Container Gardening: Grow A LOT In A Small Space!

Have you been on Pinterest lately? I’ve been seeing a bunch of really cool patio and container gardens popping up on my feed. Some are small-scale apartment style gardens, and others are larger scale farms that are geared toward production. 

With everything going on nowadays, more people are taking an interest in growing some of their own food, and container gardening is a great first step into doing that.

Why grow in containers?

The biggest, most obvious reason why it can be beneficial to include some containers in your garden is to save space while maximizing yield. No longer is it necessary to have acres of land to plant seeds in – all you really need is a container of choice and a place to put it! 

Another benefit to container gardening is that it allows you to move your garden around. From handles to wheels, there are ways to maintain mobility in your garden without giving up yields. 

Not to mention that containers allow you to easily lug temperature tender plants indoors and outdoors. I know people here in Colorado who grow lemon trees in containers that live indoors in the winter and outdoors in the summer!

And you know what? Sometimes, growing things in containers just adds an extra visual effect to your garden that turns out to be everything you’d ever hoped for. If I feel a space is visually lacking something, sometimes I’ll stick a pot there and soon fall in love with the new look. 

The benefits are pretty endless. 

Things to keep in mind…

Not all containers are created equal, just like not all plants have the same growing requirements.

Before planting a giant, rambling indeterminate tomato in a 1 gallon pot, do me a favor and think about a couple of things first:

Some plants need deeper pots for root formation.

Plants like squash and sunflowers need plenty of deep deep soil for their roots to dig in. 

Some plants do just fine with shallow pots. 

You can get away with planting most leafy green veggies in much shallower containers, since they typically don’t send down deep taproots. 

Measure your sun exposure. 

What you plant and where you place your container garden will depend a lot on how much direct sunshine you get on that location. 

But again, like I mentioned earlier, you can totally set your container garden up to be moveable with the changing sun patterns throughout the season!

Types of Containers

Let’s go over a few commonly used containers that you can repurpose into a growing space. 

Fabric grow bags

I myself have not tried specialty grow bags, but it is at the very top of my list to do so. I know folks who exclusively garden in these bags. I’m talking everything from fruit trees to lettuce, it’s pretty cool what you can grow above ground. 

A great benefit to utilizing these fabric bags, besides the space saving, is that the roots get more oxygen and are very unlikely to ever become rootbound like they would in a hard pot. Healthy plants produce healthy food. 

Feed bags

One year, I grew potatoes in chicken food and dog food bags. 

It was so fun and so easy. Unfortunately it was before I began documenting my garden, so I don’t have any photos for you. 

But, what I can do is tell you that I’m definitely not the first and only one to ever do this. Go do a quick internet search and you’ll find plenty of examples. 

The basic rundown of it: poke some drainage holes at the bottom of your bag, don’t skip this step. Fill the bottom couple inches with some straw or shredded leaves. Top with a healthy few inches of soil. Plant your seed potatoes, cover with soil. Roll the sides of the bag down to the level at which you planted. Keep topping with soil/unrolling the bag as the potatoes sprout up. 

The best part about this is harvest day. It’s SO much easier, you just dump the whole bag over and potatoes come tumbling out!

Pots Of All Sizes

This is the pretty obvious one, am I right? Go grab some pots from your local thrift store, or search your local Facebook marketplace for freebies. Then decorate your garden with them! 

Recycled Food Containers 

You know those clamshell-type containers that berries often come in? I’ve used those many times to start seeds! They have a super awesome greenhouse effect and are great at keeping moisture levels high. 

Or, cut a milk jug or juice bottle in half. The base can be used as a pot! Just poke a few holes in the bottom for drainage and you’re set. 

I’ve reused food containers like these for winter sowing primarily, but they can totally be permanent depending on the type of container you use. 

Buckets

Gah, we love buckets around here. I keep so many on hand. The original intent was actually to just have them on hand to throw over my plants when massive hail storms roll through. But a few have been promoted to planters over the years.

If you are using buckets as planters, just remember you’ll want to drill some drainage holes in the bottoms or sides.

Moveable Planters

One of my favorite types of containers to grow in are big planters on wheels. Whaaaaat. Such a smart invention. 

This allows me to plant beautiful, large pots but not have to make a tough decision about where I want the planter to permanently live. Cause trust me, a full planter is a heavy planter. 

But with the addition of wheels, I don’t have to gamble with the weather and my placement decision with some of my precious plants – I can just wheel them under a porch if it gets stormy. 

Common Issues & How To Resolve Them

Growing in containers does not come without its own specific set of problems. But honestly, they’re all pretty easy to accommodate. 

You’ll likely need to water more often. 

Containers dry out faster. They just do. Water more often, or better yet, lay a layer of mulch on top of the soil to hold onto some of the water. 

Containers have warmer soil. 

Okay, this may not necessarily be an issue to cold weather gardeners like me, but if you’re in the south, you may want to keep in mind what plants like warm soil. Eggplants and peppers are two examples. 

Don’t forget to fertilize. 

Depending on the soil you use to fill your containers, you may find that you need to feed your plants more often than if you were gardening in ground. 

So, What Can I Grow In Containers Anyway?

Here’s my go-to list of veggies that grow well in containers:

• Carrots
• Radishes
• Potatoes
• Cherry and miniature tomatoes
• Lettuces and most greens
• Peppers
• Green onions
• Brassicas 
• Squash
  • Summer squash like zucchini
  • Winter squash is possible with additional support

• Garlic
• Cucumber (with proper support)
• Peas 
• Herbs
  • Anything in the mint family should be grown in containers anyway since they can spread like fire!

Fruits and berries can be grown in containers, too! With the proper care, set-up and varieties, you can have your own little container orchard or berry patch. 

Strawberries are a great example of a container friendly fruit. I used to have a raspberry plant that was a dwarf variety that did well in a pot. If you are going for any types of dwarf fruit trees, try to look for “self fertilizing” varieties. This ensures you will get fruit from just one tree, without having to purchase multiple trees to get proper fertilization. 

Now go forth and grow! No matter what containers you use, just make sure you keep the above tips in mind when choosing what to grow and where to grow it. You’ll be eating out of your container garden in no time!

Happy growing,

Becca

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