Container Gardening Hints

Container Gardens are an answer for limited garden spaces. Residents of apartments, condos, retirement homes or houses on small lots can still enjoy gardening. Containers are mobile, allowing a gardener to take the plants along or move them for an instant splash of color. You can enjoy your plants more fully by locating them on patios, balconies or window boxes.

Older generations can enjoy when standard gardening may be too strenuous. And, what better way is there for children to study the miracle of plant growth? Container gardening, however, is not without its problems, especially in Kansas.

A plant growing in an
exposed location will be under more stress, and will need more regular watering. The effects of hot, dry winds may be more severe than in conventional gardens. Large containers can be expensive and difficult to move when filled with potting mix. But, the advantages far outweigh the problems, so let’s get started growing—container style.

Soil Mixes Soil is not always best for container gardening. When ordinary soil is saturated with water, the air spaces are
filled, removing essential air from the roots. This is why a
soil substitute, often called potting mix, is recommended.
The mix may contain some soil (called soil mix) or no soil
at all (a soilless mix). Additional ingredients such as peat
moss, vermiculite and perlite allow rapid drainage but
still hold sufficient water for plant growth. You can purchase potting mix from nursery or garden stores under a variety of trade names. If you have only a few containers you may want to take them to your local greenhouse and have them filled with their greenhouse potting mix (for a fee). You can also make your own potting soil. Remember to keep it simple; you don’t need a different mix for each type of plant. One common formula mixes one part sandy loam soil, one part sphagnum peat moss and one part perlite or builder’s sand. There are many variations of this basic recipe. Any mix containing soil has not been pasteurized to kill weeds or disease organisms, so use these mixes for established plants. Potting mixes should be free of disease organisms, insects or weeds. Consult references in your local library or K-State Research and Extension office for additional information on container gardening, including recipes for mixing large quantities of potting mix from a variety of ingredients.
 

Containers come in a variety of styles and sizes.

Clay. This old favorite is preferred by many gardeners
for the earth tone color it provides. Clay is porous and
water is lost from the sides of the container. Clay pots are
breakable and may not hold up well if mobility is required.
 

Of course, you can recycle old buckets, cans and similar
containers. The only essential thing is that the container
has holes in the bottom for draining excess water. Plastic. Plastic containers are available in a variety of sizes, shapes and styles. Some plastics are breakable and may not hold up well for several seasons use; others are more durable.

Wood. Wood is a popular material for containers.
Redwood or cedar is relatively rot resistant and can be
used without staining or painting. Exterior grade plywood and other types of wood can also be used. Avoid using wood treated with creosote, penta or other phenolic compounds, since vapors can injure some plants. Always use copper-treated lumber if preservative-treated lumber is needed. Wooden containers are excellent for portability and can be purchased or built in a wide variety of sizes, shapes and styles.

Read more about container gardening at this link: https://www.bookstore.ksre.ksu.edu/pubs/EP31.pdf

1. How big should the container be? 
2. Fertilizer
3. Watering 
4. Culture and Care 
5. What to Grow 
6. Annual Flowers Suitable for Container Gardening
7. Ornamental” vegetables adapted for growing in containers 
8. Herbs
9. Refer to K-State Research and Extension publications for ways of dealing with garden pest problems

This and other publications from Kansas State University are available on the World Wide Web at: http://www.oznet.ksu.edu. Charles W. Marr, Container Gardening, Kansas State University, May 1998. Kansas State University Agricultural Experiment Station and Cooperative Extension Service. EP-31 May 1998.
Photos by master gardener phughes.

Patsy Herman is a Reno County Master Gardener & has done presentations on container gardening. She found this article interesting and useful.

An Easy Test for Your Container Soil

July 25, 2017 | Meghan Shinn garden, but your potting mix could be working against you. The right mix will make container gardening so much easier! Take a minute this week to do this quick and easy test on your potting soil. Dan Heims, president of Terra Nova Nurseries, shared some insight on potting mixes and their relationship to watering with us:

“If your plants get too much water or too little water, the results are the same; root hairs, which bring in water and minerals, die and the plants wilt until they regenerate. Soil texture is key to proper watering. Most soil mixes I’ve seen have particles that are too small.” Dan explained a simple test that you can do to check the texture of the potting mix you’re using in your containers. Moisten the mix thoroughly by watering as you generally do. But then, instead of walking away, water it again. If the water puddles up and sits atop the mix, the drainage is not good enough. Dan recommends using a mix with plenty of pumice, bark or perlite to provide the best drainage. These are easy to add to your favorite bagged mix at planting time in your container garden.