Container garden can be ideal in some situations

Acontainer garden has a lot of benefits. You can move it to a sunny location or a shadier location during the summer. Or if you live in an apartment or townhouse, you can place a container or two on a balcony.

In a half oak barrel or large clay pot, you could plant one tomato or pepper, or a few lettuce and carrots or other small vegetables, and you have an instant salad garden. The container can be placed on the patio or in a planter. Instead of walking a long way to your in-ground garden, just reach out the door for your favorite vegetable in your container garden. Better yet, it makes a great children’s garden or have a container for each child in the family.

I use 15-gallon containers, more correctly known as No. 15 containers; they don’t hold 15 gallons. In case you are not familiar with them, they are the size that nurseries sell trees or large plants in. One 15 container works for one small patio tomato or pepper. Or you can fill it with carrots, lettuce or other greens.

Be creative with your container plants, but make sure the plants in the container need the same water or light. The tomatoes and peppers need full sun; the lettuce and carrots will do better in a light shade.

Be creative with the actual containers. Many people use half oak barrels, but other containers are available. Examples of creative gardening containers include a wheelbarrow, unused water fountain, a child’s old red wagon, a hollowed-out log, an old wrought iron pot, an urn or even an old watering can. These are just a few ideas you could use or come up with some of your own creative garden ideas.

A wheelbarrow may work even better than an oak barrel. Find yourself a deep one, then drill a few holes in the bottom. Fill the wheelbarrow with potting soil and plant your vegetables. The wheelbarrow allows you to move your container garden anytime you like. If you keep it on the patio, it can be easily moved out of the way when you need the space. Or you can move it according to the amount of sun your garden needs.

The last few years I have been gardening in No. 30 containers. They are about 20 inches in diameter and tall, much bigger than No. 15 containers, I grow full-size tomatoes in the containers.

Another fun gardening activity is to grow potatoes in a large trash bag. Poke a few small holes in the bottom of a trash or garbage bag. Fill it about 5 inches deep with potting soil. Place seed potatoes or sprouting potatoes that you bought from the grocery store in the bag and cover the potatoes with another 5 inches of potting soil. Roll the extra bag down to the soil line.

After the potato starts to grow and is about one foot tall, unroll and fill the bag with about 6 inches of dry straw. Be sure to water and fertilize your mini-garden. Reach into the straw and soil and feel your potatoes growing. When the potatoes are ready for harvest, just cut open your bag.

About the only disadvantage to container gardening is water and fertilizer management. Once you confine the amount of soil it is easier to overwater or underwater your container garden. It is always easier to manage the water in soil than in containers.

In the soil excess water can be pulled away from the roots by drier areas of soil. In a container, extra water must either evaporate or be used by the plants. This means the soil is normally wetter for a long period of time, leading to root rots.

You need to physically check your soil to see if it needs water. The best device is your finger. Stick it down into the soil about an inch; if the soil is still moist, you do not need to water.