By Kim Thistle
There are all sorts of reasons to grow in containers. You may live in an apartment or condo where your balcony is the only place you have for growing. A physical disability may also be a limitation. Age and arthritis can play a big factor. Toddlers and young children are more interested if there are brightly coloured containers where the little gangsters can wield a watering can. Whatever your reasons, don’t discount gardening as an extracurricular because you think you are limited by any of the above.
Considerations before you start:
· Exposure – You will need at least five hours of sun per day and ideally, more than that.
· Space – measure up the space available and think about how you will place your containers so that maneuvering through them for watering is fairly simple. Anticipate the canopy size of your containerized plant at maturity and not just the pot size. Leave space for a chair and table so that you can relax with a nice cold lemonade and a good book. Leafy plants will cool down an otherwise blazing hot area making it more comfortable for relaxation.
· Containers – terra cotta is attractive but heavy. It also dries out much faster than plastic. Along with deck containers, hanging baskets and rail planters will help to make use of all of the space available.
· Size of container – Consider what you are growing and the depth and width of the container that you will need. For potatoes, you will need something at least five gallons, but if you are growing pansies it will work fine with a small shallow dish.
· Drainage – You must have holes in the bottom of your pot for excess moisture to flow through. When watering container plants you must water thoroughly and deeply so encourage roots to grow downward to seek water. A good root system is essential for any plant. Heavy rainfalls will waterlog your pots if there’s no drainage for the water to escape.
· Water catchers – Saucers under your plants are important if you have a wooden deck. All the water draining through your pot will collect and rot the wood underneath.
· Soil – The media you use must be lightweight, especially on a balcony where the weight can be a factor.
· Fertilizer – plants in the wild outdoors can stretch their roots to seek moisture and nutrition. In a closed system, a plant is unable to do this. Once the roots have used up all of the nutrition, you are the only source of future food; thus it’s imperative to fertilize regularly.
· Watering practices – plants in pots tend to dry out much faster than plants in the ground. Attentiveness to watering is important. If you are lucky enough to have a cottage to escape to throughout the summer or if you are going away on vacation, there are self-watering systems you can purchase that are inexpensive and easy to install and use. The ‘Easy 2 Go’ kit is one such one that I particularly like.
Choosing your plants:
· Are flowers your passion? You can grow just about any flower in a container pot. Hanging baskets with a mix of colourful blooms can brighten any corner. Canary vines or Thunbergia (black-eyed susan vine) are fast-growing vines that could provide privacy or cover a particularly yukky view. Deck pots with a variety of heights (tall, medium and spilling plants) also can provide privacy, fragrance and colour. Every deck should have a pot of Heliotrope, a deliciously scented flower that is good for the soul.
· I like to grow many of my herbs in pots on my deck to have them close to the kitchen for easy access. They tend to be used more if they are within easy reach and you don’t have to put on shoes or a coat to collect them. Herbs such as basil like heat and thrive in a container on a hot deck. Having your herbs in pots provides the added benefit of being able to easily move them inside when the weather turns cold. And, again, there’s the scent. Most herbs smell delicious and will provide a soothing area to sit and just relax.
· Most people assume they need a proper garden for growing vegetables. Not so. A small patio or deck can have every bit of space utilized and provide you with a plentiful crop. If salads are your passion, any green can be grown in a pot and can be reseeded throughout the summer so that there’s always something ready to harvest. A warning: most leafy greens don’t like heat so give them a bit of shade to prevent bolting. Many tomato varieties can be grown in hanging baskets or pots. Climbing beans and peas take up vertical space and can be a wonderful screen for nosy neighbours. Root crops such as carrots and beet will grow in a five-gallon just about any container as long as it is deep enough to accommodate them.
When gardening you are only limited by your imagination. Whatever life throws at you, find a space, no matter how small, to nurse your mental health. For many people, growing is just what the doctor ordered.
