Container Gardens

Container Gardens

Tire gardens at Soil for Life

Container gardening is the process of growing a crop outside of ground soil, usually in a movable container. Creating a container garden is moderately simple and costs little; the ‘container’ can be an open-air carton of almost any kind with proper drainage. The container should not be made from a material that might rot, deteriorate, release harmful substances or lose too much water.

Some things that have to be considered when creating container gardens are; shape, size and color of the container, as well as an appropriate combination of plants. The size and number of plants to be grown will determine the size of the container used and vegetables with deep roots require deep pots. Light-colored containers are preferred in hot climates because they reduce heat absorption and prevent uneven root growth. There are some plants that grow very well together and complement each other and there are plant that should not be planted together at all (see companion planting chart).

The growing medium can be made by mixing sand, soil and compost or potting soil can be purchased. The last component is the seeds/seedlings; there are some plants that should be planted as seedlings and others which should be directly seeded. Most container gardens need at least five hours of direct sunlight a day, but there are some plants that can tolerate more shade (GardenGuides.com, 2009).

Watering needs are dependent on the container, in an open container: plants lose moisture faster. One must pay particular attention to watering container plants, because the volumes of soil are relatively small and the containers can dry out very quickly. Daily or even twice daily watering may be necessary: water should be applied until it runs out the drainage holes.

Container Gardens Our Team Planted

In Monwabisi Park, the soil used for planting in container gardens can be a combination of Monwabisi Park’s ground soil and compost, making it mineral-rich for the ease of growing a variety of vegetables. The seeds and/or seedlings are typically not costly and can produce vegetables reasonably quickly, under the correct conditions. The option of using recycled materials for containers is convenient because many items that residents may have at their personal disposal or that can be found littering their community can be converted into a reasonable garden apparatus. The most convenient containers for Monwabisi Park are tires because there are several tire dumps in the area.

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