What Plants Are Good For Container Gardening

OK, so you have decided to start growing things in containers. You might now be wondering what plants are good for container gardening.

There are many plants you can choose from. Just be aware of the size of your plants versus the size of your container.

Growing Edibles in Containers

The most popular type of plants grown with container gardening are edible plants. There is something very satisfying about growing your own food and eating it. It just feels healthier and you do not need to worry about indiscriminate use of pesticides.

Many people assume that growing edible plants is similar to growing normal houseplants or flowers. While the setup is similar, assuming that both are the same is a mistake. There are several differences that you must be aware of before growing edible plants.

When it comes to growing edible plants with container gardening, there is quite a variety of vegetables, herbs and even certain types of fruit that can be grown.

Grow Herbs in Containers

Most people focus on growing herbs with container gardening. In fact, it is the most popular type of plant grown with this method.

If you decide to grow herbs, you can choose parsley, chives, basil, coriander, lavender, lemon balm, tarragon, mint, oregano, sage, thyme, marjoram, rosemary, etc. You are spoiled for choice.

You can grow most herbs quite easily and successfully in containers. Even newbies to container gardening often find themselves quite adept at growing herbs. Do take note that while herbs such as parsley, basil and chive can flourish in small containers, others may require bigger containers.

If you’re growing sage, you will need a bigger pot because it is a bush. Oregano also requires a big pot because it will grow big. You’ll need to research how big your plant may potentially grow. This will ensure that you’re not in store for a surprise later.

Growing Vegetables in Containers

After herbs, some vegetables are the second favourite type of plant that people choose to grow in containers.

A popular vegetable that many people love growing is the tomato. Growing nice, ripe tomatoes beats buying bruised and squishy ones from the supermarket. The ones you buy are usually close to their use-by date and nowhere as fresh as the kind you can grow.

Even with tomatoes, you have variety. You could choose to grow roma tomatoes, cherry tomatoes, grape tomatoes or even salad tomatoes. All of these will do just fine in containers.

Don’t wish to grow tomatoes? There are other vegetables you could choose from. You can grow peppers, corn, radish, squashes, etc. This article has mentioned several veggies that you could grow. Just pick one that you like and go for it.

You can grow some of the several types of vegetables in containers. Choose from beans, carrots, cucumbers, beetroot, lettuce, peas, onions and peppers for example.

Fruit Can Be Grown in Containers

Fruit is at a distant third after herbs and vegetables. The reason fruit is not popular is that many people assume that it’s too difficult and requires expertise to grow fruit.

However, some fruit trees are very hardy and can be grown quite easily with container gardening. Strawberries are one such example. In fact, you can even grow strawberries in bags that are hung on the walls outdoors. They’re that simple to grow. Most people are unaware of this.

Besides strawberries, you can also grow dwarf fruit trees. These are very popular among the Chinese who love growing little Mandarin oranges. You will need to use large pots to grow these dwarf citrus trees and they flourish indoors too as long as you prune them regularly.

It would be a wise idea to place the container in a fixed spot. As the bush grows, the container will get pretty heavy and difficult to move. Besides these, you can also grow raspberries and blueberries quite easily in containers too.

Decide Which Plants You Will Grow in Containers

Now all that’s left is for you to decide what you want to grow.

How you grow the edible plants will be up to you. Either you can sow the seeds directly into the pot, or use seedling trays to sow the seeds. Then you transfer the seedlings to the container when they are big enough.

Growing vegetables, herbs and fruit in your own containers can be a very rewarding experience. You will be able to proudly say that you grew your own food. You could even pass your vegetables and herbs to friends and family and get them interested in container gardening. This is a fun hobby to have and it’s useful too.

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