Container gardening can be a lot of fun. The possibilities are endless-- you can grow anything from vegetables to ornamentals to tropical plants to bonsais. Chances are, if you're reading this, you already have an interest in gardening, so I will devote most of my efforts to showing you the benefits of container gardening (as opposed to traditional gardening).
The first few reasons specifically pertain to vegetable gardening:
- It’s economical. There are few expenses in gardening, especially in traditional gardening; seeds or young plants are the only things you have to buy. In container gardening, you need to buy potting soil in addition to seeds. Containers that have holes punched in the bottom can serve as flowerpots if you don’t want to buy them, and fertilizer can be made through various composting methods. Your harvest will only cost what you spent on seeds and/or potting soil, making it much more inexpensive than grocery shopping.
- You control the fertilizers and pesticides. If you want to ensure that the food you eat is organic, you have the means to do so through gardening. I'll address this topic in greater detail in future posts.
- You can choose varieties that are non-GMO. Many seed companies label their non-GMO or organic seeds. Such companies include Seed Savers Exchange, My Patriot Supply, and Trade Winds Fruit, among others.
Here are the reasons why I think you should particularly consider container gardening:
- Your plant choices are not limited by your hardiness zone. With container gardening, if you want to grow a pineapple in Alaska, you can. You can grow lettuce in January-- whatever you want.
- There is no weeding involved. Enough said.
- Some plants can help purify the air. Spider plants, aloe vera, English ivy, snake plants, and others purify the air because they produce oxygen and clear airborne toxins such as formaldehyde, trichloroethylene, and benzene.
- Plants can be used for aesthetic purposes. Many plants are beautiful and can be integrated into the interior design of your home.
- Larger pests, such as deer or rabbits, are a non-issue. Unless they’re in your house.
- It can be therapeutic. A whole field of study called horticulture therapy is dedicated to researching the therapeutic possibilities of plants and gardens. If you would like to learn more about horticulture therapy, click here and here. I hope to address this topic more in a later post.
- You don't need a backyard to container garden.
Of course, there are potential drawbacks to container gardening:
- It’s a commitment. Regular watering is necessary with container gardening, especially if you keep your plants inside. If you travel a lot, you may need to ask someone to water your plants for you or invest in an automatic watering system.
- You are limited by space. You can only have as many plants as will fit in your house, balcony, or porch.
- Some plants aren’t practical to grow indoors. Such plants include corn, pumpkins and other large vining plants, and potatoes.
I'm sure there are many other reasons why container gardening is a great idea-- this list is certainly not an exhaustive one. It's a start, though.
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