Spring Gardening Tips for Small Spaces

Spring is here!  Read on for some great spring gardening tips. It's time to open the windows and let in the fresh air before summer forces us to close our windows and turn on the air conditioning.  Take advantage of perfect spring weather by planting a spring time container garden right outside your doors and windows to add beauty, fragrance, and organic health to your daily living.   Whether you live in an apartment with a small deck or in a house with a small backyard, container gardening is perfect for small spaces.  Read on to learn more about starting your very own container garden this spring. 

Choosing containers

Containers should be large enough to support at least one adult plant and have drainage holes at the bottom.  You'll want to  choose containers that add to the beauty of your landscape design.  Containers can serve as dividers, focal points, and also create privacy.  Let the containers speak for you.  If you're all about reusing and recycling, poke some holes in an old tupperware, butter, or sour cream container.  If your style is classic, choose elegant containers with classy designs. If you're more of a fun, outgoing kind of person, choose containers with bright colors that accent your outdoor decor. 

Spring gardening tips - What to plant

While one plant per container will bring you the best results for your spring garden, you can also mix and match your plants in larger containers to add more depth and texture to your landscape design.  You'll want to choose plants that enjoy the same conditions, such as the same amount of water and sunlight.

Flowers

A spring time garden isn't a true garden without some spring time flowers!  Pansies are a great choice for your spring garden because they enjoy the cooler weather that spring still holds.  Other flowers that also love spring time weather and thrive in containers are miniature daffodils, snapdragons, and ranunculus. 

Edibles

Some of the easiest plants to grow in your spring container garden are herbs and vegetables such as cucumbers and tomatoes.  Place your herb and vegetable containers in a sunny spot.  What's so convenient about container gardens is the ease at which they can be moved from windows, balconies, patios and doorsteps for the right amount of sunlight. 

Spring gardening tips - Caring for your plants

Container plants have a limited amount of soil so it's important not to over water.  Even if the top layer of soil is dry, your plants still may not need to be watered.  To check if a plant needs watering, gently press your thumb about two inches into the soil.  If it's moist, don't water.  If it's dry, water the plant before wilting occurs.

It's also important to fertilize your plants as they lose some of their nutrients during watering.  Consider a slow-release fertilizer that is water soluble.  This means that when the fertilizer comes into contact with water, it will emit small amounts of fertilizer into the soil.  Therefore, every time you water your plants, they're also getting fed much needed nutrients. 

A spring time garden is a pleasant addition to any outdoor landscape design.  So if you have limited space or simply want to have an easily reachable herb garden right outside your door. container gardening is a fun, flexible way to grow a garden this spring.

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