- Getting your Supplies Together
You will need some containers for planting in, you may use just about anything you want to as long as it is not toxic, holds soil yet has holes for releasing extra water. You can use the containers you buy at the store, or you can recycle things from home. These things may include butter bowls, empty paint containers that you have thoroughly washed clean, empty coffee cans as well as other containers you think will work well for containing plants and soil.
Pick up a pack of coffee filters. These we will use in the bottom of containers to keep the soil inside the container while allowing the water to easy drain. Using coffee filters in the bottom of your containers with holes really do work and the perk of using them is that your water drainage will not carry away your soil and will not be so messy.
You will also need soil. I have tried using Miracle Grow soil, thinking that it would cut down on some of the need for fertilizer; however, it seems to me that when I use this soil, that my plants suffer more from aphids. So use your own judgment for the soil you use. After I realized this occurrence, I decided just to use the generic brands of store bought soil or just the good rich soil outside.
You will need a bucket or two of sandy soils, generally the best you can find around here are near the creek beds. There is actually a creek here with sand that the farmers call live sand. Therefore, you may want to ask around of others if they have found a live sand bed at any of the creeks in your location. Feed & Seed stores and other gardening enthusiasts may just know your answer for this one. On the other hand, you can simply buy sand when you buy your soil in the gardening center near you, such as Wal-Mart.
If you have the leanings towards other gardening goodies, you may want to consider other plant growing resources, according to your budget. You may want to consider various gardening supplies according to the type of plants you wish to grow in containers as well as in the yard or garden.
However, you need to keep in mind that all plants are different, they each have specific needs and requirements to flourish and grow. Some plants prefer peat moss and various other items. However, many plants simply need soil, water and sunlight to suit their needs of growth. This means that you can get many types of plants to grow by simply using soil, water and sunlight. Heck there are some plants you can throw out the backdoor, they will do their best to keep living, and before you know it, you have something growing already.
While container gardening on a budget, you can go simple by just getting the basics, however it is always a pleasure to be able to include other gardening supplies. Of course, it is always nice to be able to work at a potting bench as well, since this keeps everything handy and is the right height for working comfortably.
You will also need a good pair of gardening gloves, a trowel and shovel or at least an old tablespoon.
We will cover the remainder of this easy DIY container gardening project in Part 3
© 2009 Sara Valor
Easy DIY Container Gardening - Part 1
Easy DIY Container Gardening - Part 3
