The Weekend Gardening Bug

Container gardening stats are up; flower bed plantings are down. That was the news yesterday from a Ball Publishing bulletin. Numbers and stats are so much fun. Everyone always try to figure out what the numbers mean and before you know it, the stats change again. Here is Annie’s quick list of why container gardening may work for you.

If you read yesterday’s blog post, ‘The Lettuce Banditos’ http://blog.bilowzassociates.com/2010/06/lettuce-banditos.html you’ll quickly find out that with containers versus plant beds, there is more control over nasty insects and slithering bugs. Although I do get pretty charged up when I see worms in the soil, you know it is quite different when I spot slugs. I planted two big pots of escarole and when I last checked, nothing was eating them. So, for battling the insects, troughs, containers and pots are an easy way to control those buggers that can ruin our flowers and veggies.

Let’s not forget weed control, which may also play into the increase of container gardening. Most folks like the beauty of the garden without all the headaches. There is tons of bending and weeding involved with plant beds. I do believe ‘real’ gardeners love to weed and get their hands in the soil. I confess. I am one of those crazy weed-a-holics. If there is any love-hate relationship in a gardener’s life, it is weeding. Although meditative, when the heat kicks in and an out of control weed fest occurs, surely container gardening becomes much more appealing even to us die-hards.

Another reason containers sales could be up is that pots are much more manageable and can be used in tight spaces. If you use small enough containers, you can move them from place to place without the woes of transplanting. Are you handy with a dolly? This is the best purchase to make if you want to plant containers. This life-saving device is not just for loading docks. This tool becomes invaluable when that flash 50 lb. ceramic pot is more suitable in the front yard then the back terrace. It also works well for the early-bird winter flight from the yard to the garage or the greenhouse.

The planting choices are endless for containers. Aesthetically, each individual pot can add structure and color to a garden. For me, I love it all! Give me containers, a greenhouse, flower beds and more soil than I can handle because there is nothing more satisfying than digging your hands in the dirt and finding a fat and slithery happy worm. That’s what I would miss if I went strictly containers and the meditative weeding that can only be found in the plant beds.

As always, we end with the inspirational thought for the day. Lewis Gannit captures it best for those who love to play in the dirt. “Gardening is a kind of disease. It infects you, you cannot escape it. When you go visiting, your eyes rove about the garden; you interrupt the serious cocktail drinking because of an irresistible impulse to get up and pull a weed.” Enjoy the weekend and if you drop your drink, impulsively tugging a weed from your neighbor’s garden, take one aspirin, drink plenty of fluids and rest. It’s the gardening bug!

You can’t fit that in a container!

Photo by Greg Bilowz