Container gardening is a relatively easy and manageable way to grow beautiful flowers and delicious herbs and vegetables--even some fruits. You don’t need much space – a patio, porch, or even a windowsill will do!
Gardening in containers offers many benefits (small footprint, portability, flexibility, accessibility, aesthetics, ability to control factors such as soil, and more). Some types of containers can offer additional benefits compared to growing plants in the ground; these include self-watering containers (also sometimes referred to as sub-irrigated planters or SIPs).
Selecting the right types of plants for sunny or shady spots and choosing the right pots or planters for your preferred plants will help you cultivate a delightful container garden at your home or business.
With a simple pot or planter, you can contribute to local food security, benefit native species of pollinators, and add beauty to your environment. Ranging from a pot on a windowsill to an urban farm on a rooftop, these resources can offer some inspiration and guidance.
Overview Resources
The following resources provide an overview of the topic.
Title: Container Gardening
Author/Source: Cornell Cooperative Extension of Nassau County
Description: Good 3-page overview of container gardening, including containers, growing medium, plant selection (focus is on ornamentals), fertilization, watering, maintenance.
Title: The Best Guide to Container Gardening (Everything You Need to Know)
Author/Source: The Well Essentials (a blog/content site)
Description: Describes good plants for sun or shade, for a patio or a windowbox, and what types/sizes of containers are better for various flowers and vegetables.
Title: How to Have a Container Garden for Beginners
Author/Source: My Little Green Garden (blog)
Description: This article describes four types of items that can be grown in containers (herbs, vegetables, flowers, and fruit) and how to select containers and potting soil.
Title: Container Gardening with Vegetables and Herbs
Author/Source: Barbara Pleasant, Mother Earth News
Description: Overview of growing edibles in containers, including discussion of DIY self-watering containers, potting soil, fertilizer, and types of plants suited for container growing.
Title: Urban Gardening with Vegetables and Flowers
Author/Source: Rossana Martinez for Gardeners.com
Description: A video offering inspiration for rooftop and small space gardens from a gardener in Brooklyn, NY. She talks about the types of containers she uses, including self-watering containers, revolution, and honeycomb planters. She also shows the types of herbs, vegetables, and flowers that she grows on her rooftop, including pollinators. The article associated with the video discusses choosing soil or potting mix, watering, and fertilizing container plants.
Title: Start a Rooftop Container Garden
Author/Source: Medi Blum, Brooklyn Botanic Garden
Description: "You can transform a flat, tar roof into a lovely outdoor haven with container plantings. A well-planned rooftop garden can also provide habitat for local wildlife and mitigate storm-water runoff. Here's what you need to know to start one of your own." This article was originally published in Green Roofs and Rooftop Gardens (2010), part of the Brooklyn Botanic Garden Guides for A Greener Planet series.
Title: The Vegetable Gardener's Container Bible: How to Grow a Bounty of Food in Pots, Tubs, and Other Containers
Author/Source: Edward C. Smith
Publisher: Storey Pub., 2011
Description: Illustrated 264-page book on how to successfully create and care for an edible container garden, from choosing the right plants and selecting appropriate containers through controlling pests without chemicals and harvesting fresh vegetables.
Title: Fresh Food from Small Spaces: The Square Inch Gardener's Guide to Year-Round Growing, Fermenting and Sprouting
Author/Source: R.J. Ruppenthal
Publisher: Chelsea Green Publishing Co., 2008
Description: This 178-page book provides a practical and comprehensive guide to growing food in small spaces (particularly urban ones), including how to make the most of limited light, vertical gardening, and what plants do the best in containers--even berries and dwarf fruit trees! Chapter 3 covers how to buy or build your own productive vegetable containers, including low-cost self-watering planters.