Plants
How to Grow and Care for the Canary Island Date Palm Tree in Containers
Intro: Canary Island palm trees grow large, up to 60 feet tall with the top foliage spanning 40 feet. But because it is a slow-grower, you can purchase one of these palm trees for several dollars at your local garden shop and grow it for many years in a plant container in your balcony garden. Once it starts getting too large, donate it or sell it to someone who would like to plant it in a yard. Even when young, the Canary Island date palm tree’s leaves spread up and out and take up a lot of space. A Canary Island date palm should be the center of attention on a large balcony without many other container plants. It adds great height to a balcony garden without shading much of the area below it.
How to Grow and Care for Spinach in Containers
Intro: Spinach, the nutritious leafy vegetable that most kids love to hate, is a popular food grown in small-space gardens such as balcony container gardens. This cool-weather crop grows well in plant containers and can provide great taste and healthy nutrients just 40 to 45 days after planting in the kitchen garden. The spinach plant does well in shady balcony gardens and in cooler areas, it is easy to harvest, and it is a beautiful and rich deep green color. What more could a balcony gardener ask for from a vegetable?
How to Grow and Care for Marigolds in Containers
Intro: These beautiful gold, orange, yellow or white flowers (and a mixture of these colors) are often planted in butterfly gardens. They attract butterflies, but ward off other undesireable insects with their pungent odor. Plant these flowering container plants next to your tomato, eggplant, chili pepper and potato plants, as marigolds deter some pest insects that can harm these plants.
How to Grow and Care for Impatiens in Containers
Intro: There are many species in the Impatiens genus, but the varieties that you’ll find at your local garden shop are annual hybrids (some Impatiens species are perrenials). This commonly used flower usually shows up in flowerbeds, but they also look great in windowboxes, plant containers and hanging containers, and will even do well in a shady balcony garden.
How to Grow and Care for Zucchini in Containers
Intro: Zucchini plants are hybrids with cucumbers. Growing zucchini in plant containers in kitchen gardens is easy, and your plants should produce great-tasting fruit quickly. There are a few zucchini varieties, but most are a dark green color. Some zucchini varieties are light green, yellow or orange. Because zucchini plants are large, choose a very large plant container that is at least 2 feet by 2 feet for one plant. If you crowd your zucchini plants, it will negatively affect the yield.
