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Container Gardening: Soil
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Container gardening is simply growing your garden in - you guessed it - containers! It was born of a strong desire, and in some cases a need, to produce herbs, vegetables, and flowers within a limited amount of space and/or poor soil conditions, all which can be controlled by gardening in containers.
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Any space with ample light and access for watering and fertilizing is appropriate for container gardening, including a window sill, patio, doorstep, or rooftop. One advantage of gardening in containers is freedom from soil-borne diseases, insects, nematodes, and poor soil, all of which threaten plants in traditional gardens.
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Using a container garden can ... help you and your plants and flowers co-exist happily together. With container gardening you can see that each flower receives the correct amount of light, or shade to make it thrive. It's also easier to have greater accuracy when watering as you do it dependent on the needs of each plant. The rule is that you should first feel the soil, if it's dry, pour water into the container just until it starts to come out of the bottom of the pot. Wait about one half hour then dump the excess water out of the saucer.
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Garden soil is generally not recommended for container plants because the regular watering required by container plants causes garden soil to compact, leading to poor aeration and poor drainage. Potting soils or soilless mixes are carried by many garden centers and are ideal for containers. These mixes are less likely to contain weed seeds or disease organisms than garden soil. Ideally, soilless growing media should be replaced every year. For gardeners with several containers, mixing soil may be a more economical choice. A common soil mix is one part sphagnum peat moss or composted bark or compost, one part vermiculite or perlite, and one part sand.
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Plant container crops at the same time you would if you were planting a regular garden. Fill a clean container to within one-half inch of the top with the slightly damp soil mixture. Peat moss in the mix will absorb water and mix much more readily if soaked in water before putting the mix in the container. Sow the seeds or set trans-plants according to instructions on the seed package. Put a label with the name, variety and date of planting on or in each container. After planting, gently soak the soil with water, being careful not to wash out or displace seeds.
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The same insects and diseases that afflict plants in a traditional garden can affect container-grown plants. Check the plants regularly and be ready to control these problems if they occur. Spider mites may become a problem on plants that are water-stressed. Pasteurized soil media will eliminate most weed problems and many soil borne diseases.
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