Are you interested in embracing your green thumb but feel overwhelmed by the idea of planting and maintaining a garden bed? A container garden may be the perfect solution for you! These gardens accommodate many of the same flowers and vegetables as garden beds, but they are often easier to care for and fit in small spaces. Plus, they can be customized to fit your outdoor space’s decor with unique and functional garden planters.
If you’re ready to plant your container garden, follow these beginner-friendly steps to get started:
Step One: Select Your Plants
One of the very first things you will need to do is determine which plants you will want to grow in your planters. This choice will determine everything else, including the type of container you use, the location you place the planter, and the soil you choose.
If you decide to plant flowers, you will want to select a mix of plants to add interest to the garden. Consider adding flowers with vibrant colors, a round plant to fill in spaces, and plants that hang over the edge of the container.
No matter the type of plants you choose to grow in your container garden, make sure they have compatible sun and water requirements. And be careful to keep invasive plants away from others so that they do not take advantage of the weaker plants.
Step Two: Choose Your Container
When starting a new garden, there are several considerations for container gardening that you need to keep in mind. One of these is the type of container you choose. Each planter has its own benefits and characteristics. When selecting the planters for your garden, you will want to consider each container’s weight, appearance, and sensitivity to weather changes. The following are different types of containers you can select from:
- Terra-Cotta Planters (also known as clay pots)
- Concrete Containers
- Wood Planters
- Metal Containers
- Plastic Pots
Once you’ve chosen the material your container should be made from, you can focus on the style of the container. Do you want to go the unique route with a chicken planter? Or do you want to choose something more modern, like various Zen planters? Choose whichever delights your heart the most! Please note that the zen planters are very shallow and may not be best
suited for plants with deep root balls. They are more appropriate for succulents
Step Three: Pick a Location for Your Container
Once you’ve chosen your plants and their container, it’s time to decide where you will set up your garden. You will want to choose a place that receives plenty of sunlight — most plants like to receive 6 to 8 hours of full sun a day. You will also want to make sure this location allows your container garden to be the center of attention — after all, you want people to be able to admire your work!
Step Four: Fill the Planter With Soil
If beginner gardeners make a mistake with their new container garden, it often involves choosing the wrong soil. You cannot place just any garden soil into the planter. Instead, you need to use a specialized potting mix to ensure your plants grow healthily and vibrantly.
Once you have your potting mix, it’s time to add it to the container. Cover the drainage holes with a permeable fabric to help filter out water without losing any potting soil. Next, fill the bottom ¼ of the planter with potting gravel or terra cotta chips. This will allow proper drainage of your soil that will help protect your plants from over watering and protect planters from freeze damage in the winter time. Next, fill the planter with the soil up to 1 inch of the container’s top. Finally, stir a slow-release fertilizer into the mix to help your plants grow.
Step Five: Prepare Your Plants
Get your plants ready for planting by cleaning them up. Pick off any drooping or browning blooms and yellowing leaves. If your plants are root bound, score the roots so that new roots can grow from the cuts. If your plants are too tall, trim them by cutting above the node of leaves that sits at the height you want. In this way, you encourage side growth rather than vertical.
Step Six: Plant
You’re finally ready to begin the fun part: arranging your plants in an aesthetically pleasing way. Make sure to place the tallest plants in the center of the pot and the other plants around the planter’s edge. Be careful not to compress the soil around the plants.
Step Seven: Water the Garden
Give your plants a healthy drink of water. You will know if you’ve added enough water to the planter once it starts running out of the drainage holes. If the soil settles below 1 inch of the planter’s top after this, you will need to add a layer of soil.
Step Eight: Maintain the Garden
As the growing season progresses, you will need to keep up with the maintenance of the container garden. This includes pruning the plants with dead foliage and spent blooms and cutting back plants that have gotten a bit out of control. You will also want to consider adding a water-soluble fertilizer once a week to keep the plants well-nourished.
Add Flair to Your Container Garden With Specially Crafted Planters
All the best things in life require a bit of work, but it doesn’t have to be extensive. You can enjoy a beautiful garden within your backyard or on your balcony when you invest in planters and an assortment of flowers and vegetables without having to put all of your free time into it.
Make your container garden stand out even more with a selection of traditional and modern planters from Garden Fountains & Outdoor Decor. We carry everything from cast stone and zinc planters to terra cotta containers. Find your favorite garden containers online today!