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0 of 3 Premium Clicks used this month SUBSCRIBE Print + Online Subscriber Activation | Register x Forgot Password | Need an Account? e-edition | subscribe | newsletter | deals Classifieds Jobs Autos Real Estate FEATURED » NEWS NOW Emergency services, Oct. 16 ... Since You Asked: Park resurfacing delayed during winter ... SOU training gives tips on what to do if there's an active shooter ... Emergency services, Oct. 16 ... Since You Asked: Park resurfacing delayed during winter ... SOU training gives tips on what to do if there's an active shooter ... Paul Rogers: Enjoy convenience of container gardening Comment By Paul Rogers More Content Now MailTribune.com By Paul Rogers More Content Now Posted Apr. 20, 2015 at 9:41 AM By Paul Rogers More Content Now Posted Apr. 20, 2015 at 9:41 AM » Social News Why are you more likely this year to see plants growing in containers? Quite simply, it is because more homeowners have discovered the utility, versatility and practicality of using container gardening to enrich their lives. You have no time to fuss over a garden: Plant cacti and succulents in a container for a no weeding, only weekly watering and monthly (or less) feeding. You have no yard location or soil area that can be used for planting: Place containers on steps, in window boxes or use hanging pots. You would like an herb garden, but have no room: Herbs can be cultured (and harvested from) a single pot on the kitchen windowsill, from a grouping of herbs in containers on a sunny patio or from a pot hanging in a convenient location. Container gardening allows you to garden when limits restrict your options. In ancient Rome, its citizens (first-time city dwellers) invented window box gardening. In Babylon, its hanging gardens were the world’s first wall and roof gardens. In Athens, pots were planted with herbs to honor their deities. All peoples through time have grown plants in containers. It would seem that 2015 is the time for us. What type of container? Anything that holds soil is suitable, the larger the better. What kind of soil? Use a formulated growing medium like Pro-Mix, Fafard-Mix or Metro-Mix. The medium contains a balanced mix of peat moss for water retention, perlite for drainage, a dash of lime to balance the acidity of the peat moss and a dollop of measured-release fertilizer to feed the plants initially. What plants will grow in containers? Actually, you can grow a wider variety of plants in containers than you could in your landscape! Winter tender plants (figs, for example) can be positioned out-of-doors from early summer until late autumn then moved indoors into a frost-free location for a winter rest. Dwarf blueberry bushes, dwarf apple trees and grapevines can be fruited on the deck or patio for amusement and harvest. Your gardening activities can entertain both pot gardening and in-ground growing. In a 12-inch or more pot, plant a single Patio, Sweet Million (cherry type) or Juliet tomato, under-planted with green or purple basil for an attractive and practical first fruit of the season harvest. Tumbling Tom tomato will provide an amazing crop when grown in a hanging pot, window box or single pot. Sweet Baby Girl tomato offers pop-in-the-mouth fruit from a small pot positioned on a patio table. Your main crop of tomatoes grown in the ground will follow by some weeks those stimulated by being placed in containers. If you have the time and interest, enjoy the best of container and traditional gardening. When you add (or replace) yard gardening with container gardening, a lack of interest will be your only excuse to not have great fun and good eating. Remember that you will face no digging, no weeding, no bending or stooping, reduced visits from four-footed uninvited pests, and experience the ultimate in convenient gardening. Paul Rogers is a correspondent for The Worcester (Mass.) Telegram & Gazette. By Paul Rogers More Content Now MailTribune.com By Paul Rogers More Content Now Posted Apr. 20, 2015 at 9:41 AM » Comment or view comments Reader Reaction » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Southern Oregon Directory Featured Businesses Loading... 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