Millions and millions of households are home to a container garden of some sort. Whether you own a simple houseplant or you have a porch full of fruit bearing vegetable plants, you are reaping the benefits of a container garden. Container gardens are beneficial to different people for different reasons. Just a few of these benefits of having a container garden are explained in the following paragraphs:
Cost Effective
Growing your own plants, whether they are flowers or vegetable plants, from seeds can be a very cost effective choice. A package of seeds can be purchased for a fraction of what it would cost to buy as many flowers or vegetables that you could grow on your own. Farming is one of the oldest trades, and for good reason. Those who are able to grow their own food stand to benefit financially when compared to those who pay retail for their fruits and vegetables.
Fresh Fruits and Vegetables
With the growing popularity of organic fruits and vegetables, there are even more reasons why growing your own fruits and vegetables in a container garden is beneficial. When you grow your own fruits and vegetables, you can know exactly what is being used, or not being used, to fertilize the food that you are growing. Additionally, you cut out the middle man when it comes to purchasing your garden goods and get to benefit from the freshness of food that you can only find when you pick your food right off of the vine.
Gardening as a Hobby
Gardening is actually the most popular hobby in the United States. This is for many reasons. Some people enjoy the satisfaction that can be felt after having nurtured a plant from a tiny seed and seeing it grow into a mature plant. Others find it relaxing to spend time pruning plants, transferring plants to larger containers, weeding and performing the other tasks necessary for a healthy garden. Some people garden because it provides them with an opportunity to grow their own food and thereby feel more self-sufficient. Whatever your reason is for wanting to have a container garden, know that there are millions of other people who share your same interest.
Decoration and Scent
With a container garden you have the opportunity of bringing the outdoors in. Container gardens are the perfect way of bringing the green colors and fresh smells of summer indoors during the colder months. Houseplants, also considered a member of the container garden family, are great decorative accents to any home. By bringing potted vegetable plants, such as herbs, indoors you can also benefit from fresh produce during what would normally be the off-season. Having a container garden is a great way of preserving the advantages of having a garden all year long.
Education Opportunity
Container gardening also offers a great opportunity to teach children a number of important lessons. Children learn the value of hard work, patience and the importance of caring for a plant if it is to grow. The science of plant growth can also be taught. Dozens of lessons on the process of plant growth, photosynthesis for example, can be introduced to children and they can see firsthand what plants need to grow and what will happen if they do not get the proper sunlight, water and soil nutrients. Children can also feel the satisfaction that comes with nurturing a plant for as long as it takes to benefit from the fruits and vegetables that it produces. Otherwise picky eaters may be more likely to eat nutritious foods if those foods come from plants that they were responsible for growing.