Container Gardening

If you’ve ever wanted to grow your own food but felt strapped for space and sunlight, container gardening could be a great option for you. In most aspects, it’s the same as gardening right in the ground, but you’ll need to think creatively and consider a few extra things to ensure success.

Hot pepper and young hardy citrus.

Tips and Ideas

Sunlight
Look for pools of sunlight in your yard, flowerbeds, patio, or deck. Use these spaces to place pots and planters that can hold veggies. Remember that varying height will allow you to take advantage of sunlight resources. Use taller, sun-loving plants to shade plants that can handle cooler, shadier conditions. (Example: tomatoes or trellised cucumbers above sweet potatoes or lettuce).

Roots
Consider the root systems when choosing a container. Veggies like onions, lettuce, and brassicas like broccoli and kale have shallow root systems. Tomatoes and beets are some that will need larger pots.

Quality
Use high-quality soil mixes or screened topsoil mixed with compost. Don’t use garden soil, and don’t use cheap bagged “topsoil” from the hardware store. The medium needs to be well drained and fertile.

Water and Fertility
Recognize that your plants will have limited resources in a pot environment. You’ll have to pay special attention to water and fertility. You’ll most likely need to water more often than in an in-ground bed. Options for fertilization are similar to that of in-ground plants. See Feeding your Garden Organically for more info.

Versatility
Use container gardening AND regular in-ground plantings together. This will allow you to make great use of vertical space.

Creativity
Use baskets, old cans with drainage holes added, wood palettes, even bathtubs. You’ll be amazed at the things you can recycle into plant pots, and how all this stuff can be situated and cultivated to add to your home’s aesthetic. Have fun!