If you have limited time or space, nursery pots gardening is an appealing alternative to growing plants in the ground. You can grow a garden in pots, baskets, boxes, or barrels on your patio, balcony, deck, or porch. There are numerous benefits, such as being able to control the soil composition, move the pots around to take advantage of the weather, draw attention to a unique plant, and change the overall appearance of your space. I have plenty of ground space to garden, but I prefer to use containers to make bold statements and highlight seasonal changes. They are striking additions to any outdoor space.
Nursery pots can be made from plastic, terra cotta clay, metal, wood, fiberglass, and concrete. Buckets, milk jugs, ice cream containers, bushel baskets (lined with perforated plastic), barrels, dishpans, or trash cans can also be used to grow vegetables. If you’re going to use a flower pot, make sure you like it. Choose a color that complements the flowers you intend to plant in it. All plant nursery pots must be clean and non-toxic, with at least one drainage hole. The size varies, but most plants need at least six to eight inches to grow properly. For me, pots that hold at least two gallons of soil work best. Keep in mind that small pots tend to dry out quickly and blow over. Large containers can be quite heavy, so consider transporting them with dollys or plant caddies (platforms with wheels.) Water stains on your concrete patio or wooden deck can be avoided by using self-watering containers or placing plastic saucers under your pots. Elevating your planters allows the drainage holes to work properly.
Plant-friendly growing mixes provide essential plant nutrients, retain adequate moisture, and allow excess water to drain. There are two types of growing media: those that contain soil and those that do not. Never use garden soil on its own because it may contain too much clay. Clay absorbs moisture and prevents air from reaching the roots when wet. Garden soil may also contain insects, weed seeds, or diseases. For vegetables, you can use high-quality packaged potting soil from your local garden center. Soilless mixes are typically too light for vegetables, so mix them with 25% soil. To make my own growing medium, I combine one part peat moss, one part garden loam, and one part perlite.
Most annual vegetables, with the exception of sweet corn, which requires multiple plants for adequate pollination, can be grown in nursery pots. Furthermore, vining crops like squash, pumpkins, and melons necessitate more space. Some new cultivars, such as bush-type squash, cucumbers, and melons, grow as compact bushes rather than sprawling vines and are therefore suitable for containers. When selecting tomatoes, look for determinate cultivars that reach a specific height. Indeterminate tomatoes grow to be extremely tall. Here are some examples of vegetables, container sizes, and spacing: In a half-gallon container, plant beets two to three inches apart, and Swiss chard or lettuce four to six inches apart. Plant one cherry tomato in a one-gallon container. Bush beans should be planted two to three inches apart in two-gallon containers, and bell peppers should be planted one per container. In five-gallon containers, space cabbage 12 to 18 inches apart and cucumbers 14 to 18 inches apart. Plant one eggplant, one summer squash, or one tomato in a five-gallon container.