Real Gardeners Don’t Plant in Pots...Do They?

When I first started gardening I considered pots to be the domain of the non-gardener. What came to mind were lone pots of geraniums placed on steps outside of otherwise barren landscapes. It was the least amount of effort and a small attempt to brighten up the summer that generally failed miserably. Real gardeners didn’t bother with pots I thought. They planted things in the ground and worked their magic to make them grow. That was the true mark of a “real” gardener. I now know that real gardeners are smart and plant in pots, too.

I spent years planting annuals in the heavy clay soil that is typical of my region. I would till peat into the soil, add slow release fertilizer, mulch and water, water, water. Sometimes I would get great results but more often than not, I was disappointed. My plants didn’t get big enough, they didn’t bloom enough, or quite simply, they died.

My first foray into container gardening was an unusual one. I had a bed on the north side of the house that was almost complete shade and tended toward the damp side. I planted it with impatiens, pansies and tuberous begonias. The impatiens and the pansies did great. The begonias, not so much. The soggy conditions the impatiens and pansies thrived in gave my begonias stem rot. The plants never flourished and consequently were overpowered by the very happy impatiens. I liked the way the design looked when the plants actually grew right so the next year, determined to get those begonias to grow, I bought two big plastic pots. I thought if the ground was too wet then I had to give them different ground. I buried the pots leaving only about 4 to 6 inches above ground level. I do have to admit that I filled the pots with the dirt I dug from around the pots. That was before I learned the importance of good soil. Still, I have to say the pots were a success. The soil in the pots remained dryer since it was separated from the rest of the bed which was subject to rain runoff from the house. The begonias thrived in the dryer conditions and because the level of the pot was higher than the ground, it gave height and dimension to what was otherwise a pretty but flat garden

It was then I realized just how versatile and productive container gardening can be. I now almost exclusively plant my annuals in containers for best results. I leave the heavy clay soil to the perennials which are better suited to those conditions.

There are many good reasons that container gardening is an attractive option. First and foremost, you can control soil conditions. Annuals grow much better, bigger and faster in good potting soil than they will in our clay soil. And when you have a short growing season like we do here in Minnesota, that’s important. Also on the short season note, you can start early! Generally here in the middle of Minnesota it’s not safe to plant annuals in the ground until Memorial Weekend, as a general rule. That’s pretty late in the season if you ask me as I start to get eager to play in the dirt around March. I do manage to hold off to the beginning of May for my pots though. If there is threat of frost as there often is here in May, I can just bring the pots in for the night.

Container gardening can be done in any amount of space so whether you live in an apartment or a house, you can have beautiful plants. Containers can be grouped together for a big effect or they can add height and interest to an otherwise flat bed. Pots can liven up dark spots and fill in dead spots where nothing else will grow. They are also portable so if something isn’t thriving in a particular spot it can be easily moved. And last, almost anything can be grown in a pot, including fruits and vegetables.

Container gardening adds a whole other dimension to traditional gardening and the two compliment each other nicely. In the coming weeks I’ll share some how-to’s of container gardening, different way to use containers in the overall gardening scheme, container designs and some of my favorite flowers for containers.