Selecting Healthy Plants for Your Organic Container Garden

Many people find it easier to start off their organic container garden with seedlings, not seeds. Plants cost a good deal of money so you want to know how to select healthy plants to take home from the store. So please keep reading for some valuable container gardening ideas.

You can have all the container garden resources at your fingertips, but if you don’t know the proper method for selecting plants, it could be hard for you to produce a good crop of vegetables.

It is easy to see if a nursery has healthy plants just by walking around and taking a look. Signs of dying plants is an indication they don’t take care of their plants, so walk away and head for another nursery.

Greenery

Are the leaves green enough? And are they shiny and lush? If not, that plant may be stressed and not recover. Good foliage is the first thing you should check before purchasing

Insects and Damaged Leaves

Just because you don’t see the insects doesn’t mean they have not already damaged the plant. On the underside of the plant you may feel some stickiness, or see black spots.

Buds/Flowered Plants

Many times you will find plants, especially tomato plants, that already have blooms on them. These are fine to buy, however sometimes the plants that have the buds on them make it through the transplanting better.

Stem Problems

Look for cracks, scars, and places that appear to be soft or weak on the stem.

Root Inspection

Many plants can be removed from the container, and if so, look closely at the roots. Make sure the roots are not all balled up so tight they won’t be able to spread once transplanted.

Plants that have weeds in them are sharing the nutrients with the plant, and this means the nursery doesn’t take good care of them as well.

Paying attention to where the store has placed the plants will help you know which plants need the most sun. If the plant you want is located in the sun, you can almost rest assured you need to do the same when you get it home. It is good to double check your facts concerning plant placement, but the nursery will give you some great hints.

Ask a nursery worker any questions about plants you are unsure of because most of them are very knowledgeable. Explain how and what you want to do with your container garden and use all the resources they can give you.

Before purchasing your plants find out if the store has any kind of warranty on them. Many of these guarantees are for a good long while. Plants are an investment of money and time, so knowing what is covered could save you some money on replacement plants. Knowing your plants will insure you have a fantastic organic or container garden.

Would you like to discover the joys of organic and container gardening? Or are you looking to improve your existing container garden? Then please visit Small Organic Gardens (http://www.smallorgainicgardens.com) for a wealth of information, articles, videos on how to pick healthy plants for your container garden plus heaps more….