Tuesday, March 27, 2007

Organic Container Gardening: Healthy plants with a limited amount of space

If you would love to grow healthy, fresh vegetables and
vibrant, beautiful flowers but have limited space, organic
container gardening can be the answer you've been looking
for. This creative type of natural gardening can be done
just about anywhere and it can even be easier than
maintaining a traditional garden plot.

Here are three things to consider for simple organic
container gardening, regardless of the amount of space you
may have.

Start With Organic Soil

It only stands to reason that for any successful venture in
organic container gardening, one would need organic soil. A
regular, outdoor garden begins with the soil or dirt that
you already have and then organic materials are added to
increase nutrients. But you'll be ahead of the game if you
start with organic soil to begin with.

With organic container gardening, you won't have any
sub-soil to help retain water which in turn prevents the
roots from becoming too wet. The best way to correct this
problem is with simple peat moss. Peat moss can either be
used alone or added to your organic soil along with compost
or composted manure and the result is an excellent soil
mixture for organic container gardening.

Use Plain or Creative Containers

Put your imagination to the test as just about anything
that will hold soil and water can be used for organic
container gardening. While some gardeners prefer to take
the natural route and use pots made from clay or wood, you
are really only limited by your own resourcefulness.

Although, pots and containers that won't fall apart when
they get wet and that will also drain properly work best
for organic container gardening. If needed, you could
always drill holes into the bottom of the container and
then add about an inch or so of gravel to aid with
drainage. Also, a few layers of torn newspaper or leaf mold
atop the gravel will help retain water just enough to keep
the soil moist as well.

Plant Your Crop

With the use of organic container gardening, you can plant
the same plants and vegetables that you would in any other
garden such as tomatoes, peppers, beans or herbs. The key
is using containers appropriate in size to what you are
planting. For instance, zucchini plants will need the same
amount of room in the container as they do out in the
garden, so be sure to have something that will allow the
plant room to grow healthily.

Organic seeds and plants will work best with organic
container gardening, and you will also find that you'll
rarely have a problem with most garden pests while using
this particular method. It's much easier to keep pests at
bay and keep an eye on leaves and stems with organic
container gardening rather than with a large, regular
garden. Ladybugs will still help with insect infestation
and diatomaceous earth can still be used to deter slugs
from destroying your plants.

Basically, the same practices you would apply to
traditional gardening can be used with organic container
gardening. And anywhere you may have a sheltered area that
receives enough light; you can enjoy the fruits, or
vegetables, of organic container gardening all year long.


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Janet is the publisher of
http://www.easyorganicgardeningtips.com
where you can find advice, tips, and recommendations for
your organic gardening needs.