Garden AnywhereGrowing Ornamentals & Edibles in

Containers

Dara Ballow-Giffen

College of

Agriculture and Natural Resources

Summary Slide

1. Benefits of container gardening

2. Plant selection

3. Container selection

4. Planting

5. Resources

Benefits of Container Gardening

• Flexible location – patio, porch, balcony, driveway, rooftop

• Better control over growing conditions – water, sun, nutrients

• Fewer animal issues

• Keep edibles near kitchen

• Inexpensive to get started

• Start earlier

• Less physically demanding – no digging/tilling, can be elevated

What’s YOUR Goal?

• Add visual interest to garden or hardscape

Bliss Garden Design (houzz.com)

HomeStratosphere.com

What’s Your Goal?

• Add visual interest to garden or hardscape

• Take advantage of patio, porch, rooftop space

Robin Ritterhoff

What’s Your Goal?

• Add visual interest to garden or hardscape

• Take advantage of patio, porch, rooftop space

• Remove favored plants from critters

Craig Lewis/USFWS

WikipediaWikipedia

What’s Your Goal?

• Add visual interest to garden or hardscape

• Take advantage of patio, porch, rooftop space

• Remove favored plants from critters

• Grow kitchen garden near the kitchen

SuitePlants.com

What’s Your Goal?

• Add visual interest to garden or hardscape

• Take advantage of patio, porch, rooftop space

• Remove favored plants from critters

• Grow kitchen garden near the kitchen

• Overwinter plants inside

hgtv.com

Plant Selection

Edibles

• Select container or dwarf varieties

• Sweet potatoes are great hanging option

Images from Culinary Institute of America

Robin Ritterhoff

Plant Selection

Edibles

• Select container or dwarf varieties

• Sweet potatoes are great hanging option

Combine plants with similar light & water reqs

Succulents!

Change plants seasonally

AskWetAndForget.com

Plant Selection

– Spring

• Ornamental: pansy, ranunculus, snapdragons

• Edible: greens, peas, onions, sweet potatoes

hub.suttons.co.uk longfield-gardens.com Mississippi State Extension

JudysCottageGarden.com OweCraft.com

Plant Selection

– Summer

• Ornamental: daisies, coreopsis, marigolds, beebalm

• Edible: tomatoes, peppers, herbs

ProvenWinners.comKarensGardenAdventures.com

SongSparrow.com

Plant Selection

– Fall

• Ornamental: anemone, chrysanthemum, evergreens

• Edible: greens, kale, crucifers, carrots

AmericanMeadows.com AVSO.orgAVSO.org AVSO.org

Sunset

Phormium + Echeveria + Heucherella

Container Selection

1. Size

2. Location

3. Material

4. Drainage

How BIG should the container be?

1-3 gallonsherbs

green onions

radishes

chard

pepper

dwarf tomato

dwarf cucumber

4-5 gallonsfull-size tomato*

cucumbers

eggplant

beans

peas

cabbage

broccoli*Full size tomatoes best in larger pot

Location Location Location

– How much for what you want to grow?

• Full Sun: min 6 hrs, many veg 8+ hrs

• Part Sun: 3-6 hrs

– Mobile

• Moving inside for winter?

– Hanging

Which pot?Material Pros Cons

Terracotta AttractiveVariety of stylesAffordable

Dries out quicklyBreakableHeavy

Plastic & Fiberglass Retains waterAffordableLight weight

Not always durable (select outdoor)Can blow overDark colors heat roots

Metal AttractiveDurable

ExpensiveHeavyRetain heat

Wood AttractiveAffordableInsulatesNot as porous as clay

Rots over timeBe aware of treated wood if growing edibles

Repurposed Materials Creative & Interesting Depends on material

Robin Ritterhoff

Which pot?Material Pros Cons

Terracotta AttractiveVariety of stylesAffordable

Dries out quicklyBreakableHeavy

Plastic & Fiberglass Retains waterAffordableLight weight

Not always durable (select outdoor)Can blow overDark colors heat roots

Metal AttractiveDurable

ExpensiveHeavyRetain heat

Wood AttractiveAffordableInsulatesNot as porous as clay

Rots over timeBe aware of treated wood if growing edibles

Repurposed Materials Creative & Interesting Depends on material

interiorfoliage.com

Which pot?Material Pros Cons

Terracotta AttractiveVariety of stylesAffordable

Dries out quicklyBreakableHeavy

Plastic & Fiberglass Retains waterAffordableLight weight

Not always durable (select outdoor)Can blow overDark colors heat roots

Metal AttractiveDurable

ExpensiveHeavyRetain heat

Wood AttractiveAffordableInsulatesNot as porous as clay

Rots over timeBe aware of treated wood if growing edibles

Repurposed Materials Creative & Interesting Depends on material

PotteryBarn.com

Which pot?Material Pros Cons

Terracotta AttractiveVariety of stylesAffordable

Dries out quicklyBreakableHeavy

Plastic & Fiberglass Retains waterAffordableLight weight

Not always durable (select outdoor)Can blow overDark colors heat roots

Metal AttractiveDurable

ExpensiveHeavyRetain heat

Wood AttractiveAffordableInsulatesNot as porous as clay

Rots over timeBe aware of treated wood if growing edibles

Repurposed Materials Creative & Interesting Depends on material

EdenEdibleGardens.blogspot.com

Which pot?Material Pros Cons

Terracotta AttractiveVariety of stylesAffordable

Dries out quicklyBreakableHeavy

Plastic & Fiberglass Retains waterAffordableLight weight

Not always durable (select outdoor)Can blow overDark colors heat roots

Metal AttractiveDurable

ExpensiveHeavyRetain heat

Wood AttractiveAffordableInsulatesNot as porous as clay

Rots over timeBe aware of treated wood if growing edibles

Repurposed Materials Creative & Interesting Depends on material

DIYNetwork.com

thecottagemarket.com

thecottagemarket.com

Let It Drain

– Prevent root rot

– Allow nutrient salts to flush

– Elevate on hard surfaces

– Sitting water in saucers > mosquitos

– Non draining containers

– Easy season changes

– Contain aggressive growers

– Combine plants with different water needs

– Fill large planter with upside down pot

Get Planting

1. Prepare the container– Sterilize 1 part bleach to 9 parts water

– Add drainage holes

– Use potting soil. NOT top soil.

2. Watering– Containers dry out more quickly than in-ground

gardens

– Water until excess comes out of bottom

– Water more if: lots of sun, hot weather, lots of wind, small container, porous container

– Other options: Self watering containers, drip irrigation

3. Feed– Frequency depends on plants. Edible or aggressive

growth require more food.

– Options:

• Mix slow release into soil when plant (2-4 mo)

• Soluble fertilizer

• Organic fertilizers

– Worm castings or Kelp can be top dressed

– Other organic meals can be incorporated before planting

FOLLOW INSTRUCTIONS. MORE IS NOT BETTER!

3. Integrated Pest Management

***Right plant in the right place***

– Monitor

– Tolerate some damage

– Look at undersides of leaves

– Cultural vs Pest problems

– Determine threshold for damage

– Least toxic control first

FOLLOW INSTRUCTIONS FOR PESTICIDES

Make it pretty

Combine tall + filler + hanging (thriller, filler, spiller)

Combine shapes, textures, sizes

OR

Combine shapes, textures, sizes

Odd numbers of plants

BigBadFlower.com

GildedBloom.com

HomeStratosphere.com

Robin Ritterhoff

Robin Ritterhoff

ResourcesIdeas: Pinterest, houzz

Gardening:

Grow It! Eat It!

http://www.extension.umd.edu/growit

Backyard food gardening tips and info

Home and Garden Information Center

http://www.extension.umd.edu/hgic

Factsheets, photos, and videos

Subscribe to the free monthly e-newsletter.

Ask gardening questions 24/7 - “Ask Maryland’s Garden Experts”

Maryland Master Gardener Program

http://www.extension.umd.edu/mg

Become a trained MG volunteer!

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