Container Gardening

  1. Home
  2. Home & Garden
  3. Container Gardening

Gallery of Container Garden Pictures

container gardening picture of container garden of sunflowers

Anyone can make a great container garden. From simple to elaborate, the possibilities are limitless. Looking at pictures is a great way to get ideas for plant combinations, color schemes and interesting containers.

More on Container Gardening

Container Gardening Spotlight10

Kerry's Container Gardening Blog

Vegetable Container Gardening

Thursday July 9, 2009
container gardening picture of hot peppers
Hot Peppers
Photo © Kerry Michaels

In many places there is still time to plant some vegetable container gardens. Since the critters ate all of my eggplants, I'm going to get some more seedlings and pot them up. I also love growing hot peppers, which are not only beautiful, a lot of them last well into fall. I haven't planted any yet, so I'll do it now.

If you are just getting started with vegetable container gardening, check out Vegetable Container Gardening 101.

Would love to hear what people are growing in their container gardens. You can either leave a comment below, or join the discussion in the container gardening forum.

Follow me on Twitter

Sign up for weekly container gardening pictures and news

Great Container Plant - Dinner Plate Dahlia, 'Bonaventura'

Wednesday July 8, 2009

Wordless Wednesday Container Garden Pictures

container gardening picture of a dinner plate dahlia, 'Bonaventura'
Dinner Plate Dahlia, 'Bonaventura'
Photo © Kerry Michaels

Late Tomato Blight Could be a Big Problem for Container Gardeners

Monday July 6, 2009

It's not too often that there is breaking news about tomatoes, but unfortunately this week there is, and the news is bad. Late tomato blight, a serious and deadly plant disease, has hit the East Coast and has also been found in Ohio, West Virginia and Alabama.

Though not a direct danger to humans, the spores from this disease can spread rapidly to both tomatoes and potatoes, and is the same pathogen that caused the Irish potato famine.

The plants that have caused this alarm have been found at many "big box" stores. And though they have now been removed from the shelves, people who bought their tomato seedlings at Home Depot, Lowes, Kmart and Walmart, should be on the lookout for the symptoms of blight.

The Upsides and Downsides of Upside Down Tomatoes

Monday July 6, 2009
container gardening picture of Revolution Upside Down Tomato Planter from Gardeners Supply
Revolution Upside Down Tomato Planter From Gardeners Supply
Photo © Kerry Michaels

I have now put up two upside-down tomato container gardens and I would say my reviews so far are mixed. One I made from a Home Depot bucket, and the other is called the "Revolution," which I got from Gardeners Supply. They were both a little tricky to plant - think of stuffing a robust little tomato plant through a small hole - but the hardest thing was hanging them.

These babies are heavy. When soil is fully moist, the upside down tomato planters can weigh 50 pounds. I had two shepherds hooks, and I figured if I put them next to each other, it would increase the stability. Not so much. As soon as I hung my first upside down tomato, the post started list. My strategy was to hang the other upside down tomato bucket on the other hook. Bad idea. My husband was mowing the lawn, so I stood there yelling for help (and swearing) because I had to hold the pole, or both tomatoes were doomed. My dog thought I had lost my mind, which I kind of had.

Luckily a kind neighbor, hearing my cries of tomato distress, came over and helped me take down my upside down tomatoes. Then the question was, where to put them without either squashing the tomatoes, or dumping out soil. Fortunately I had two large, empty containers nearby, so I could rest the upside down tomato containers on the edges. So beware - if you have to take down an upside down tomato planter - before you do, figure out where you're going to put it.

If you are contemplating planting upside down tomatoes, here are some tips and more of the upsides and downside of upside down tomatoes.

If you want to make your own upside down tomato bucket, here are step by step instructions.

Discuss

Community Forum

Explore Container Gardening

About.com Special Features

Green Your Clean

Rid your home of grime and harsh chemicals by cleaning with these natural items. More >

Basic Cleaning Supplies

Every home is different, but this basic cleaning supply list is a good starting point. More >

Container Gardening

  1. Home
  2. Home & Garden
  3. Container Gardening

©2009 About.com, a part of The New York Times Company.

All rights reserved.