You can’t bear to toss your beloved old blue porcelain bowl set. And maybe that Michelin tire might come in handy again, so you should keep it. Although you might not use recycled porcelain bowls or apple barrels but rather terra cotta or woven pots, the simple concept of growing plants in pots or urns in addition to other objects, offers you a variety of enjoyable and creative ways to maintain and experiment with your garden.

The concept of container gardening existed before Boccaccio’s Isabella planted her lover’s noggin in a pot of basil: the Egyptians and Romans likely developed the idea. Of late, container gardening’s popularity grew in southern California in the 1950s, and since then interest has escalated steadily. This brief guide is designed to facilitate decisions in planning and growing your garden in containers, since you will need to select the right containers and their ideal locations and plants.

Check out this cool Upside Down Planter and Electronic Soil Tester from Clean Air Gardening.

What makes container gardening so great? Consider the following short list of pluses.

Containers allow you to enjoy plants in areas where a traditional garden is awkward or impossible. Even with limited space in an urban apartment, you can grow fruits, vegetables, flowers and shrubs just about anywhere. Plants thrive on rooftops, decks, balconies, stairs and even on the stoop of your mobile home. And if you have a nice outdoor garden, you can vary your selection or save yourself the trouble of walking out to the yard on your sore ankle.

Container gardening also enables you to experiment with plants and to optimize or to control environmental conditions. If you live in New Hampshire, you can offer your sun-starved vegetables and herbs more light indoors or you can grow cacti or parsley in dry, well-drained soil that just doesn’t exist in your outdoor garden. And if you live in Arizona, you can shelter those Siberian crabapple plants.

Your hanging wire baskets and old tin buckets can restrain plants such as sage that spread quite easily in an ordinary garden by containing them alone or in reserved areas. Additionally, you can grow different types of plants in one cordoned container in order to allow plants to exist in symbiotic relationships (see below). Plants help each other to survive. For example, oregano repels insects that bother broccoli and enhances the flavor of beans.

On the other hand, containers allow you to offer special attention to your favorite fennel plant or cascablanca lily. If your particular herb sits on your windowsill next to your desk, then you can determine each day whether or not it needs a little more water or compost.

Plants in containers can be moved easily. Whether it’s shifting your pots of gardenias from your front porch to your backdoor during the rainy or cold season or transporting them to a new home, your plants can go with you.

Do you have heavy pots? Then garden dollies can transport those containers indoors during an early frost.

If pests infect your calendula, you can easily move and treat those containers with appropriate sprays without disturbing other plants.

Additionally, you can arrange containers so that plants can attract and repel insects or flies according to your needs. Some plants emit allelochemicals from their roots or leaves, which repel pests. For example, sweet basil can frighten away hover flies that bother your fennel. And beans attract insects that eat leaf beetles, which harm your corn.

Pots of blooming petunias make the most austere entrance or sparsely decorated balcony or deck feel warm and inviting. Or maybe you want to draw more attention to your seasonally decorated doorway or window? Use geometrical techniques, below, for that bare or busy wall, courtyard or patio. What’s more, if areas of your yard look scraggly or muddy, you can mask such eyesores with a large pot or two of colourful nasturtiums or strawberries.

Now that we’ve piqued your interest, you ask: How do I get started? Do I want to get a bunch of small containers or two really big ones? Should they go in the bathroom or kitchen? Can I place pots around my regular garden? Would the pots look better on my deck or around my copper beech tree? Can I grow herbs and flowers or should I stick with one type of plant? Will someone trip over those small herb troughs near my narrow pathway or underneath my garden arbors? What complementary plant colors will look best in my sunny office?

Before you rush out to buy your needed plants, pots and tools for yourself or as a garden gift, consider the geometry of your garden.

Get out paper and pencil and jot down a few notes. Answer the above questions and any others that come to mind. Let’s say that after considering several questions you discover that you’re interested in herbs, but not necessarily in flowers. And you definitely want to grow the majority of your plants outside since you live in south Texas. However, since the summers can get too hot, you also want to be able to move your containers to a cool, shady spot of your yard or house as needed. You’ll also want to think about a niche where you can put those winter-weary tulip bulbs that are just waiting for spring.

Even if you start with just herbs, consider varying your choices slightly. If you grow parsley and thyme, cultivate potatoes or other vegetables because plants often enjoy one another’s company.

Start small. Even if you have visions of the Garden of Eden dancing in your head, you don’t want your garden to wind up looking like an unkempt graveyard. For some ideas, see our images of the most beautiful—and the oddest—gardens.

Now let’s do some real sketches of your ideal garden area.

Will your potted plants thrive best near your house or under your shady oak or sunny deck? Are your plants in a wind-and flood-safe area? Irrigation is important, too. Where’s your water faucet? Does your hose reach that particular area?

Also think about different types of groupings for your containers. Will your doorway look best framed with a set of two large potted ferns? Or do you want to encase the outside bay window with several hanging pots of red and yellow poppies? Sometimes scattered containers appeal more to the eye, but in other cases, one central plant surrounded by small herb containers looks attractive. This large central container could feature a variety of flowers such as daffodils, narcissi and violas while the smaller containers could each contain one type of plant.

If you prefer to keep your plants indoors, you might want to ensure that Toddler Joe can’t reach your poinsettia or that spilled dirt or water won’t harm grandmother’s cedar chest. Which parts of your house are warm and let in lots of sunshine? Where are the cooler, shadier rooms?

You have a tentative idea of what your container garden areas will look like, and now you’ll need to give more thought to the types of containers, tools and plants that you’ll need.


Shop for garden tools and planters online at Clean Air Gardening.

Grow Poles are an outstanding way to grow large amounts of vegetables or flowers in a very small space.

Be choosy and creative in selecting your containers. First, each container should complement the plant aesthetically and functionally. For example, if you decide to grow strawberries, consider purchasing a terra-cotta planter that comes with special holes through which you can cultivate your fruit or herbs. And your small lilies may feel overwhelmed in a two-foot container, but your tiny bonsai will need taller, roomy holders. Our following section provides more details about types of containers.

Keep in mind that the size, material and shape of the container should be conducive to your plant’s health as well as to your surroundings. Experiment with your holders—buy some terra cotta and plastic pots just to get a sense of your preference. You may discover that blue glazed pots look better on your whitewashed deck than do wooden troughs.

Hanging baskets, often made of wood or wire, spotlight your petunias or geranium flowers. You should be careful that your indoor hanging pots don’t drizzle onto your lovely oak dining table, however. They should hold plants that won’t grow too heavy for the stand. Wrought-iron or other unusual stands can add appeal to your home, while also minimizing wood rot and insect havens.

Window boxes are usually made of wood or plastic and are particularly attractive if you live in a high rise apartment with lots of windows.

Raised beds are usually built into gardens or up against the side of a house or apartment. If these beds are built or placed against your home, then your roof can provide shade for plants, especially in sunny, warm regions. If you install your own raised bed, which can be designed in round, kidney or square shapes, plan the design so that it correlates with your landscape. However, plants in raised beds may not thrive in shady areas or too closely to tree roots.

If you like wooden troughs or baskets, make sure that your wood is of a solid quality. You’ll want to also finish the wood with a plant-proof preserver. If you use barrels, make sure that the hoops are secure. Wood containers fare well in colder weather and also provide more insulation than do terra cotta pots.

Your plants roots need to breathe, so they like terra cotta pots, which also hold warmth. However, if your cats, dogs or children romp through your house wildly or if you live in a cold climate where soil may freeze and expand, your terra cotta containers may not last.

Glazed clay pots aren’t as porous as terra cotta, though you can choose glazed colors that match your decor. These pots are traditionally used in Japanese gardens.

Stone containers add a natural effect to your house or garden, but are often difficult to move. They also can break fairly easily.

Plastic pots often resemble terra cotta containers and can be moved or cleaned more easily than terra cotta. However, plastic doesn’t allow your plants to breathe freely.

Sunken containers work well especially for plants like mint that spread easily. You can either bury the whole container in your garden or embed the rim to restrain the plant.

Don’t forget those eclectic containers like wire baskets, old-fashioned metal bathtubs and rickety wheelbarrows. They make great holders, too.

And no matter what type of containers you purchase, you’ll need some fail-proof saucers to capture that loose soil and dripping water that escapes from the bottom of any container. Although plastic saucers may not match your glazed pots, they don’t get damp as do terra cotta ones.

Regardless of your size and choice of your container garden, you’ll need durable tools, ranging from, but not limited to, watering cans, wrist-easy hand rakes, transplanting trowels, by-pass pruners and soil-testing kits. Clean Air Gardening provides a great selection of quality garden tools, and you can even purchase that little garden gnome you've been looking for.

You’ve got a running list of garden tricks, pots and tools. And so you just need the plants. Again, a word of caution: resist loading your car to the brim with ferns and bamboo shoots; start with a few of your favourite things—pansy and marigold seeds and rosemary and coriander. And then in a month or so, you can sprinkle some broccoli seeds. Thousands of types of container plants exist, and the following information is by no means exhaustive, though it should give you a solid sense of what types of plants with which you could start.

Again, consider your climate and garden layout. Read the directions on seeds packets. Ask questions at your local nursery. Submit inquiries online to your virtual nursery or favorite gardening website that helps you to discover whether or not nemesia plants enjoy the company of violas (they do).

See our giant list of container gardening plants here. And don't miss this site with organic gardening tips and a guide to growing many herbs, fruits and vegetables.

Many successful container flowers are either annuals or perennials—they either undergo their full lifecycle from seed in one growing season as annuals or they bloom in the second year and last for a few years as perennials.

Gardeners often cannot resist annuals since these marigolds and petunias add cheerful color to any setting. Petunias, for example, thrive in almost any type of container and are easy to grow, though they do not love intense heat every afternoon. Zinnias, however, succeed in hotter climates, and you can even purchase the Thumbelina variety. If you crave color during those mild winter months, then you’ll like primroses, which bloom from winter to spring.

Annuals are so easy. Why try anything else? For one, flowering perennials last longer than a few months or so, the duration of time that most annuals last. Additionally, perennials can grow larger over time so they can fill a nice ample niche of your deck that might look overwhelming with a small set of annual flowers.

Your perennials will need more year-round attention: you’ll want to fertilize them occasionally even during the coldest winter months. And you may need to trim those scraggly stems. However, this pruning and fertilizing care will result in hardier perennials come spring. And you won’t have to trudge to your local nursery for a fresh round of seeds. In some cases, you can pinch off sprouting flowers so that even more flowers or little plants grow.

For example? Bird of paradise plants need frequent feedings throughout the year, but you’ll receive an abundance of color in return. And varieties of daylilies will suit your particular climate. You can also divide daylilies easily to grow new plants. Or you can snap off spent flowers to encourage growth. Geraniums, one of the best-known perennials, maintain a consistently cheerful look throughout the year, so they only need occasional repottings or pinchings of flowers.

Bulbs are somewhat like annuals—they may bloom profusely for one season—but you can save and plant bulblets. Tulip bulbs, for example, can be planted in the fall with tips just at soil level. If you water regularly, then you should have a sensational show of color in the spring. Daffodils are even easier to grow than tulips and you can cultivate them to gain a longer season of blossoms.

If you want hardier, longer lasting plants, then consider growing shrubs and trees. Some flower, others don’t, but since these plants are contained, you can plant them at almost any time except during very hot weather.

Dwarf forms of crape myrtle, which do best in containers, may need occasional prunings of twiggy growth during dormant seasons, but this tree loves warm summers. The hotter the summer, the brighter the clusters of flowers seem to get. Bushy forms of bougainvillea such as Temple Fire also thrive well in containers and in warm climates. Bougainvillea trees need protection when temperatures sink below 30 degrees F, but you can prune this tree to shape.

Other distinctive varieties of container plants such as cacti and ferns also may add style or interest to your garden. Cacti need even less water during cooler weather and very few feedings save during potting time. Ferns crave more water and a far richer soil than do cacti, but they do not react well to frosts or hot winds.

Other interesting assortments of plants such as bonsai and bamboo exist, and you may even want to study and create specialized areas such as Japanese or bonsai gardens if you are particularly interested in this type of container gardening.

Do you want to learn more about growing other varieties of flowers such as African daisies or poor man’s orchid? Consult our list of different types of container flowers.

Edible Plants and Containers

 

Most of the plants so far are aesthetically appealing, but not necessarily edible. Fruits, vegetables and herbs provide wonderful aroma and taste, and many varieties perform well in containers. What’s more, vegetables, herbs, flowers, and other plants grow well together. You can even use cordoned containers or troughs that grow vegetables and herbs. Try planting garlic with roses and nasturtium with cabbages. You can even mix six or seven herbs together in a wooden trough or large terra cotta pot.

Fruit plants such as apple trees or strawberries require lavish attention. They attract pests and need to be pruned and fertilized. Before you take the plunge, consider these and other questions: How much room do you have for your fruits? Do you want to focus on berry plants? Or are you more interested in apples or apricots? For example, if you grow apricots, your trees eventually will outgrow your containers. So you might want to make sure you have permanent spots for these larger plants. However, other fruits such as figs can be contained very nicely with constant pruning. If you choose to specialize in fruits, you’ll need to ask even more detailed questions at your local nursery. Or join a fruit gardener club. You also might consider obtaining texts that focus specifically on nurturing your particular fruit choices.

Consider this limited overview of a few fruit selections to obtain a better sense of requirements. Blackberries are versatile, but strong. Find a sturdy tub or barrel and plant thornless varieties such as Navaho. You’ll need to let the canes grow several feet during the summer before you pinch them back. Constant pinching and pruning will result in good fruit in a few years. Peaches and nectarines may prove more doable, especially if you grow them from dwarf rootstocks. You’ll need to protect your peaches from excessive damp conditions, though they don’t mind hard winters. They need warm summers, too.

The good news? Your cucumbers, thyme, sage and cabbages are pleasurable and successful plants to grow in containers. One advantage of using a container for vegetables and herbs is that you don’t necessarily need to worry about straight rows and tidy raised beds. And you can shelter plants during weeks of intense summer heat. But you’ll need to diligently water, fertilize and provide light. Vegetable and herb plants are needy creatures.

Your vegetables and herbs need a lot of sun even if you grow them in containers. Consider planting them in wooden or concrete troughs so that you can arrange adequate drainage. For example, you can replace raised beds with sunken cement blocks; several varieties exist and these blocks don’t rot.

Hungry plants, aren’t they? Vegetables and herbs often profit from quality organic soil with plenty of compost. You will also need to build up the soil each year. Start composting if you haven’t done so already. For further instructions on composting, see Compost Guide.

How many vegetables are enough? Refer back to your container garden plan, though you might consider starting with small quantities of vegetables such as carrots, broccoli and beans. Once you’ve cultivated a few successful shoots, add some more beans or other vegetables. And don’t forget to consider symbiotic relationships, see below, or organic varieties.

If you are willing to grow a great variety of smaller vegetables in containers, then you’ll enjoy providing your vegetables with care specific to their needs. For example, Dwarf French beans look nice in hanging planters, since their pods can hang over the sides. Other beans such as Purple Teepee have colorful pods. If you don’t have a lot of room, try growing radishes, since they don’t mind crowded conditions, whether in hanging pots or in cordoned containers. And they’re edible just three weeks after the seeds sprout.

Dwarf varieties of cabbage and even corn can grow well in large containers. If you really like cabbages, you can take a second crop off of each cabage plant by cross-cutting the stem of the first head in order to grow smaller heads. Corn varieties such as sugar buns (for a sweet flavor) may need a barrel-sized container. Potatoes will require a very large and sturdy container. Start with potato eyes set in about a foot of soil. When you see sprouts, cover the shootings with grass and continue this process of layering and watering until harvest time.

You forgot to purchase that thyme at the the store for your steak marinade? No worries: just reach up and pluck some thyme from your hanging basket. You could also keep a container box full of herbs such as chives and winter savory right outside your kitchen door. Most compact herbs grow well together, so you needn’t worry if you plant all those marjoram, thyme, sage and rosemary plants together in one huge container.

Many herbs grow easily from seed, so easily that they sometimes are considered plain weeds. That’s why they often do well in containers so that you don’t have herbs sprouting all over your yard. In cases of herbs such as sage, you can propogate plants from seed indoors. Since such seedlings often need dark, warm, moist and consistent conditions, they thrive well in small containers indoors. You can later transplant or move your herbs outdoors once the shoots have established themselves.

Which type of parsley is best for your garden? Curly leaf, Italian (flat leaf) or hamburg? The latter grows mostly underground; you’re more likely to experiment with Italian or curly leaf parsley. Parsley takes at least six weeks to germinate, so you’ll need a little patience and quite a bit of water and fertilizer. Consider planting parsley and carrots together, since this herb repels carrot flies. If you’re starting your first container garden, you might also consider growing varieties of mint, since it grows easily and you can choose from a plethora—apple, orange, ginger and curly to name a few. Since mint cross-pollinates easily and therefore loses its flavor, it serves as a prime container plant. You can prevent cross-pollination and decorate different parts of your home with small holders. Unlike parsley, however, mint cannot be propogated from seed but rather from cuttings. Mint also prefers larger 1-foot containers. Once your mint grows, it can be harvested at any time, so you can enjoy this herb early and often.

If you’re hungry for more details on herbs and other edible plants, see our lists of vegetables and herbs.

Now that you’ve planned your geometric outlay, studied facts about containers and a variety of plants ranging from bougainvillea to winter savory, you’re ready! Soon those terra cotta pots of dwarf pomegranates and orchids will grace your shady deck or bedroom windowsill with color and fragrance.

Read this additional information about taking care of indoor houseplants.