Friday, November 19, 2010

Choosing Plants for Your Container Garden

By Adam Washington


Edible are most often the plants found in container gardens since people don't think flowers would be the same as container gardening. While it is the same basic principle, it's not generally classified the same way.

Most people just think the term container gardening refers to growing edible plants, so that's what we'll focus on here. More varieties of vegetables and herbs than fruits can be grown in container gardens.

Herbs are the most commonly grown edible plant for containers. Vegetables are number two while fruits aren't seen that often in container gardens.

Strawberries are one fruit that grows particularly well in many types of containers. Strawberries can be grown practically anywhere.

You can also have mini fruit trees in containers. Many smaller dwarf citrus trees grow nicely in pots, and if kept well-pruned they can make beautiful indoor decorations. Dwarf berry bushes can also be grown in containers, but you can't move them around easily since they are heavy. Dwarf varieties of blueberries and raspberries have been successfully grown in containers.

Many varieties of herbs do well in containers. Parsley is perhaps the most popular herb for container growing. Basil and chives are also extremely popular for growing in containers. Cilantro grows well in container gardens, too.

You can plant almost any kind of herb in containers. The key is finding a large enough container. A number of herbs do well in smaller pots. Among these are chives, parsley, and basil.

There are some plants that grows into a big size though. Sage is an herb, but it's a bush. Sage requires a bigger container. Another example is oregano. For vegetables in gardens, tomatoes are the most popular, even if it's a fruit!

It's the same story with container gardeners. This is mostly because the quality tomatoes aren't easy to get. The tomatoes in most grocery stores are picked green and artificially ripened so they survive shipping without bruising and last longer on the shelves.

You can grow almost all the tomato varieties if you want. You can also have lettuces, cucumbers, beans, peas, radishes, carrots, peppers and many more plants in your garden.

By doing it properly, you can have vegetables in your container garden. Growing plants from seeds isn't that difficult. You can sow your seeds into your pot, but you are risking damage to them when thinning needs to be done.

You should probably grow most of your plants from seedlings that you purchase locally, but you can also start your own seedlings indoors in smaller pots, and then transplant them into larger pots later. It's easier to start plants from seedlings when you can, but you may find a lot of satisfaction in starting your own.




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