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Container or Backyard Gardening: Should You Plant Patio Pots or a Garden Plot?

Most of us love fresh, delicious fruits, vegetables, and herbs; and gardening is how to get your hands on the freshest. But perhaps you’ve been hesitant to start a garden; worried that your thumb isn’t green enough, hesitant to commit to what looks like a time demanding project. The key to a manageable and enjoyable garden is to keep it small and simple. Your first decision…container or terra firma?

Container Gardens

If you live in an apartment or condo that has a patio but no yard, container gardens are the only way to go. Containers allow you to garden just about anywhere, but to be successful there are a few guidelines that you’ll want to follow.

Containers and Soil Moisture

Use the largest containers practical for the space available. Small pots dry out quickly, are higher maintenance and are more prone to stress plants by exposing them to extreme changes in moisture level.

Plastic or glazed ceramic pots retain moisture better than more porous, terra cotta containers. It’s fine to use porous material, and several large terra cotta planters make for an attractive patio garden. Just be aware that plants in porous containers will require more watering, and regardless of the type of pot, patio gardens in general dry out more quickly than gardens planted in the ground.

Convenience of Container Gardens

Even if you do have a yard and the space for a garden plot, you may still elect to grow in containers. Your plants will be easily accessible, and although extra watering is required, containers present less of a problem with overgrowth of weeds.

For a little extra money, you can purchase self-watering pots. These special containers retain a large reservoir that provides consistent moisture over a longer period of time than conventional pots.

Container Gardens and Herbs

Growing cooking herbs is one of the very best reasons to plant in containers. Having a kitchen herb garden, convenient to your cooking area, will provide you with fresh herbs for most of the year.

Herbs in general are tough, drought resistant plants that often become more potent and fragrant when exposed to drought conditions. So containers that are prone to dry out do not present as much of a problem when used to grow herbs.

Backyard Gardening

There are also pros and cons to planting a garden plot. An backyard garden is more prone to weeds. The soil must be tilled, sometimes enriched and you may have to protect your garden from critters.

Mulch, Mulch, Mulch

Growing plants in the ground, with a thick layer of mulch, protects them from the extreme changes in moisture level that are characteristic of container gardens. A substantial layer of mulch or garden fabric will also reduce the amount of time you’ll spend weeding your garden.

Bigger is Not Necessarily Better

If you are new to gardening, be sure to start with a small garden plot and grow only a few items. You can always make the plot larger next season if you want to expand your efforts.

Choose Fewer Plant Varieties

If you grow vegetables, choose your favorites, or whatever costs the most at the market and will grow in your climate. Trying to grow a little bit of everything, presents more work and less yield.

For example, a small 6×6 garden plot is large enough for four indeterminate-growth tomato plants and a row of leaf lettuce. Just four well cared for plants are enough to keep you in fresh and canned tomatoes all year round. The row of leaf lettuce can be cut and harvested several times, providing you with an entire summer of salads.

Grow Heirloom Tomatoes for a little extra treat in your garden.

Vegetables, Herbs and Sun

Whichever garden type you choose, make sure that it is in an area that receives sun throughout most of the day. Veggies and herbs do not grow well in shady locations.

The post Container or Backyard Gardening: Should You Plant Patio Pots or a Garden Plot? appeared first on Downtown Homestead.



from Downtown Homestead http://downtownhomestead.com/container-or-backyard-gardening
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