How to Create the Perfect Container Garden in 5 Easy Steps

Container gardening is a great way to maximize limited outdoor space, enjoy the benefits of growing your own food, and add some attractive focal points to your yard. This guide will walk you through the basics of starting and maintaining a container garden, from choosing the right containers to selecting plants that will thrive in them.

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Choose the right containers

Choosing the right container for your garden is key—after all, it will be your plants’ home. You should select one that’s large enough to give your plants plenty of room to grow, has adequate drainage holes so water won’t get stuck in the soil, and is made of material sturdy enough to withstand the elements. Plastic and ceramic pots are good options; choose larger pots if you want to plant bigger species like tomatoes, or smaller pots if you plan on planting herbs.

If you are looking at reusing stuff around the house, a 5 gallon plastic bucket will do well for larger plants, although it’s less aestherically pleaseing. You might just need to drill some drainage holes on the bottom.

Here are some gorgeous recommendations that would make your container garden look stunning while being functional:

Find the best soil for your container garden

The type of soil you use for your garden is just as important as the container. You’ll want to find a soil that will hold moisture without becoming too compacted—this will help keep the plant roots healthy and promote vigorous growth. Look for a potting mix specifically designed for container gardens, or create your own by mixing equal parts compost, peat moss, and perlite or vermiculite.

Select a variety of plants to create an aesthetically pleasing garden

For Flower Gardens

When it comes to choosing plants for your container garden, you can mix and match a variety of sizes, shapes, colours, and textures if you are planting a flower garden. Choose plants that have similar growing needs—all needing full sun or all preferring partial shade, for example—to simplify care. Consider how the plants will look together in the garden and how they’ll change over time as they grow. This will help create an aesthetically pleasing and interesting garden.

Also, there’s a fun formula that helps in making aesthetic arrangements for your container flower garden. It’s a combination of 3 types of plants: Thrills, Fills & Spills. Thrills refers to tall plant placed at the center of the arrangement to catch the eye. fills refers to colourful flowers or plants that fill the space, and spills refer to plants that trail or spill over the container to add a flare of romance or drama! See the image below for a perfect demonstration:

For Vegetable Gardens

First off, when choosing which vegetable to grow start with the ones that you would actually eat regularly. In my household, this includes tomatoes, onions, spinach, lettuce, cucumbers and herbs.

If you are growing a vegetable container garden, you can combine plants that will benefit each other, called companion plants. These groups are mutually beneficial to one another. For example, growing certain plants and vegetables together can attract beneficial insects to keep away pests, or deter certain animals from sneaking into the garden for a snack. Great companion plants for tomatoes include basil, marigolds, nasturtiums, onions and garlic, while dill and legumes like beans and snap peas make good companions to cucumbers. For more information about companion planting check out this Beginner’s Guide to Companion Planting.

Understand and apply proper watering guidelines for each plant type

It’s important that you understand and apply proper watering guidelines for each plant type. Over-watering will cause root rot and can kill your plants, while under-watering may hamper growth and blooming. To make sure your container garden gets enough water without overdoing it, use small containers whenever possible. That way, you’ll be able to check the moisture in the soil more easily and water accordingly.

Do your research and planning beforfe you start assembling your container garden. Record your plants needs and requirementsusing this handy Garden Planner (it’s currently on sale for 25% off in my shop).

Fertilize and promote healthy growth in each containerized plant

To promote healthy plant growth, supplement the soil of your container gardens with liquid fertilizer regularly. Choose a balanced, slow-release fertilizer and use it according to the instructions listed on the package. Because nutrients can leach out of soil more quickly in containers than in beds, more frequent fertilizing may be necessary. Additionally, you should add compost or aged manure every other month for continued success.

Make Your Container Garden Sustainable

I have a whole post dedicated to sustainable gardening. If you are interested in making your container garden eco-friendly, the same principles will apply. Check out 8 Essential Steps To Start a Sustainable Vegetable Garden to get your container garden set up in an eco-friendly manner.

In conclusion, you can see that to get started with gardening, you don’t need a huge space. A few containers of the correct szie on a balcony, filled with potting mix, beautifully arranged with the right companion is all you need besides making sure it gets the right amount of sun, and water and fertilizer too!