Benefits of container gardening
Accessible
It’s perfect because anyone can do it. Living in a small apartment? No problem – hang some herbs up on a wire rack. Have children? Include them too! There’s no excuse not to inject some greenery into your life now.
Flexible
Do you get easily bored with the way your furniture is arranged? If so, container gardening is right for you because it’s super easy to rearrange your pots to instantly update any room.
Perfect for beginners
Usually people get intimidated when they think about gardening. It’s true, it can be difficult at times. However, container gardening is not something to be afraid of. In fact, it’s extremely beginner-friendly and has fewer obligations than regular gardening. You’ll be a pro in no time!
Easy harvesting
You won’t have to worry about ruining your other produce when harvesting by accidentally digging up the wrong thing. You can simply overturn a single pot on a plastic sheet and grab your veggies and fruits. Not to mention if you plant herbs, it’s even easier than that – just grab a pair of scissors and snip away the fresh goodies.
More control over pests
The best thing is that there are no pesky pests or other wildlife that will feed off your plants. The chances of that happening are very small, and even when you notice pests, you can move the container to a safer place to easily avoid them spreading to your other pots.
Refreshing interior decor
Creating an indoor garden is arguably the easiest way to beautify your interior. Not only are plants aesthetically pleasing, they can also be great air purifiers and can improve the overall health and well being of the whole family.
How-To Start With Container Gardening
Analyze sunlight
There are plants that can survive in full shade, however most plants prefer to be in direct sunlight at least for a few hours a day. So, the first thing to check before you begin is where you’re going to put your plants – find a place with lots of sunlight.
Choose a proper container
Now, you can basically use any container you have at home as a planter – the only thing you would need to do is add drainage holes if there aren’t any already. If you don’t already have containers, there’s a variety of containers out there, each differing in size and material, and each having its own advantages and disadvantages. Terracotta, fabric, metal, glazed ceramic pots, or self watering containers. It really is up to you!
Setting up your container
It’s important to properly set up your soil. Make sure your plants have room to spread their roots. By layering gravel, weed block fabric and the soil on top, you’ll have your very own water reservoir in no time, thanks to the Modern Farmer.
Soil it up
Make sure you invest in quality soil, specialized for containers. If the soil you’ve bought does not have fertilizer in it, make sure you add it yourself because that is what your plants will feed off of.
H 2 the O
Watering is key to keeping your plants alive. The thing to remember here is to avoid over-watering your plants. This is where a good drainage system becomes invaluable. Each plant has its own watering needs which you will need to research depending on what plant you’ve chosen. Whichever you choose, make sure to check on your plants each day to make sure the soil is not dried up because of too much sun exposure.
Deciding on what to plant
We’ve finally got to the fun part. Considering we are talking about just beginning with container gardening, the best plants for any novice gardeners would be herbs such as basil, or perhaps lettuce.
Pests
No matter how diligent you are, there are bound to be some pests lurking around your plants. You don’t have to worry though, because there are many different home remedies you can mix up and get rid of your unwanted visitors in no time, and without spraying any chemicals on your plants.
