Container gardening sneaks up on you. You start with one potted plant and pretty soon the entire patio or balcony is covered in them, looking almost indistinguishable from the adjacent flower bed.
If you have lots of plants in pots, keep them grouped. That way the containers get some protection from drying out and they are easier to water if they are all in one spot.
Over a few summers I tried a couple of different vegetables in containers, and I must say none of them did well at all, maybe because I don’t stick to watering them enough, which during the hottest part of summer means twice a day. If you have your heart set on growing potted vegetables, make sure the container is large enough to support their growth and provide enough nutrients, since vegetables are very heavy feeders. I noticed that even with the best of effort, they fare much better when planted in the garden.
Plants that like dry, exposed sites, like sun loving herbs , verbenas, heleniums, petunias and moss roses, do best in containers without an unreasonable amount of care.
The potting soil should be replaced every spring, but when this is not feasible, as is the case for container grown perennials and trees, make sure to top dress the pots to replace the soil that gets lost with each watering. A regular regimen of fertilizer is essential to keep the plants healthy.
Main Areas: Garden Writing; Sustainable Gardening; Homegrown Harvest
Published Books: “Terra Two”; “Generations”; "The Plant - A Steampunk Story"; "Letters to Lelia"; "Fair"; "Door Number Eight"; "A Year and A Day"; "Möbius' Code"; "Between Mirrors"Career Focus: Author; Consummate Gardener;
Affiliation: All Year Garden; The Weekly Gardener; Francis Rosenfeld's Blog
I started blogging in 2010, to share the joy of growing all things green and the beauty of the garden through the seasons. Two garden blogs were born: allyeargarden.com and theweeklygardener.com, a periodical that followed it one year later. I wanted to assemble an informal compendium of the things I learned from my grandfather, wonderful books, educational websites, and my own experience, in the hope that other people might use it in their own gardening practice.