Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
light that filters in over a couple of days and judge whether it will be an ideal location for
what your containers will need.
Pollination.
Some plants require pollination or cross-pollination to thrive. While these are
usually your fruit-bearing trees, some bushes also require it. Moving them indoors takes
this necessity away from them.
Glass.
Moving a garden indoors might protect it from the climate and offer it substantial
sunlight, but you also have to keep in mind that glass can heat things up in a hurry. Place
your hand next to a window or door on a hot summer day and feel the radiant heat it
produces. While the temperature of the room might be comfortable, the radiant heat can
quickly dry out plants more than you might have anticipated.
But being outside doesn't necessarily eliminate this threat. Heat can be reflected off a num-
ber of surfaces including siding, glass, rooftops (if you are using the rooftop to house your
containers), concrete sidewalks, wooden decks and even the water in a pool. If a surface is
so bright that it is hard to look at in direct sun, you can almost be positive it is producing
radiant heat.
Outside- Pros:
The biggest advantage to growing container gardens outside is freedom. Freedom from
having to worry about your plants not getting enough sun, freedom from the consequences
of over-watering and runoff, freedom from residue left behind on floors from containers,
etc.
Growing outside also allows you to take advantage of rainfall and other precipitation, such
as dew. If you are really a “green-thinking” person and catch rainwater in a rain barrel, it
makes watering your plants much easier if they are close by.
Being outside also allows proper pollination. Having several varieties of a plant means the
plants can be cross-pollinated, making the plant happier and giving you a greater bounty of
food. You will want to check ahead of time to see if cross-pollination is important to the
particular plants that you will be growing.
Outside- Cons:
