Container Garden Ideas and Why You Should Grow One!
Are you looking for some container garden ideas? Or have you heard about container gardens, but not really sure what they are, if they will work for your home, or how to start one? Whatever the case, we are here to help!
We LOVE container gardens for so many reasons. Other than the fact that they offer a creative way to add a lot of charm, dimension, and visual appeal to an established garden, container gardens also make gardening as a hobby available to people who might otherwise not be able to grow a garden due to location, space available, and even age or physical difficulties.
Since there are so many health benefits of gardening, we love that container gardens can offer a solution to most people that makes gardening possible for them. Also, for those who have the space and means for avid gardening, container gardens can offer an added creative outlet for their gardens and some seasonal solutions as well.
Keep reading as we discuss some common questions about container gardens, a few of our favorite container garden ideas, and help get you started on a container garden of your own!
1. So…what is a container garden?
What exactly is a container garden? It’s just like it sounds! Simply put, a container garden is a garden in which plants are planted and grown within various containers (such as a pot or a wooden box) instead of in the ground.
Container gardens can be outdoors or indoors. Indoor container gardening allows you to bring the warmth of nature into your home with houseplants in pots and other containers, indoor herb gardens, planted in windowsill boxes, and more! Outdoors, container gardens can add dimension, visual interest, and personality to any backyard garden. With just a little creativity, container garden ideas are unlimited!
Not only that, but container gardens also offer gardeners seasonal solutions. Prized plants can be transplanted into containers and moved inside or into a sheltered space during cold months to protect them from a freeze. Alternatively, starter plants can be grown indoors in containers to transplant into the ground in the warmer months so spring gardens can get a head start.
2. Who can have a container garden?
Container gardening has many benefits and applications for people in all kinds of living situations.
Container gardening is a significantly useful and popular gardening mechanism for those living in urban areas, especially those in apartments with little to no yard space. Container gardens allow residents with the challenge of limited space available to optimize the space they do have for gardening. Container garden ideas for optimizing small spaces are gaining in popularity due to an influx of people moving to the city while also taking an interest in gardening, and therefore needing to overcome this challenge.
However, it’s not just urban dwellers who regularly take advantage of container gardens. Those further removed from the city with more space and large outdoor gardens use container gardens to get creative and add some extra dimension and charm to their landscaping.
Container gardens also allow many gardeners to continue their hobby after age or unfortunate circumstances make the physical demands of regular gardening too burdensome. Container gardens can be raised and tended with much more ease for those who struggle physically.
Not only that, but container gardens are also an excellent way to get kids interested in gardening and to teach them the basics. Container gardens are easy for kids to manage and learn a few gardening skills, and can even be used as a thoughtful gift for family members or teachers!
3. How to get started with your container garden!
Starting a container garden is simple! Your container can consist of just one potted plant or many. To start planting your container garden today, follow these simple steps.
1. First, you need to decide which plant you want to grow. Knowing the general size of the plant you want to grow will help you choose a container that will be able to accommodate it as it fills out.
2. Once you know which plant you want to grow, next you need to choose the container, making sure to consider the size of the plant. When choosing a container, you need to not only consider plant size, but proper drainage as well. If the container will not allow for proper drainage as-is, make sure you puncture some holes in the bottom to account for this. The possibilities of containers to use for container gardening are almost endless, and we will discuss some container garden ideas below.
3. After you’ve chosen your plant and the container you want to use, you need to fill the container with potting soil. You can either purchase a preferred potting soil or mix your own depending on the needs of the plant. Bonus points if you make your own compost or leaf mulch and add a little of this on top or mixed into the potting soil to give your plant even more nutrients.
4. Finally, it’s time to plant your seed, seedling, or plant. Once planted to the proper depth, simply give your plant some water and place it in an area of adequate sunlight, and watch it grow!
4. Container garden ideas
The containers you use for your container garden can truly be anything. Reusing or upcycling old and discarded objects in a unique way is just one aspect of container gardening that makes it so exciting! Here are a few of our favorite container garden ideas to get you started:
- Wood, metal, or plastic buckets
- Discarded rain boots
- Wagons
- Old tires (you can even paint them to make them more colorful!)
- Use an old wooden ladder with potted plants on each rung for a tiered container garden
- Wooden box
- Old metal washtub
- Mason jars
- Outdated toilets
- Dresser drawers
- Fabric planter bags
- Baskets
- And so much more!
