You need to make sure that water can drain from whatever container you choose.

Stay focused on three elements: your intent for the garden (food? flowers? herbs?), watering, and proper drainage. The beauty of container gardening is that almost any type of container can be suitable. Got plant-specific suggestions on growing in containers? (Are onions worth the work? How can you tell if container-grown tomatoes are getting enough, or too much, water?) Post them in the comments section below, and we'll incorporate them into the 101. But if you’re an attentive container gardener, you will get edibles-and you will learn by leaps and bounds. Regardless of the plants you select or the direction you grow them in, you won’t get the same size yield with container gardening as you would growing in ground. Not to squash your hopes now that we’ve raised them like, well, squash on a vertical vine, but don’t be discouraged if you don’t end up with massive harvests. There’s a lot more space out than there is up! (Bonus: A 101 on vertical gardening is in the works.) Lots of things can work as a support structure, from a discarded tomato cage to a paint-free trellis, from stakes laced with chicken wire to heavy duty twine, even the rails of a deck or balcony. You may already be doing this with tomatoes and beans without even thinking of it as such. Right? Wrong! You can redirect the growth from horizontal to vertical using any type of surface that gives the vine something to cling to. You might think vines like cucumbers, squashes, and melons wouldn’t grow in containers, since they reach out from their source and spread across the open ground or garden bed. Are you a tower pro? Give us a yell! We need you!)ĭon’t have a lot of space? You can always go vertical. (HOMEGROWN note: We’re looking for someone to write a Potato Tower 101. HOMEGROWN member Chris even keeps a mango tree in a container. Heftier produce, including potatoes and beans, can be grown in clean trash cans from the dollar store, recycled wash tubs, buckets, or barrels. Think tomatoes (especially determinate varieties, though if you’re an assertive pruner, don’t be afraid of indeterminates), peppers, radishes, carrots, and lettuce. Herbs, strawberries, and flowers are common container plants, but many vegetables grow well in containers, too.

If you’re looking for help on building and gardening in raised beds, never fear. And nobody wants waste, right?Ī couple of notes before we start: In this 101, we’ll cover small containers, such as clay pots, fancypants planters ( GrowBoxes, EarthBoxes, et cetera), and DIY boxes of all stripes (tried-and-true window boxes, EarthTainers, and beyond). (Not a lot of time, but still.) My best advice? Keep it fun and simple! If it’s not fun and becomes another job, you’ll stop doing it, and your investment will go to waste. That said, you’re the keeper of the flock-or, in this case, the flower box, window box, or herb pot-and your time is essential to creating a successful container. They don’t always do what you want or expect them to do. Each season is different, and the plants, well, they’re plants. Thanks so much for lending your know-how, John, and please keep the good ideas growing!Ĭontainer gardening is just like any gardening endeavor: You’re constantly learning. He also developed Bucket Brigades (bucket-sized salad gardens for those in need) he has helped high school FFA clubs with container gardening and simple hydroponics fundraising projects and he founded the food-security organization Aiken Localvore. John has been gardening in the ground and in containers for the past 20 years. The following 101, on container gardening, comes from a federal civil servant turned home brewer, food grower, and putter upper (not to mention HOMEGROWN member), Dr.

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