Container gardening and its tools

Pots and tubs brimming with flowers are highly attractive. Aren’t they? Container gardening is an art. Practiced since ages, it is also an efficient way of utilizing minimal spaces for growing herbs, flowers, and vegetables. It makes the garden look attractive and comes with numerous benefits like:

1. Eyesores can be hidden with the help of containers
2. Ground is not needed for gardening
3. Plant display can be improved drastically
4. Plants that do not suit the garden soil can be grown
5. Tender plants can be grown outdoors
6. Pest damage can be avoided considerably

The places optimum for container gardening are:

1. Front door and porch
2. Balcony and rooftop
3. Patio
4. Pathway and steps
5. Pond
6. Window sill

Vegetables like green onions, beans, lettuce, summer squash, spinach and radishes can be grown in the containers at home. The container gardens can be ornamental too. The size of the container primarily depends on the type of plants that are to be grown. For instance a herb garden grows well in six- to ten-inch pots while tomatoes and peppers need a three- to a five-gallon container. The best part of container gardens is that they can be moved to gain sufficient sunlight. Experts recommend that lightweight and soilless growing mix should be used specifically for container gardening. The soilless potting mixes hold nutrients better.
As distinct is the form of gardening, so are the container gardening tools. These are the scaled-down versions of efficient garden tools. Below is the list of instruments for container gardening:
Hand Cultivator: A hand cultivator helps to control the weeds. There are numerous types of hand cultivators in the market. One type has three prongs. The pickaxe kind has one single-pointed end and a double point on the other end. Choose whatever type you like best.

Trowel: A trowel is an excellent gardening tool. It helps in keeping the hands clean and for efficiently filling containers, transplanting, dividing clumps of plants, and leveling the soil.

 
Hand hoe: It has a shorter handle and a smaller blade than a regular garden hoe.

Watering equipment: Use an appropriate watering equipment and avoid the gushing onslaught of water. It helps the water to reach the less accessible corners of the container garden.

Pruner: Pruners when compared to scissors allow for a neat cut, keeping the container plant healthy. These gardening tools are considered extremely for snipping thick stems, that cannot be cut using any other equipment.

String (or yarn) and sticks. String and sticks extend support to the plants in containers. For example tomato plants, trellises and various young trees require external support to grow straight.Dark green or brown color sticks can be used for the same.

Select the most efficient gardening tools and employ them to create a versatile and colourful garden space.
(Reference - Gardening in the Zone with Iowa Gardening Magazine’s Liz Gilman)