books

It's high time I tell you about all the container research I've been doing.

For Christmas I asked my family for some books on container gardening. My parents, avid gardeners for as long as I can remember, came through with some books from their personal collection (pardon amazon's wonderful cover images):

The first, Small & Container Gardening, is more a coffee table book (3 lbs and hardcover) than anything, with lovely photographs that are great for design and planning ideas. The book is divided roughly in half between small garden gardening and container gardening. The big plus on this book is its flower container designs. I'm not doing many flowers this year, but I do plan on having a prairie-themed pot with various grasses and flowers. I remember having purple coneflower, etc. in the garden when I was a kid, and many of the flowers I will have are bee and butterfly attractors, which can't hurt in a city with fewer pollinators.

The second, Gardening in Containers from Ortho Books, is a much lighter-weight reference that's heavier on actual logistics. Lots of good stuff here about fertilizing, watering, soils, and general care. Also, because it is aimed specifically at containers, it addresses a number of the different issues unique to location (rooftop and wind, balcony and light access, decks and heat). It also has a great section toward the end with brief descriptions of various plants with information about hardiness, size, etc. However, like the first book, this one spends a good chunk of time talking about garden design. All things considered, I don't mind the design sections, especially when they are paired with really good nitty gritty info.


The last of the three, Sunset's Container Gardening, is largely a pared-down rehash of the previous two books. Not much new here (how many times can the authors of these books recommend using an old boot as a whimsical planter?), and a lot less text. The book displays really stunning photographs of gardens, that unfortunately, will probably bear little resemblance to my deck. I am much more concerned with a productive, healthy garden than with color complements and echo effects. This book isn't bad, it just felt like a lot of the same information presented in a not-that-different format.

Together, these three books got me thinking and planning, but their authors have a different aim than I have for my garden. I probably will not spend a lot of time swapping out decorative plants through the spring, summer, and fall. Although I hadn't really considered planting more than one plant in each container (and I may end up doing one or two that way), I am not too concerned with looks. These books' emphasis on flowers and visual appeal comes at the expense of attention to edibles. The most I get is a few pages on the wonders of kitchen herb gardens and a bit about fruit trees, but very little is mentioned about other fruits and vegetables. So, I asked the internet.

Users on amazon.com came through for me again, recommending McGee & Stuckey's Bountiful Container. Despite it's cheesy-sounding title, this book is a goldmine of information about container edibles; I can't say enough good things about it. No photos here, just a number of illustrations, and a whole lot of text. The book is about a third planning, care, and maintenance, and the rest is a vegetable-by-vegetable (and fruit, herb, and edible flower) reference.

The logistical stuff covers everything you need to know as a newbie, including things not covered in the other books: necessary tools, realistic planning and expectations, detailed soil composition information, DIY and inexpensive containers (with no mention of the stupid boot)... everything. The meat of the book, the reference section, covers almost every edible you could conceivably grow in a container, with a proper dose of sass: "You know you can't grow a full-size jack-o'-lantern in your containers; don't even try," but they will also tell you about miniature and dwarf varieties that will thrive in containers. Most importantly, the reference section gives really valuable information about required depth (probably the biggest issue I've had with containers), and points you toward varieties that are easy to care for, and productive, in pots. The authors of the book certainly are concerned about visual appeal, but their information is well-suited to my gardening philosophy: use whatever ugly containers you can find for free, and hope that you get some good food out of the whole thing.