By Jennifer Poindexter
If you ’re new to gardening , you might be turn over develop a container garden or a raised bed garden . This is a expectant option if you ’re trying to rise your acquisition or are low-toned on quad .
However , one of the biggest hiccups to container and lift layer garden is overcrowding your planters . There are many great ideas around the Internet on how to interplant craw in containers or raise beds .
Yet , if you do n’t have a tumid enough produce area to support your plants , it could do more harm than unspoilt . Here ’s what you should consider when constitute in containers or raise beds :
Quick Tip: Be Mindful of How Many Plants Per Container
mature crops in container or raised beds is great when learning fresh gardening acquirement , when you ’re low on space , or if you require a manner to garden which is less physically demanding .
Here are a few things to look at :
1. Container Size
This is a generalization , but in many cases you may mature three plant in a 12 - in container . If you ’re utilizing a 16 - inch container , there ’s typically way for four plants .
If you ’re growing in a larger container ( such as a 20 - inch ) , there ’s usually elbow room for approximately six plants .
You may be able-bodied to fit more plants if they ’re smaller and less if you ’re uprise all larger plants . When produce unlike potpourri of plants together in a container , taste to pick out options of vary sizes to debar them competing for place .
2. Raised Bed Size
I have araised layer gardenand one of the biggest challenge is avoiding over planting in this area .
A oecumenical ruler of quarter round when planting in raised layer is that a square foot can support approximately one dozen pocket-size plants such as lettuce .
If you ’re growing medium - sized flower or crops , a solid ft may support up to four flora . When growing larger flora , such as pepper and tomatoes , growingone per square footis best .
This should insure your plants have ample growing room which deters weak plants and take with pestilence and diseases .
3. Growing Vertically
When growing in a raised bed or container garden , consider way togrow industrial plant vertically . This allows for growing room in a diminished region .
One thing I wish to do when maturate in containers or raised bottom is sum up a treillage . I typically use cattle panels . This allows vining flora to grow up and over .
In turn , I can institute something smaller ( such as lettuce or sweet basil ) in the bottom of the uprise space which wo n’t be smothered by the vining or enceinte plant . Add more backup for vining and bigger plant to free up grow space beneath them .
4. Less Is Best
One hard lesson I ’ve larn is in containers and call down seam garden , growing fewer industrial plant is by and large good .
The grounds is if you supply the necessary mature space and wish each plant needs , it should produce more copiously .
It ’s good to produce fewer plants which are more productive than cram too many plants into a smaller growing distance and receive more headache and less harvesting .
These are a few things you should look at when growing a container or elicit bed garden . Though it ’s beguiling to fill your gardens with a variety of lush plants , conceive the amount of grow infinite you have to work with .
invalidate the enticement of overcrowding your space and only plant what the area can reasonably support . From there , provide passable attention for your plants and give them every grounds to expand .
More About Container Gardening
https://mgsantaclara.ucanr.edu/garden-help/container-gardening/
https://content.ces.ncsu.edu/extension-gardener-handbook/18-plants-grown-in-containers
https://extension.psu.edu/the-art-of-container-gardening
