plants

Most any of the plants grown outdoors, can be grown indoors, taking size into consideration.  However, it is highly recommended to choose plants that have similar care requirements, especially when you’re first starting out.  Ideally if you’re planning on having an indoor vegetable garden, then keep in mind some veggies thrive better in containers, than others.  If you want to keep it simple at first, consider growing several types of the same vegetable.  For instance, try a few different types of lettuce, but plan on succession planting.

This means sow the seeds of the different plants every week or two.  This will give you continual harvest, so everything doesn’t come in all at once.  Ideally, vegetables named as miniature, baby, or cherry will thrive well in containers because of their smaller size. If you desire more variety than at the very least choose plants with similar watering and sunlight requirements.

Some of the common indoor garden choices include the following plants:

Vegetables:  Bush beans, carrots, chard, kale, onions, peppers, salad greens, and tomatoes (primarily cherry)

Herbs:  Basil, catmint, chives, cilantro, lavender, oregano, parsley, rosemary

Flowers:  Alyssum, begonia, candytuft, geranium, marigold, pansy, petunia, roses, Shasta daisy, zinnia

Fruits:  dwarf varieties of apples, citrus, blueberries and strawberries

Indoor Gardening Quick Tips

Potting Mix

A fine potting mix for indoor plants is an affordable choice.  This mixture can be purchased in bags of one to twenty-five pounds and generally consists of one part loam, one part sand, two parts ground bark or leaf mold.  This mixture is fairly inexpensive and if you have leftovers, it can be stored indefinitely if placed plastic or an airtight container.

Water

Water your growing plants frequently.  These container plants are completely dependent on you for nourishment.  Sogginess around the roots or a plant drying out can be fatal.  Keep it moist but not saturated.

Fertilizer

Use fertilizer to boost healthy growth.  Don’t fertilize seedlings, as they are too fragile and the fertilizer can burn them.

Humidity

As we’ve already stated, watering plants is crucial to good health for your plants.  Indoor gardens often lack humidity, which can be a challenge.  Some signs that your plants are in an unhealthy amount of humidity are: plants losing leaves, withering or turning brown.

Easy ways to increase humidity include these suggestions:

Purchase a humidifier for the indoor garden area

Mist plants on a daily basis, excluding hairy-leaved plants, as these leaves tend to hang onto the water, which can rapidly result in diseased plants.

Place a tray of water near the plants and fill it with lava rocks, which will increase surface area for evaporation.

Protect Your Plants from Dust and Pests

Indoor plants that are coated in dust cannot grow normally.  Make it a habit of cleaning the leaves once or twice a month.  This also prevents insect infestation.

You can use a small spray bottle that has strong spray settings to wash the dust off when dust begins to build up on the plants leaves and flowers.

Lighting Options

When preparing to have an indoor garden, keep in mind that there are different types of grow lights to choose from and it can quickly become confusing. Listed below are a few types to choose from.

Fluorescent Lights are inexpensive and easy to find at your local hardware store.  These work best for growing herbs and other plants not requiring an excessive amount of light.  However, if you have plants that are budding or flowering, fluorescent is not the ideal form of light, because it simply does not put off ample light.

Compact Fluorescent System lighting – still fluorescent, but are much brighter than standard fluorescent lights.  Being “compact”, they are also smaller and burn more efficiently then the older types.  Because of this, they are more suitable for a wider variety of plants.  Another thing to keep in mind with the Compact Fluorescent System lights, because they put off less heat than the High Intensity Discharge Bulbs, they can be mounted much closer to the plant.

High Intensity Discharge (HID) Bulbs are by far the brightest and most efficient lighting available for growing lights, but are also pricey.  These HID light bulbs can produce the same amount of light as fifty fluorescent bulbs that have a 40-watt value.  There are several forms of HID bulbs, but only the High Pressure

Sodium or Metal Halide bulbs are suitable for indoor gardens.

Below are general wattage recommendations in areas with zero to very limited natural light.

400Watt in a 6.5X6.5 ft. area

600Watt in a 8.5X8.5 ft. area

1000Watt in a 9.5X9.5 ft. area

Temperature

Maintaining a healthy temperature for your indoor garden is crucial to the health of the plant.  Generally keeping the plants environment at a standard temperature between 65-76 degrees Fahrenheit is ideal, with a 10-degree variance either way.

If your plants are in an environment that is too cold, the leaves will yellow and fall off, whereas plants in an area that is too warm, the end result will be small and weak plants.

Build Your Own Shelving

If you have more available wall space than floor space, then a simple version of vertical gardening using shelving, might appeal to you.

This can begin with the metal shelving available at your local hardware store, or if you’re a bit more adventurous and want to make your own, there are free downloadable plans using PVC pipe that cost around $170.  No woodworking experience necessary.  In contrast, commercial style shelving that has built-in lighting is also available, but they can get a bit pricey (I’m talking upwards $600).

Outdoor Container Gardening

Container Gardening is an ever-growing form of bringing nature into our personal domains. Container gardening can be a successful alternative to any type of garden.  Whether you prefer vegetables or flowers, you can have your own form of it in a container.

This form of gardening is a great alternative to enjoying greenery and vegetation; whether your decision to go this route is the result of budgeted funds, lack of space due to suburban living, or just want to partake in the simplicity factor and versatility of it.

Growing Shrubs

Growing shrubs in pots rather than the ground generally requires nothing different; however, it is important to have the correct size pot to allow room for the roots growth.  Additionally, repotting may be needed to accommodate for the growing plant.  If you wish for the plant to remain on a smaller scale, then you should prune the roots and replant in the same pot.  This will keep the plant from growing larger.

Container shrubs should be a slower growing plant, to avoid frequent repotting.  Some popular suggestions for this would include most evergreens, azaleas, rhododendrons, boxwood, holly and juniper.

Proper watering and fertilization are important in maintaining a healthy plant, as well as adequate drainage.  A simple rule of thumb for how often to water shrubs, is to thoroughly soak them and then allow them to become dry to the touch before watering again.

Factors to Consider when Deciding on the Type of Container Garden You’ll Have

Things to consider before choosing pots and containers for your plants:

Remember, plants in containers, tend to dry out faster, so they will need frequent watering.

Also, with the absence of the natural insulating factors of the soil, the potted plants are more susceptible to temperature changes.

As it is true that plants need to be a certain distance apart from each other in the ground, this is also true for container gardens.  While you may be tempted to crowd them together for that “full look”.  This can stress the plants out.  (Yes!  They need their “personal space” too!).

Regular fertilization for potted plants is particularly important because they don’t have the same opportunity to receive these nutrients from the Earth naturally.

Time-release fertilizers are a good option for this.  If you choose to add the fertilizer yourself, then plan to do it every fourth time you water.

When choosing your plants and pots, keep in mind the larger the pot, the better.  This provides more ability to retain moisture, provide more nutrients, thus offering a much more stable environment.  This said, the smaller the container, the more water it will need.  This is because the roots are more tightly packed, so there’s less room for soil.

Choosing the Proper Pots and Containers:  While the material that the pot is made from is not very important as far as the plant is concerned; each type has its pros and cons in terms of cost, durability, weight and attractiveness.

Choosing these items is where your creativity can play a part!  It is really fun.  I have seen small flowers planted in old work boots and hung on the side of a building for that whimsical touch.  Some use old watering barrels, tires, milk cans, and wagons.  As long as the soil has the necessary nutrients, proper drainage and enough moisture – the only limit is your budget and imagination!  (Just a note, that when using metal containers, keep in mind that these naturally absorb heat and are eventually susceptible to rust – so don’t put extremely fragile plants in this material).

Often times local grocery store bakeries offer icing buckets for free.  These 3-5 gallon plastic containers are wonderful, economical planters! Any home and garden store offers a wide range of choices also. Shipping Pallets or scrap wood can also make a wonderful and fun garden container…and you’re recycling in the process!

Window Boxes come in an assortment of materials, ranging from wood, plastic, fiberglass, and terra cotta.  Just be sure, whatever type of window box you choose, that you secure it firmly when putting it up.

Preparing the Container Prior to Planting

So you’ve decided on the plants you’ll grow and you’ve chosen your pots or containers for your garden.  You’re almost ready to begin the fun…but don’t get in too big of hurry.  It is essential to the health of your plants to properly prepare the containers, whether old or new.  Follow the steps below to ensure your plants thrive.

Scrub the pot well in warm water, with a scraper or stiff brush.  This will get rid of any possible insect eggs or fungus spores.

Soak your container well.  Because many pots are made of porous material, if filled with water prior to planting, it will prevent the pot from absorbing water from the root ball of the plant.

Be sure your pots have drainage hole.  This allows for proper drainage of excess water as well as letting air into the soil.

Even though the pots need a drainage hole, it is important to cover them.  This can be done with a curved piece of broken clay pot or even better, a piece of screening, which will prevent slugs or other pests from crawling in.

Make Your Own Potting Soil for Outdoor Plants

Making a good basic potting soil is easy.  This can be altered to your specific plant or region.

1 part all-purpose potting soil

1 part compost (or composted cow manure)

1 part perlite

1 part peat moss as a moisture-retentive filler

Your potting soil should be light and fluffy.  Take note that if the soil shrinks down, if the water runs right through, or if the water takes too long to percolate, it is time to repot your plant.  The general rule of thumb is to repot after a season, as container soils don’t last forever – they can’t naturally regenerate necessary nutrients as the Earth’s soil does.

Make Your Own Outdoor Plant Fertilizer

Plant fertilizers are readily available at any of your local home supply stores, but if you’d like to try your hand at making your own, then here are just a few suggestions.

Not only are these fertilizers easy to make, but they can save you money too.

Organic NPK (Nitrogen, Phosphorus, Potassium) Fertilizer:

This is a general-purpose recipe that provides a balanced supply of nutrients to plants, if you blend all three mixtures, or if you are searching for a specific one, then use them individually.

Nitrogen:  3 parts fish meal mixed with 2 parts blood meal

Phosphorus: 6 parts colloidal phosphate phosphate or rock phosphate mixed with 3 parts bonemeal

Potassium:  6 parts greensand mixed with 1 part kelp meal

Epsom Salt Fertilizer:

Simply mix together the following ingredients for your solution and apply to your houseplants or vegetable garden once per month.

1 Gallon Water

1 TBSP. Epsom Salt

This solution works because the Epsom salt is comprised of magnesium and sulfate.

Lime Alternative:

An economical solution to Lime is using egg shells, which are rich in calcium bicarbonate.

Save your eggshells and allow them to dry.  Then place the dried shells into a blender or food processor until powdery fine, then simply sprinkle on your garden.

Pruning and Training Your Plants

The main reason for pruning a potted plant is to modify the growth of the plant to fit the size of your chosen container.  Every potted plant will require pruning at some time to keep it’s size controlled.

Another reason for pruning is it will encourage higher yield in plants producing fruits and blooms.  Also, this method can be used to train your plants to grow in a particular direction, thereby giving it a new shape.

How to know what to prune:  Prior to pruning a plant, it is important to know about terminal buds.  These grow on the ends of all branches, adding length to the branches and using viable energy during the plants growing season.  It is important that you cut or pinch these terminal buds off, which will stop the length of the branch growth and allow the energy to create new branches and buds.

How to shorten leafy branches:    If you want to shorten leafy branches, make a cut above the bud or leaf of the branch.  Be sure to use sharp pruners that provide a clean cut and never leave a stub of any length.  This will cause the excess wood to wither and rot, resulting in a home for unwanted pests or decay.

Weather Protection

A container exposes plants to a large surface area in which wind circulates.  This makes potted plants more sensitive to temperature changes and high winds.  If you live in a region with frequent high winds then it will be necessary to take extra care of your container plants.  Also, make sure your pots are anchored down.  You don’t want your veggies to become dangerous projectiles.  If you use heavy pots such as terra cotta, and the plant is large enough, then anchoring may not be necessary.  Wind is also very drying, so be aware of the soil moisture.

Be sure to protect your plant from extreme temperatures.  Move plants to a sheltered area or relocate them to indoors, if possible.  Also be aware that reflective heat from pavement or walls can quickly harm a plant.

To protect plants that are too large to move from the cold, be sure to cover with plastic or burlap, and avoid allowing the material to touch the plant if possible.  This point of contact will cause the plant to lose precious heat.  One the temperature rises above freezing, be sure to uncover the plants.  If an unexpected cold front causes your plants to freeze, relocate the portable ones in a garage or lighted cellar where the air is cold, but not freezing.  This will allow the plants to thaw out slowly, resulting in less damage.

When the cold weather comes, you need to protect your investment.  Some pots are particularly sensitive to freezing and thawing.  Plastic becomes brittle, clay and cement pots crack.  So this is something else to consider when purchasing your pots.  As far as the plants are concerned: perennials will be alright in an unheated garage or shed, as long as temperatures do not get below 32 degrees fahrenheit.  You will still need to check the soil during this time to keep it MOIST…not wet, as this can promote root rot and suffocate the roots.

If you have extra large pots or containers, these can usually be left outside, as their mass serves as insualtion.  If you have planted annuals, then empty out the pots and bring them inside, so they will be preserved for the next growing season.

Dry Climate Plants

If you live in a region where the climate tends to be dry, or you won’t be available to keep an eye on your plants, then consider going for plants that can still thrive under these conditions.  Some examples include: shrub honey locust, rugosa rose, juniper, barberry, moss mullein and herbaceous perennials.

Happy Gardening!

So whether you’ve decided on an indoor or outdoor container garden, or perhaps even a combination, you are now well on your way to having that garden you’ve always dreamed of.

Good luck and happy gardening! - Judy