Living in an urban environment or having just a patio or deck doesn’t mean you can’t be a gardener. Container gardens can give you the same sense of accomplishment and your vine ripe tomatoes will taste just as good as those from a backyard plot.
Urban gardening requires planning and organization in a way backyard gardening does not. But that is part of the fun.
First, watch the space where your containers will go over several months. How much sun does the area get? Which way does the sun move?
If there’s plenty of consistent sun you’re in good shape. If the sunlight is spotty or shifts dramatically during the day take this into consideration. You may want to put your containers on wheels so they can be moved easily. Or plan to grow leafy vegetables like lettuces and herbs rather than sun lovers like tomatoes and peppers.
Are there natural or architectural features you can use? Is there a wall that will serve as a wind block? Can it be trellised for beans and vines? All these factors will help determine what and how much you want to plant.
A container garden is something of a miniature eco-system. Problems that might be spread out over a hundred square feet in a small backyard plot can be magnified when focused on just a few plants in close quarters. Soil quality is especially important. Synthetic soils are a good alternative when growing in pots. They are disease and weed free. Synthetic soils also offer excellent drainage. Organic soils can become waterlogged and drown the roots.
Whether you go with organic or synthetic soil remember that your plants will need plenty of nourishment. With such a small amount of soil, nutrients will be depleted quickly in a container environment.
The easiest way to fertilize plants in containers is by preparing a nutrient solution that is used to water the plants. There are many good commercial fertilizer mixes available to make nutrient solutions. If you use one of these simply follow the directions on the label. You can also create your own nutrient solution by dissolving 2 cups of a complete fertilizer such as10-20-10, 12-24-23 or 8-16-8 in 1 gallon of tap water. This is now your base solution. From this you can create a nutrient solution by adding 2 tablespoons of the base solution to 1 gallon of water.
Plants should be watered with the nutrient solution about once a day. While frequency of watering will vary slightly from one crop to the next, once a day is a good starting point. In particular, watch vegetables with a lot of foliage growth, they may require twice daily watering. Once a week use plain tap water instead of the nutrient solution. This will prevent mineral build ups in the soil.
Many vegetable plants adapt very nicely to container growing. Leafy vegetables like lettuces, cauliflower and broccoli will do very well. Upright plants such as beans, peppers and tomatoes are also good candidates. Radishes, onions and other root vegetables are very happy in a deep container. Avoid plants with running vines. They will be difficult to manage and are better suited to wide open growing spaces. Keep the trip to the pumpkin patch on the calendar. Container grown herbs offer savory leaves all year long. Move them inside when the weather gets cold and enjoy fresh herbs all winter. Each of these vegetables has a unique root system, which will require a well suited container.
Containers should be chosen for utility first, appearance second. Know what you want to grow before choosing the containers. Good drainage and a wide opening are key to allowing roots access to oxygen. Containers sizes should be proportionate to the plants in them. Plants with shallow root systems need a shallow pot while deeper roots systems will require more soil to explore. A variety of sizes, shapes and materials will give added visual interest to your urban garden.
Harvesting your crops and sharing them is just one of the benefits of container gardening. By adding plants to your urban landscape there is a renewed connection to the earth. Growing offers the same satisfaction to all gardeners, regardless of locale, crop or container.
The internet has many resources about productive home fruit and vegetable gardening. For example http://www.zipharvest.com and others. ZipHarvest not only provides wealth of information but also innovative online tools for garden layout and planning. I recommend to check them out.
About The Author
If you have any comments about this article, the author can be contacted at sbrowngo@gmail.com.
Housewarming Gifts For Prosperity And Joy
Moving to a new home is a joyous event and is an important milestone in our lives. Traditionally, the proud new home owner will invite friends and relatives over for a housewarming party, in order to return the hospitality received in the past, and to show off the new house When someone is a first time home owner, he/she may not have much household items. Friends and relatives usually congratulate the home owner with housewarming gifts that may be needed in setting up the new home. In addition, these gifts are often symbols of abundance and good luck, and are intended to bring prosperity and joy to the new home. This article provides some unique yet practical housewarming gift ideas.
1. Housewarming Gift Basket: This colonial house gift box is filled with gourmet snacks and household items that the new home owner can use. The recipients will be delighted to find items range from liquid hand soap, body and hand lotion, sweet smelling potpourri, scented jar candle, ktchen potholder and dish towel, combination screwdriver set, toothbrush and toothpaste kit to a small first aid kit. The recipients will also find gourmet butter toffee pretzels, French vanilla cocoas, caramel popcorn, and hard candy chocolate mints. Your recipients will appreciate your incredible thoughtfulness in sending them just what they need. Alternatively, you can send a Victorian house gift box filled with shortbread cookies, cheddar cheese stick, spinach artichoke dip, cheese twists, caramel filled chocolates, stuffed olives, Parmesan bread crisps and other treats. The gift box also contains an unique gift bag of chocolate mints with Welcome to your Home Sweet Home” message that will clearly deliver your best wishes.
2. Candles: Candles bring light, warmth, good scent and are symbols of light in life. Candles are very affordable, and have many styles and scents to choose from. It is not surprising that candles are popular housewarming gifts. For example, you can deliver the scent of home by sending a willow basket filled with pillar and votive candles with the scent of apple pie, oatmeal cookies, and strawberry potpourri. This gift also includes glass candle holder, glass votive holders and glass candle plates. Another great candle gift for housewarming is a crystal candle holder with ivory colored u
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nscented taper candles. This crystal candle set can be placed on dining room table to create a wonderful atmosphere for special occasions.
3. Breakfast Gift Baskets: Traditional housewarming gift usually includes a loaf of bread to symbolize that no one in the new home will ever go hungry. However, a more elegant gift would be a breakfast gift basket that brings warmth and comfort. You can send a wicker basket packed with moist, rich pound cake, chocolate chip blondies, and brownies with walnuts. Thess scrumptious fresh baked goodies will sure deliver good taste. Alternatively, you can send an unique gift that includes necessary items for the kitchen: a large cutting board, hot pad, kitchen towels. Also included are Buttermilk pancake mix, Vermont Maple syrup, blueberry tea, drink mix and biscotti. Breakfast will be an event that everyone looks forward to in the new home.
4. New Home garden: Plants bring prosperity to a new home. This inexpensive container garden that blooms consists of easy-grow seeds, nutrients, soil in a decorative leak-resistant container that is used for its very own growing pot. The recipient just have to plant, water and let the plant grow in the container it came in. This very unique gift will be an unforgettable new home gift. This gift is great as a moving gift for friends and coworkers, or as a welcoming gift for new neighbors.
5. Gardening Gift: The new home owner will likely be busy in setting up his/her garden. You can send a gardening gift basket filled with needed tools and gourmet treats to make the work for the gardener more enjoyable. One such gift consists of a keepsake woodchip basket filled with a mini wooden bird house, a handy gardening cloth apron that holds matching hand tools (spade, rake and two different weed cutters), a soft foam garden knee pad and cloth floral gloves, a variety of five flowering seed packets for planting, and a mini ceramic garden sign with words of widom from the garden. The recipient can take a break and snack on goodies as chocolate mints, key lime white chocolate cookies, gourmet peanut butter pretzel nuggets, pistachios while she is reading the Blessings for Home and Health paperback book. Alternatively, you can send a gardening gift tote that came with a lovely inspirational book entitled Wisdom from the Garden, she can take time out from her gardening to enjoy the treats inside this tote! She will find lemon shortbread cookies, creamy dill cheese spread, Parmesan sticks, barbeque sliced almonds, lemon tea, mint tea, and lemon sours. She will also find gardening notepad with pen, gardening gloves with rawhide palms, pruning sheers, digging spades, branch snippers, and Spritzer bottle.
6. Congratulations Gift Basket: You can send a congratulations gift basket for the housewarming party. The gift consists of a star embossed metal ice bucket filled with a bottle of sparkling white grape juice, decadent chocolates, cookies, truffles, English almond toffee and more. The silvery ice bucket adds a touch of class to the festivities and can be put to use after the party.
7. Coffee Gift Basket: The ideal housewarming gift for coffee lover is a coffee gift basket. Filled with chocolate chip cookies, chocolate drizzles biscotti, cappuccio caramels, gourmet coffee, a nostalgic coffee mug, chocolate covered almonds, and creamy coffee candies, the hand painted solid wood gift container can be used long after the gourmet treats are gone. This unique gift is a terrific way to send your sincerest wishes.
8. Tea Gift Basket: Similarly, the perfect gift for tea lovers is a tea gift basket. This Zen-inspired collection includes a chai tea sampler, green tea chocolates, delicate biscuits, inspiring ginger sweets and more in a ceramic planter complete with natural river stones. Alternatively, you can send a floral paperboard tea pot filled with goodies, including teapot shaped sugar cookies, a mini honey bear and assorted teas with a wooden honey dipper. Honey represents sweetness in life.
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This thoughtful gift delivers your best wishes to the recipient for a sweet and peaceful life in the new house.
9. Kitchen Essentials: This collection of kitchen items will be a delightful welcome when received. It comes overflowing with gourmet teas, chocolate chip cookies, gourmet white yogurt dipped pretzels, Peanut Delight nut mixture, individually wrapped chocolate truffles, box of milk chocolate caramel hearts, fancy Kernels caramel popcorn all hand packed in a coco basket. Also included is a few fun mini kitchen tools, such as a wooden rolling pin, metal whisk and wooden utensils with a cloth tote bag that holds everything.
In summary, housewarming gifts deliver symbols of a properous and joyful life in the new home. Popular housewarming gifts include housewarming gift basket, candles, breakfast gift baskets, gardening gift, congratulations gift basket, and container garden. These gifts not only provide useful items for the new home owner, but deliver our best wishes for the new home owner.
By: Diana W
Article Directory: http://www.articledashboard.com
Diana W. is the CEO of Gift Basket for All, LLC. You can visit her site by clicking on the link below:
Gift Baskets
Gift Basket for All.com offers gourmet gift basket, anniversary, new baby, birthday, corporate, get well, and sympathy gifts.
For information on products reviewed in this article, click on Housewarming Gifts, and Gardening Gift
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Container gardening & compost?
I'm a newbie to container gardening. My family who has the in-ground type gardens tells me to throw ground up eggshells, coffee grinds, banana peels, etc. as “natural fertilizer” in my containers because they do that in their regular gardens. Considering that container gardening is somewhat different than regular gardening (e.g. soiless media seems better than regular garden soil since there is less disease, weeks, etc.) – is this natural food compost OK for container gardening? Or am I going to breed disease to the vegetables (tomatoes, cucumbers, etc.)
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