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Think you can't have a garden because you have no yard, little space or poor soil? This guide to container gardening will show you how to grow beautiful flowers and luscious fruits and vegetables almost anywhere.

1-Reason to Use Containers for Your Garden

Lack of space in your yard.
Perfect for persons with handicaps.
The containers become part of your landscape.

Containers can be moved to shelter during harsh weather.
They require less work than a traditional garden.

2-Where to Use Container Gardens

If you have an empty space, you have room for a container garden. Just be sure to consider the needs of the plants you choose. Each plant has its own need for water, sunlight or shade. You can even have a water pond with water lilies, horsetail rush and papyrus in a container.

Home or office
Rooftops and balconies,
Decks and patios
Porches, stoops and steps
Walls and fences
Yards, gardens

3-Variety of Containers

Let your imagination run wild when choosing your containers. Be sure the container has adequate drainage holes and try to raise the container from surfaces other than soil. Bricks, pot feet designed for this purpose or a plant caddy with wheels all work well. Here are some traditional and some not so traditional ideas for containers.

Window boxes and hanging fence planters
Ceramic, plastic and terracotta pots
Half barrels and wire baskets
Decorative baskets and bushel baskets
Strawberry pots for strawberries, hen & chicks or herbs
Hanging baskets and Topsy Turvy Pots
Wheel barrows and a child's wagon
Antique bathtub and old boots
Wooden boxes and cement or stone urns

4-Planting the Container

Spray porous containers with a non-toxic sealer to conserve water.
Cover the bottom of container with pot-shards or small rocks to keep soil from falling out.
If the container will hold a climbing plant, place a support in the container now.
Add soil consisting of one third each of vermiculite, compost and peat moss.
Fill the container, place plants in the soil and fill in around them with more soil.
Add a layer of mulch and water well.

5-What to Plant in a Container Garden
Almost any thing you want to grow will do well in a container once its needs for water, food, sun or shade are met. Come up with a color scheme you like or just plant your favorites. Mix and match flowers, veggies, herbs and trees for an interesting look.

A good rule for planting is to plant something tall, something bushy and something that trails in most of your containers. This allows you to make excellent use of all the space

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