Selecting a Good Garden Pot
What is the proper container gardening size for a 20 inch pot? It depends on many things. Here are some things to consider:
For a four inch pot, you will need 3 cups of potting soil; six inch pot, a half-pound package of bone meal, and a half-pound package of rock salt. All these ingredients can be found at a gardening store. If you do not have a pet, you might want to use a few pounds of the chicken bone meal for the last third of a cup.
Now that you know the amount of food needed for your plants, it is time to determine the proper container gardening size. A four inch pot is the perfect amount for seed starting plants. A half pound of bone meal and half a pound of rock salt should be used for a six inch pot. For a ten inch pot, you would need three cups of bone meal, and one quart of rock salt. For a 16 inch pot, you would need two cups of bone meal, and one quart of rock salt.
You can use any type of containers that are appropriate for your plants. However, you should use the same type of containers that you will use for your seedlings. I would stay away from the “fake rocks” that some people use for their seedling beds. I have had bad experiences with these fake rocks, and they do not hold up to the weather well. You might think that you are getting a really good container, but in reality, these rocks never get clean, and they can hold water and moisture from your soil for years, if not decades.
I prefer using a large Terra cotta pot, but the smaller ones work fine. If you are going to use Thunderhead potting soil, then go ahead and use whatever you have on hand. Some people like to use the same type of potting soil for all of their plants, and use the larger Terra cotta pot for each plant. I think that this would be a better idea if you plan to replant at least once in your life.
I always start my seeds indoors in small containers so that I do not have to deal with transplanting them when they are too big. When I get an abundance of healthy plants, I will transplant all of them into one large 20 gallon pot. Then I will have plenty of room to grow more plants. The biggest problem is that sometimes I over-water the small containers, and I cannot always make sure that my soil mixture in the larger container is the same as what I have in the smaller one.
Some people like to add some liquid fertilizer to their 4 inch potting soil mix at about a half pound per acre. The best combination to use is dry quarts of topsoil in a container with water. Make sure you water the soil thoroughly, but don’t drown it. Add one tablespoon of a liquid fertilizer to every twenty-four hours, and keep your plants well watered until they start to flower.
Now you should be ready to plant your transplants. Just plant them in two separate containers, and you should be able to see them in about three weeks. Be careful that you do not plant them too close together, or you may have to replant them after they bloom. Use a good quality potting soil mix and you should be successful in growing a beautiful and healthy garden.
If you are trying to grow a larger garden, like me, then you will need more than twenty-four inches in pot size. You should start out by finding some good books on seed starting for larger gardens. If you are going to use a seed starting kit, I would suggest going with the bigger sizes, like a thirty or forty quart bag. These kits come with everything that you will need to get started, and there is rarely any waste from them because they are so big. If you are going to go with just seed starting plants, you may want to look into buying a good quality starter soil mix at your local garden center, as these may be available in different compartments and bags, and there are often enough packets to feed a whole group of gardeners.
For many gardeners, having their own pot becomes a necessity. It provides convenience and allows you to take your plants with you where ever you go. Having a good quality pot also allows you to do more than fill it with dirt and start your plants growing. There are certain plants that require more light than others, and if your garden is small, you may need more light than you think.
There are many different types of pots, with one size being most popular. It is best to find what you like and then build your garden around this. If you are looking to have a container garden, a small pot works great for this. If you are looking for an ornamental garden, then the traditional square or rectangular pot will work. Just keep in mind the size of the container, as well as how much water you are going to need to fill the pot, and you are all set!