For those new to container gardening, it can feel overwhelming to balance all of the different needs of your plants. However, if you manage just a few key factors well, your plants will thrive, and your container garden will look beautiful. We’ve rounded up our top tips for easy tricks to keep your container garden beautiful all season long.
Planning for Success
Before you even begin breaking soil, you’ll want to have a plan on what is going to be in your container garden. Your plan doesn’t have to be extensive or super intricate. It will benefit you in the long run though to have a general idea of what plants you want in your garden and the requirements that each one has as far as light, water, soil, etc.
Having a general outline beforehand will help you avoid getting overwhelmed with all of the different care requirements (you might even choose plants that have similar requirements to make it easier).
Selecting the Right Soil
Soil is one of the biggest factors in determining if your plants will thrive or not. With a container garden, it’s even more important than a traditional in-ground garden.
Plants in pots can only draw nutrients from the soil within that pot. In conventional in-ground garden plants can extend their roots much deeper and draw nutrients from the ground.
When picking soil for your container garden, go with high-quality potting soil to ensure a proper balance of nutrients. Look for natural organic ingredients as well as mediums like coco coir or perlite to provide ample drainage for your plants.
Meeting Lighting Requirements
Light is another primary factor in a plant’s success. Lack of light can cause plants to not produce fruit, it can stunt their growth, cause yellowing on the leaves, and more. Tomatoes, for example, require hours of direct sunlight each day. When they don’t get adequate light, the plant will not grow as tall or strong, and will likely produce less fruit.
If you’re gardening in a spot that does not have optimal light, you can choose to supplement the natural light with a grow light. These are available on websites like Amazon in various sizes, allowing you to purchase the right one for your space.
Picking the Right Pot
Picking the right pot will help ensure that your plant has adequate room to grow and can provide proper drainage for your plant. Picking the pot best suited for your plant is an important part of planting a container garden.
First, you’ll want to ensure that your plant has enough room to grow and for the roots to expand. Plants that are put in a small pot will likely need to be replanted as it grows larger through the season.
Second, you’ll want to ensure that you have proper drainage. This can be done by purchasing a pot with a drainage hole drilled into the bottom. If your pot does not have a hole, you can add pebbles to the bottom to provide an extra layer for water to drain off.
Choosing The Right Neighbors
Plan on selecting plants that will work well together. This means that they all tolerate the same amount of light, moisture, and container height. If you mix different plant types with different needs, some of them won’t thrive.
When choosing plants, it’s good to pair hardy plants that can tolerate the same conditions together.
One example of this is if you know for sure that one plant will need at least 6 hours of direct sunlight per day; in this case, you can select plants that also need 6 hours of direct sun.
Plants To Consider
Suggestions For Your Container Garden
Creating a Beautiful Container Garden
Container gardening can be intimidating, but once you’ve mastered the key factors it’s very little maintenance. Focusing on these four areas will help you break down what your garden needs and how you can achieve your goal of creating a beautiful container garden each season.
