Container garden

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Container garden on front porch

Container gardening is the practice of growing plants exclusively in containers or "pots", instead of planting them in the ground. In some cases, this method of growing is used for ornamental purposes. This method is also useful in areas where the soil is unsuitable for the plant or crop in question. Limited growing space can also make this option appealing to the gardener.

Many types of plants are suitable for the container, including decorative flowers, herbs, vegetables, and small trees. There are many advantages to growing plants in containers, namely:

Less risk of soil-borne disease
Virtually eliminate weed problems
Mobile plants gives more control over moisture, sunlight & temperature

Containers range from simple plastic pots, teacups to complex automatic-watering irrigation systems. This flexibility in design is another reason container gardening is popular with growers. They can be found on porches, front steps, and in urban locations, on rooftops.

This large container garden is used for testing plants intended for use in containers

[edit] Repotting

Repotting is the action of placing an already potted plant into a larger or smaller pot. A pot that fits a plant's root system better is normally used. Plants are usually repotted according to the size of their root system. Most plants need to be repotted every few years, because they become "pot-bound" or "root-bound."