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Container Gardening Ultimate Beginners Guide
Container Gardening Ultimate Beginners Guide
Gardening
Ultimate Beginners 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 Youll 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
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 youre first
starting out. Ideally if youre 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 doesnt 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. Dont fertilize seedlings, as they are too fragile and the
fertilizer can burn them.
Humidity As weve 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.
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 Youll 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 dont 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
theres 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
dont 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 containerand youre
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.
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 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 dont last
forever they cant naturally regenerate necessary nutrients as the Earths soil does.
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
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.
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 dont 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 MOISTnot 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.
Happy Gardening!
So whether youve decided on an indoor or outdoor container garden, or perhaps even a combination, you
are now well on your way to having that garden youve always dreamed of.
Good luck and happy gardening! - Judy