Healthy soil is the cornerstone of organic gardening. Container gardening gives you the opportunity to quickly build a healthy soil environment for your plants. With the right potting soil and amendments you can forego chemical pesticides and synthetic fertilizers.

Potting soil does not contain soil. It contains a mix of composted materials such as tree bark and minerals, peat moss, vermiculite and perlite, sand and limestone. It is, more accurately, a potting mix. It anchors your plant and provides storage for water and fertilizer, but the mix itself does not provide nutrients. It is, however, the first step in building a healthy soil.

Choose a potting mix that is fresh, bagged less than a year. Make sure the bag is sealed. Potting mix dries out after long exposure to air and will no longer retain moisture. The mix you use should be designed for the type of plants you intend to grow.

Some manufacturers include fertilizer in their potting mixes. Most of these are synthetic fertilizers. To keep your container garden organic, add an organic fertilizer separately.

Adding your own compost to potting mix is an excellent way to practice organic fertilizing for container gardening. Do not add too much to the mix, however. Your compost is likely to be quite effective in quantity for an in-ground garden, but containers are like microenvironments; too much fertilizer of any kind may burn the plant's roots.

Add a small quantity of compost to your potting mix to start your plant. For subsequent fertilizing, make compost tea and use sparingly. Remember to add the fertilizer around the edge of the container. This allows the roots to absorb it a bit at a time, thereby reducing the risk of root burn.

Before potting your plant, clean the container thoroughly with mild soap and rinse thoroughly. This will reduce the chances of your soil environment developing a fungus.

Should you see signs of fungus in one of your containers, try using a basic soapy solution to wash the plants. Spray with a light spray from your hose. If the fungus persists, use a commercial, organic spray.

To help control pests, use companion planting in your container garden. Within the container plant two or three plants together. For example, plant garlic or chives with your roses to help ward off aphids. Marigolds can be added to almost any container to help control a wide range of pests.

Grouping your containers close together can make for a lovely display, but because you are not spraying pesticides over your plants, you need to provide some distance between containers.

Pests will happily jump from one plant to the next and fungi can spread quickly. Keep some distance between your containers so avoid giving pests and fungi a quick commute between your plants. You'll be better able to monitor your plants as well if the containers do not stand so close together.

Starting with a plant appropriate potting mix and a natural fertilizer will build healthy soil. Starting with a clean container reduces the chances of fungi infections. Employing companion planting will help control pests. Following these simple practices will allow you to raise your plants organically in your container garden.

Learn more about this author, Shelly Mcrae.
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