Growing annuals in containers takes a little more care than growing the annuals in the ground. Here in South Dakota, most of our days have wind that blows and this quickly dries out the soil.
Choosing the Plants
Choose the annual plants that you would like to grow in your container garden. What I like to do is group them in two ways. Put the sun loving annual flowers in one location and the shade loving plants in another location. When you have them separated, you can decide whether you want to plant them by size, color or variety. Divide your choices further by grouping plants that have the same moisture preference. Also, take into account whether the plants do well in windy conditions, or if they need protection.
Choose the Container
Now that you have your plants, you need to choose a container. It is important to make sure that the container has drainage holes at the bottom. This will allow the excess water to drain out of the container. Make sure you choose a sturdy container. Most often, you can choose a plastic pot. They are more economical to buy, come in a variety of colors, shapes and sizes. Clay pots are a good choice. They provide excellent drainage and since they are porous, they allow air to move through the pot. One disadvantage to clay pots is that they dry out faster than the plastic ones. They are also quite a bit heavier than the plastic ones. Half whiskey barrels are quite popular. They are big and can hold several plants. The soil tends to stay moist longer. If you choose the whiskey barrel, make sure there are drainage holes at the bottom. If the wooden containers don’t have drainage holes, you can always bore three to four ¾-inch diameter holes in the bottom with your drill. We have an old electric water heater that was cut in half and holes drilled into the bottom for drainage. This is one of the older style water heaters, and they are very heavy. One is placed in front of the gas tank and the other is by the swing set.
Prepare the Container for Your Annuals
Move the container to the area where you want the annuals located. Pots can become heavy when filled with soil and plants. By putting the pot or container in the area before you fill them, they will be easier to move.
Fill the container with potting soil. You can purchase a bag of potting soil, but we usually have our own compost and mix our own soil. This is easily done by mixing equal amounts of soil, compost and perlite together.
Fill the Container with Annuals
When you plant the annuals into the containers, they are often spaced close together. You can use twice as many plants in a container than you can when planting in the ground. If the planter is going to be visible from all sides, put the taller flowers in the middle. Next stick the shorter plants next and the trailing ones around the outside rim. However, if the planter is visible from only one side, place the taller flowers toward the back. Plant the annuals the same depth they were growing in the cell packs.
Caring for the Container Annuals
When plants are growing in containers, water them daily. Stick your finger into the soil to the first joint. If the soil is moist, then don’t water. If the soil feels dry then it is time to give them a good drink.
Last, don’t forget to fertilize the annuals. You can apply a soluble fertilizer weekly at one-fourth the recommended monthly rate. If your fertilizer label states to mix 1 tablespoon of fertilizer to one gallon of water every month, then cut the amount down to ¼ tablespoon per gallon of water. Remember to remove spent blooms and dried leaves. This will promote continuous blooms form your annuals.
