Container gardens way to go for small spaces, but there’s still big planning to do

Container gardening has become very popular and also very necessary. Many new homes have limited gardening space. Containers fill and brighten small outdoor spaces with flowers, foliage, herbs and fresh vegetables and can create the impression of a huge garden.

The basic guidelines for container gardening aren’t much different than for large gardens and planting beds.

First, monitor sun and shade patterns (over several months if possible) in areas where you’re planning to place containers. You might find that a spot on the south-facing patio receives full sun (at least eight hours) in July when the sun is at its highest angle in the sky, but that in October the tall patio fence blocks all light. Containers placed on moveable rolling saucers can make adjustments to available light much simpler in small spaces.

The second requirement will be finding or putting in a nearby water source for hoses or drip irrigation. The soil in containers will dry out much more quickly than garden soil. In July and August, our hottest months, containers may require daily watering.

Clay pots absorb and release moisture so that the soil dries out more rapidly than in plastic or resin pots. The capillary action of the clay does provide a little more moisture on the inner sides of the pots where plants’ roots grow. Plastic and resin pots are lighter and easier to clean than clay pots.

Never use garden soil to fill your container pots; it may contain insect eggs and disease pathogens. There are many good-quality sterilized potting mixes available. I prefer organic mixes that contain added sources of nutrients and beneficial organisms and fungi including kelp, bat guano and earthworm castings. Homemade kitchen waste compost is also an excellent addition.

Cover container pot drainholes with coffee filters or fiberglass screening to prevent soil from washing out the hole. Don’t use pot pieces, rocks or Styrofoam pellets which will block drainage.

Plan on feeding your container plants lightly every two weeks since fertilizers will be quickly diluted and leached by frequent watering. Granular or powder formulations will provide nutrients for a longer time than liquid formulations.

Some plants come with warnings. Many herbs get huge in our climate. Plan on annually repotting or replacing rosemary, oregano, mint and marjoram. Sweet potato vine is very popular for its colorful foliage – but it will engulf other plants and its roots will completely fill the pot in a very short time. So will creeping fig.

The south side of our garage gets the most sun in our shady garden. I’ll be hanging planter boxes for growing summer vegetables and have started transplants of small tomatoes, eggplants and zucchini from seed. The seeds were ordered from two garden catalogs. From John Scheeper, kitchengardenseeds.com came seeds for “Orlando,” a small eggplant, and “Cherry Falls,” a small trailing cherry tomato. From Renee’s Garden. reneesgarden.com, came seeds for “Window Box Mini Basil,” “Spicy Globe Basil,” “Tasmanian Chocolate” cherry tomatoes and “Astia” container zucchini. Check local nurseries and garden centers for seeds and transplants of container-sized vegetables. There are many to choose from these days.

I’ll keep you updated on my garage vertical garden experiment.