subject: Gardening On A Small Scale Offers Big Benefits [print this page] Backyard gardening is increasing in popularity each year. Many homeowners who never in the past considered gardening are now taking up spades, shovels, and watering cans in order to reap the benefits that go hand in hand with growing and maintaining a garden. Gardening is not only a way to create something beautiful for people and animals to enjoy, it is a practical way to provide the family with fresh and nutritionally superior produce. Gardening also offers many health benefits that include improved flexibility, increased strength and stamina, and decreased stress.
Gardening without a Backyard
If you live in an apartment, condo, or other small space, though, you may feel that gardening is not a possibility. How can gardening be accomplished when there is no backyard in which to plant? Even people who live in the smallest of spaces can still enjoy the advantages that come with gardening because it can be done on a smaller scale. Container gardening allows you to design and grow beautiful landscapes in miniature that can be easily maintained on a balcony, next to a sunny window, or in a window box.
How to Choose Your Garden Planters
Choosing the right garden planters for your container garden depends on how much space you have available. First, consider the size of the area where the garden planters will be located. Then, decide which shape would work best -- rectangle, square, or circle. What material do you want to use -- clay, metal, natural wood, or sturdy resin? Be sure that the garden planters you decide to use are safe for growing edible plants, if that is your goal.
Planning Your Miniature Garden
Once you have selected your garden planters, decide what you would like to grow in your new garden. Containers can support a wide range of plants, including flowers, vines, grasses, small shrubs, vegetables, and herbs. Not all plants like to live in containers, though, so be sure to choose varieties that will be suitable container plants. Combining different plants in a container is a creative way to add visual interest: choose plants of varying textures, sizes, and colors to give your container the feel of a "bouquet." Be sure to choose plants with the same or similar lighting and watering requirements to ensure proper care for all of the plants.
Living in a small space doesn't mean that you can't enjoy the benefits of growing and tending a garden. In fact, container gardening provides some added benefits that traditional gardening cannot offer. Small scale gardening using garden planters costs less and requires less upkeep than larger outdoor gardens, so not only can you enjoy the health benefits of gardening, you can also enjoy saving time and money in the process.
