If you love to have a garden, but have no space, don't worry as gardening is not necessarily out of the question. If you can fine a little space in your house say the balcony, patio, deck, or sunny window, you can create a container garden. This will not only bring you joy but also vegetables. So, are you ready to start container gardening yourself?
In the past, gardening is an exclusive pastime of the landowner. Now, however, even the flat dweller can grow his dream garden without fuss. One's dream may be fulfilled by container gardening, that is gardening within a special container. Container gardening provides a delightful landscape without the labor of mowing the grass weekly. In the container, you could grow some perennials, annuals, and even shrubs and small trees.
Nevertheless, do not assume that container gardening is easy. Container gardening requires proper planning just like traditional gardening. Planning consists of finding your plant hardiness zones, also known as climate zones or growing zones. (this will help to identify the suitable plant variety of your zone) and amount of daylight you are receiving in your apartment. There should be lots of plant variety you can choose within each zone .
It is better to buy the plants from nearest nursery, but if you have the right growing conditions you can try indoor seedlings. You should not keep the tender plants of container gardening outside below 10°C temperature or through out the night in the outside to get frost it out. However, I have stayed in Shanghai where temperatures can be much lower in winter. Moreover you should not leave the new plants out under very strong wind. In Djakarta for example, your condominium block may tower above all the low rise buildings in your area and such soaring winds could arise.
There is a false myth among amateur gardeners — plants that grow in the ground will not grow in the container garden. This is not so. If you doubt this, please try it out. Next, any container with holes for drainage can be used for your container garden.
Container gardening requires a small outlay in the beginning. But the best satisfaction is that it does not require much to maintain it either. Container gardening requires just a little fertilizer and water. Check exactly for the specific needs of your chosen plant.
You can also grow vegetables in a pot. Here, the vegetable plant requires only sunlight and water. Providing these two elements will easily help you put fresh vegetables on your table for salad. Can you imagine the looks on your guests' faces if you serve salad nurtured by your own hands in your balcony?
Don't despair — if you're do not have a balcony or deck? Get permission from your landlord to install a window box, This is modern container gardening. It is highly possible to grow many blooming perennials and indoor vegetables in your sunny window. There is another type of garden called community gardens, which will satisfy the city dwellers.
If you are in Shanghai, there is no need to end your container gardening for winter. Just select plants that can withstand the frost. The common plant varieties that stand up to the frost are Eulalia grasses, Mexican feather grass, Cornflowers, Lavender cottons, Jasmine, Million bells, Stonecrops, etc.,
In order to extend the life of your garden from early spring to fall, you can replant to match the conditions. There are many professional gardeners online that can help you to design your container garden. They offer suggestions such as caring and choosing for pots, how to grow tips for succulents, roses, and bulbs, in containers.