Gardeners in Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan, and Iowa have a wonderful chance to appreciate species that are not appropriate for permanent beds by engaging in container gardening. Tender and tropical plants may be grown as annuals in pots or brought inside for the winter. You may plant more effectively in a limited area by using containers.
Why Container Gardening?
For many reasons, gardening in containers is a fantastic option. You may use containers to augment a big garden. Use them to spruce up non-soil surfaces like a patio or deck.
Container gardening allows you to cultivate more plants if your yard is small. Pots enable you to produce flowers or even a small amount of veggies, even if you just have a patio or balcony. 0 out of 1 min. 47 sec. 0% volume
Finally, Midwest container gardening is a fantastic way to grow plants that do not fare well in our four-season climate. As annuals or perennials you bring inside for the winter, grow tropical plants and delicate perennials in containers.
Plant Selection for a Container Garden
The sky is the limit for a container garden in the Midwest. Because you can move a container around, you have the opportunity to cultivate tropical plants, little shrubs or fruit trees, and plants with different sunshine requirements. Here are some suggestions for plants that grow well in pots and will thrive in summer in the Midwest:
Annual flowers
You may use pots with any annual flowering plants you discover at the gardening store. These are warm-climate or tropical plants that can only be seen growing outside in the summer in the Midwest. Try marigolds, geraniums, zinnias, calibrachoa, impatiens, begonias, petunias, marigolds, zinnias, and dahlias.
Tropical foliage beauties may be found among all the annual blooms. Be on the lookout for, to mention a few, caladium, elephant’s ear, sweet potato vine, bloodleaf, croton, and tropical ferns in all their many color variants.
Ornamental grasses
Grasses provide a container of diverse materials with a spectacular touch. Plant them in the center and, for contrast, surround them with vibrant flowers. Try papyrus, blue oat grass, red or purple fountain grass, and colorful broad-leaf sedges.
Herbs
Grow herbs for proper and fragrant containers. Almost all herbs thrive in containers. You may even bring them indoors to keep them going over the winter.
Vegetables
If you make the right choice, you can produce veggies in containers. Melons and other vine-growing plants should be avoided since they become too big. To limit growth, pick determinate tomato types. When buying certain veggies that grow nicely in pots, look for bush-type kinds. In general, they are simple to grow in containers:
- Beets
- Broccoli
- Bush beans
- Cabbage
- Cauliflower
- Eggplant
- Leaf lettuce
- Onions
- Peppers
- Radishes
- Spinach
- Tomatoes
Tips for Wisconsin, Michigan, Minnesota, and Iowa Container Gardeners
Plants planted in containers have the same requirements as plants in beds, but their care is different. Consider the following advice for the best outcomes:
Select the proper container.
The container should typically be the same size as the plant. Some plants, however, want more room, while others like being root-bound. Do research.
Apply potting soil. Put top-notch soil made especially for potted plants in the pots. They contain nutrients, are lightweight, and drain easily.
Take care watering.
Follow the instructions for the particular plant, but generally, make sure the container drains effectively and the soil is consistently moist but not soaking wet. Remember that soil in containers dries up quicker than dirt in beds. Watering potted plants more often is necessary.
Regularly fertilize plants in pots.
More nutrients are removed from the soil by frequent irrigation than in beds.
Know your frost dates.
Be careful of the typical first and final frosts of the year if you want to move pots indoors for the winter. Your delicate plants may not make it through a freeze. Additionally, keep an eye on the weather if your location may get an early or late frost.
