How to Choose Plants for Your Container Garden

Most people think that a container garden is strictly for edible plants and have never considered putting flowering plants or house plants in containers. Although it is classified differently, it is basically the same thing. There are a wide variety of vegetables and herbs which can be grown in a container garden and even a few fruits as well.

Herbs are the main type of edible plants which are grown in containers. This is because of their hardiness. Vegetables are number two on the list of plants chosen for growing in containers. Fruits arent usually grown in containers because most people think it would be very hard to grow them in this manner.

However, strawberries are grown with extreme ease in containers of all types. Strawberries are a very hardy fruit and can even be grown in grow bags which can be hung from outside walls. This is a very pleasing sight for visitors to see when they come to visit. They are also a nice addition to the outdoor container garden with their bright red fruit.

Dwarf fruit trees are very easy to grow in larger pots. If kept well-pruned, they grow very nicely in larger pots as long as they receive the right amount of sunlight. Some of these also make nice indoor plants as well. The dwarf berry bushes grow well in containers, although they are very hard to move because of their weight. Dwarf blueberries and raspberries are also easy to grow in containers and give off a colorful display in your garden.

Most popular to be grown in containers are herbs. Parsley is one of the most common herbs to be grown in containers. Basil and chives are also very popular for container gardening. Almost any herb can be grown successfully in containers.

The secret to growing herbs in containers is finding a large enough container for what you are growing. Most herbs only need a relatively small container. Chives, parsley and basil can be grown easily in small pots.

Sage, however, gets to be pretty large since it is a bush. This requires a much bigger pot. Oregano gets to be a pretty large plant as well and it too will need a bigger container. Although it is actually a fruit, tomatoes remain the most popular for container gardens.

In fact, tomatoes are grown heavily by container gardeners. This is not only because quality tomatoes are hard to find but have you checked the prices in the stores lately for tomatoes? The quality of store bought tomatoes is low because they are picked green and then artificially ripened when they get to the store. This way they survive the often bruising and brutal trip to the market. They also have a longer shelf life this way as well.

Most vegetables are easy to grow in containers if you take proper care of them. These are usually started from seed and then transplanted to larger pots later on. If you start your plants indoors, they will do well but can be damaged when you thin them out. A lot of people prefer starting them from seeds so that they can observe the complete life cycle and it is satisfying when you see those first leaves start to peek through the soil. This concludes this article on choosing plants for your container garden.