Container Gardening

On Thursday April 10th I attended the Container Gardening at the Oshtemo Public Library.  The presentation started at 3 and unfortunately I had to leave at 3:30 because I had to work at 4.  However, in those 30 minutes I did learn a lot of new information.  The woman who did the presentation was named Linda and she does a lot of work through MSU and she is also the coordinator of the master garden program in Kalamazoo.  She began the presentation by asking people if they had any questions that way she could see if she would address them in the presentation or not.  Next, she talked about Ornamental edible containers.  The key to a good edible container is that you have to grow something you like.  If you don't like the fruit or vegetable then you might not take care of the plant.  Also, what ever edible you decide to grow you need to figure out how much space and light it needs.  You can grow edibles in very little space if needed as long a they have enough sunlight and water.  Many of the edibles need a minimum of 6 hours of sunlight.  Edible plants need an inch of water a week.  When you plant an edible you should think about this.. is their water easily accessible.  You don't want to have an edible container in a spot far away from water because then you will have to deal with carrying the water a long ways or messing with a tangled hose.  Some negatives of edible containers is that they might get too much water or not enough water.  Too much water will cause rot, mold, mildew, and death to the plant.  Not enough water could cause arrest to the plant and stresses it out.  With containers you also need to make sure they have an escape route for water.  A rain barrel is a good idea for plants too!  Check this out   .