In Those Tight Spaces

Container Gardening!!! What a great way to bring nature to your little piece of the earth..even if that piece is a concrete rooftop..lol It's true many people don't have any ground.. I know that's kind of hard for us Midwesterner's to believe.. But believe it or not it happens!! I'm kidding of course..but right now I'm picturing one of my favorite movies.."Just Like Heaven"..where the girl lives in a inner city apartment and dreams of having a lovely garden on her rooftop..her love interest who is a landscape designer ends up building her the most beautiful roof top garden you have ever seen. It's as if you were smack dad in the middle of one of Mother Earths most lovely natural landscapes..only it was created in a very different way.. You too can make your space that lovely..even if that space is only a apartment balcony..

Container gardens are suitable for patios and porches, making them a favorite for apartments and urban homes that have limited outdoor space. Container gardens aren't limited to apartments and city homes, however, and they aren't limited to flowers or vines, either. Grow cacti, succulents, herbs, vegetables and even fruit trees in your containers.

Container Size

Large containers make a big impact. They also provide more room for root development. For plants such as herbs and vegetables, select planters with at least 12 inches of depth. Cacti and succulents are shallow-rooted plants and require less water, so plant these in planters with less depth, but with wide diameters. The roots spread outward rather than downward. For flowers with shrub-like growth or vegetables, select deep containers with broad diameters. For annuals that don't require deep rooting systems, smaller containers work well, as the plant devotes more energy to blooms than to root development.

Planting Medium

Use a soil-less mix for your potting soil. Garden soil or soil from your landscape is likely to be too heavy for a container plant. The water will drain too slowly and your plants' roots will suffocate from the weight of the soil. Use a mix that contains perlite, vermiculite and peat moss or sorghum moss. Fertilize the soil with a slow-release fertilizer to allow the plant to take only what it needs when it needs it. This prevents root burn.

Watering

Watering a container differs from watering your lawn or soil garden because the water is confined to the container and drains only from the drainage hole. Different plants take up water at different rates. Check each container daily to ensure the soil is not soggy or dry. The soil should be slightly moist. If you decide to put several different plants in one container, make sure they have similar watering requirements. Check for water needs by thrusting your finger into the soil about 2 inches deep. If you feel dry soil, water the plant.

Harvest and Deadhead

If you're growing herbs, take cuttings frequently to encourage new growth. For vegetables, harvest just as you would in a ground garden. Cut flowers when they bloom and use them in your home. If you prefer to leave them in the container garden, cut off any blooms once they fade, a process called "deadheading." This will encourage more blooms on the plant.