Container Gardening

Container gardening offers a wealth of possiblities for gardening with kids. For a start, containers can be used inside and out, can be a child's own 'private' gardening space, be used for water gardens, or imaginary miniature gardens. But there are many more benefits to growing plants in pots, for both young and old.

Gardening in containers itself takes a lot of the hard work out of providing good growing environments for different plants: weeding and digging are unnecessary which in turn means that your child is less likely to get bored by the more tedious jobs usually associated with gardening!

Also, growing plants in pots or tubs means that you are not restricted to only those plants which thrive in the type of soil you happen to have in your garden, but gives you a much wider selection of possible plants. And it's okay to experiment - after all, if it turns out to be a complete disaster, you can move the pot or just replant it!

A further benefit is that you are better able to display plants at different levels, adding a little structure and height to an otherwise flat display - and keeping more delicate plants higher up and out of the reach of younger children! On the other hand, container gardening can also be used to create special little places for children. A bench can easily be surrounded by potted plants to hide it away, or climbing plants such as clematis or honeysuckle grown in containers to create a shaded corner on the balcony over a playmat.

With gardens in the UK generally getting smaller, and more people living in flats or apartments, container gardening is gaining more and more followers - and rightly so!

watering can

However, container gardens do have some drawbacks. The plants will need watering more frequently than ground-grown plants, and will also benefit from additional fertiliser on a regular basis.

Over the years we have experimented with loads of different container gardens, both indoors and outdoors, and there are just so many possibilities, the mind boggles!

I love growing herbs for the kitchen in containers just outside the kitchen door. My son loves more exotic plants, like banana trees and carnivorous plants, while we both like growing vegetables and have grown quite a number of different vegetables in containers both inside and out. Then there are flowers: spring bulbs in tubs on the balcony, miniature roses in pots in the lounge, and geraniums for the window boxes.

The type of container used can be as formal or as informal as one likes. Besides the obvious plant pots, window boxes, and strawberry planters, why not use some creativity and old junk hanging around? We had a spider plant live successfully in an old cracked teapot for years, are growing potatoes in tires, and make our own planters out of old scraps of wood, painted to match each other. Check out the different types of gardening containers for a better idea of the pros and cons of each type.

For children, a container garden can be so much more than just a plant in a pot though. A whole garden can be recreated in an old aquarium, a jungle in a large glass jar, or a desert scene in a tray ... the best and most exciting ideas come from the children themselves - our job is simply to provide the materials needed and guide them in creating a new world out of their imagination!