A l a b a m a A & M a n d A u b u r n U n i v e r s i t i e s

Container
ANR-1139
Gardening
G
ardening in containers is one of the most
versatile and creative forms of garden
design. Planting a container garden is
much like creating a floral arrangement.
However, live plants are enjoyed for a whole season.
Almost any plant grows in a container when proper
conditions are provided and adds a versatile splash
of color and art wherever desired. Some other rea-
sons for container gardening are as follows:
Your backyard or traditional gardening space is
limited or unavailable.
Your time for gardening is limited.
Your mobility is limited to working in raised beds
or containers.
Your gardening site is unsuitable for growing
desired plants due to soil conditions, unsuitable
sun or shade, or other environmental factors.
You have a desire to be a creative garden artist!
These are just some of the advantages with
container gardening. The biggest disadvantages to
growing plants in containers are the maintenance
requirements of watering and fertilizing. Some
helpful techniques, including choosing containers
and growing media (potting mix), selecting plants,
and planting, fertilizing, and watering your container
garden, are discussed in this publication.

Choosing a Container
Generally, plants can be grown in anything that
will hold growing media and allow proper drain-
age. Some of the more traditionally used containers the fun of container gardening. Containers can be
include terra cotta (clay) pots, plastic pots, hanging window boxes (wooden or plastic), wooden wine
baskets, wire baskets lined with sphagnum moss crates, tires, bags of potting soil, or your favorite
or fibrous liners, concrete planters, planter boxes, old boot!
whiskey barrels, 5-gallon buckets, tubs, and bushel
baskets. Some of Some self-watering containers have been manu-
these containers are factured to improve drainage and also have built-in
more durable than reservoirs for watering plants. Whatever container
others. you choose, consider the following:
Be creative when
Tips for Selecting Containers
choosing a container.
Selecting a container 1) The container must have a bottom hole for ad-
that fits the look you equate drainage.
wish to create is half

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2) The container must be large enough to hold Table 1. Recommendations for Container-Grown
the minimum amount of medium required for Vegetables
mature plants to grow. Vegetable Container Size Varieties
3) The type of container used depends on the loca- Beans, snap 3 to 5 gal. Derby, Bush
tion and the plant selected: Blue Lake,
Avoid using black containers in full sun. Green Crop
Beets 2 to 3 gal. Asgrow Wonder,
Remember that terra cotta and other porous con- Detroit Red
tainers wick water away from plants. Broccoli 1 plant/5 gal. Green Comet,
Decide whether the container needs to be attrac- Green Duke
tive (in a place of high visibility). Cabbage 1 plant/5 gal. Round Dutch,
4) Remember to coordinate container color with Chinese: Michihli,
plant materials. Containers can be painted to Bok choi
create a different look or to create a cooler sur- Carrots 3 gal. Thumbelina,
(12 in. deep) Lady Fingers
face that will reflect heat. Swiss chard 3 gal. Bright Lights,
5) Consider whether you may want to move the Rhubarb
container to a different location later. If so, keep Cucumbers 3 to 5 gal. Fanfare, Salad Bush
in mind the weight factor. Styrofoam peanuts Eggplant 5 gal. Ichiban, Ghost
can be used in the bottom of the container rath- Buster
er than filling it fully with potting mix. Also, the Kale, turnip, or Dwarf Scotch,
new fiberglass or Styrofoam planters are light- mustard greens 3 to 5 gal. Shogoin, Purpletop,
weight and decorative. Red Giant Mustard
Lettuce/salad Salad Bowl, Red
greens 1 to 3 gal. Sails, Bibb,
Selecting a Potting Mixture Blackseeded Simpson,
It is important to select a growing medium that Arugula, Radicchio
drains well but that will also help keep plants from Onions, green 1 to 3 gal. Evergreen
Pepper 3 to 5 gal. Many varieties
drying out between waterings. Keeping containers Radishes 1 gal. Cherry Belle,
moist yet well drained is the most important key Easter Egg
to successful container gardening. Squash, summer 5 gal. Dixie, Sundrops, Elite
The best growing mixture is one that is soilless. Tomatoes 5 gal. Many varieties
Soilless media are free of any disease pathogens, Tomatoes, Sweet Chelsea,
insect pests, and weed seeds. They are also generally cherry 5 gal. Husky Cherry
lightweight and porous, allowing for a well-drained
yet moisture-retentive mix. Premixed growing media You can create your own blend by using peat
for container gardens are available from garden cen- moss, vermiculite or perlite, sterile potting mix or
ters. However, be careful not to use peat or peatlite compost (make sure it is thoroughly composted),
mixes alone. By themselves, these media tend to and coarse builders sand. In order to determine
become compacted, too lightweight, and difficult how much lime may be needed to bring the pH
to wet. into the 6.0 to 6.8 range, send a sample of the mix-
ture to a soil testing laboratory.
Some commercially prepared growing mixtures
have an added wetting agent which is a great help
when it comes to planting and watering. You may
consider adding water-absorbing polymers or gel
that absorbs and retains up to 400 times its weight
in water. These polymers are nontoxic and last for
a number of years before breaking down in the
environment. Read the label carefully to understand
the proper amount of polymer needed for a
specific container size.
Most potting mixtures become compacted and
plants become root-bound over time. It is best to
replace containers with fresh media at least once a
year or every other season. Plants remaining in the
same pot for a year or more also need root pruning
to maintain health and vigor.

2 Alabama Cooperative Extension System

 Mixed Containers
Container gardens can, but do not have to, be
limited to one type of plant. Vegetables interplanted
with herbs, annuals, or vines, add interest. Some
vegetables can be used as ornamentals with their
contrasting colors, textures, and forms. Research has
shown that interplanting and companion planting
interrupts disease and pest cycles. The limiting fac-
tors when mixing plants in the same container are
the same requirements for light (shade or sun) and
water. Work toward a design balance coordinating
colors, textures, variety, height, and flow. Table 2
lists some examples of plants that can be combined
in mixed container gardens based on their light
requirements.

Table 2. Plants for Mixed Container Gardens

(Full sun to partial shade)
Lantana
Wax begonia
Red fountain grass
Marguerite sweet potato vine
(Full sun to partial shade)
Chives
Mints
Geraniums
Mealy cup sage
(Partial shade to shade)
Impatiens
Selecting Plants Asparagus fern
Vegetables Coleus
Most vegetables are grown in a particular season (Full sun)
of the year making them excellent container garden Verbena
plants. Some vegetable varieties have a more com- Gomphrena
pact growth habit, such as Fanfare cucumber and Narrow-leaf zinnia
Husky Gold tomato. Look for All-American Selections
Winners, many of which are excellent choices for Planting
container gardening. Before planting the container garden, first deter-
The primary keys to successfully growing veg- mine how the plants will fit or be arranged in the
etables in containers are to plant them in the proper- container. Cover the drainage hole in the container,
sized container and to keep them watered. Vegetables using pieces of broken pottery or mesh screen to
are about 99 percent water. When growing them in prevent the potting mix from clogging the hole. Fill
containers, it is especially important to ensure consis-
tent moisture. Choose a container large enough that
plants dont dry out between waterings. For example,
tomatoes must have a container with a minimum of
5 gallons potting mix. Smaller vegetables such as rad-
ishes and lettuce can be grown in 12 gallon or less.
Table 1 lists vegetables and varieties recommended
for container gardens.
Plant a kitchen container garden that includes
herbs, salad greens, garlic, and other easy-to-
grow vegetables. Many of the salad greens can be
thinned and harvested throughout the cool season,
and leaves and herbs can be snipped as needed.

Container Gardening 3
the container about three-fourths full. Moisten potting Tips to Remember
mix thoroughly. Allow it to settle, and then add more Porous containers such as terra cotta (clay)
media if needed. Always remove plants from their dry out more quickly and can wick water away from
propagation or nursery container before planting. plants.
Starting with healthy, disease-free, and pest-free Growing plants that require full sun should not
seeds and plants ensures success. If direct-seeding a be put in black containers.
container garden, plant seeds at the proper planting Water-holding polymers or gels retain moisture
depth and season according to the germination and for the more needy plants.
planting recommendations. After the seeds germinate
Watering time can be reduced by installing a
and the plants put out their first true leaves, thin the
drip irrigation system with an automated timer.
seedlings to the recommended spacing by pinching
out extras. This reduces root disturbance and allows Containers can be placed on trays filled with
seedlings to grow without competing with each other. gravel or marble pebbles covered in water, keeping
them cool and providing moisture without creating a
drainage problem. Change this water regularly to pre-
Fertilizing vent mosquito problems.
Some soilless mixes used for container gardening
do not contain fertilizers. In this case, you will need Other Tips for Successful
to add trace elements that plants would otherwise
obtain naturally from garden soil. Slow-release Container Gardening
fertilizers supplying all the nutrients needed for a Container-grown garden plants are more
container garden are available. An additional reason susceptible to freezing, requiring winter protection
to use a slow-release fertilizer, nitrogen is slowly such as mulching, using wind screens, putting the
released to plant roots, providing necessary fertil- container in the ground, or moving the container to a
ity throughout the growing season without burning protected area.
plant roots. Fertilizers are salts and when overused Some vining plants require staking and trellis-
can burn or kill plants. These salts can build up in ing, such as tomatoes, cucumbers, beans, and orna-
potting media over time and also in porous con- mental climbers. Anchor these containers to prevent
tainer materials such as terra cotta. Wash porous them from blowing over.
pots with a 10 percent bleach solution before plant- Clean used containers before planting in them.
ing to remove salt buildup from previous crops. A 10 percent bleach solution kills any pests and
If additional fertilization is needed, a water- removes fertilizer salts.
soluble fertilizer (i.e., Miracle Grow, Peters, and Season porous containers before planting in
others) can be used to supplement. Follow label di- them by soaking them in water. Do not allow them
rections on all fertilizers, and keep records of plant- to dry out.
ing and fertilization dates.
Styrofoam peanuts in the container bottom
reduces the weight.
Watering Harden-off newly propagated plants by expos-
The most critical and time-consuming part of main- ing them gradually to full sun and wind.
taining container gardens is watering. This is particularly Place containers on legs, bricks, coasters, or
true as plants mature and roots crowd the container. saucers to allow drainage and to protect the surface
As a general rule, plants grown in full sun require thor- underneath.
ough watering two to three times a week. Mature plants
may have to be watered once or twice a day during the
hot days of summer.

Kerry Smith, Extension Home Horticulture Specialist, Auburn University. Originally

prepared by Mary Beth Musgrove, former Extension Horticulturist/State Master
Gardener Program Coordinator.
For more information, call your county Extension office. Look in your telephone di-
rectory under your countys name to find the number.
Trade names are used only to give specific information. The Alabama Cooperative Extension System does not endorse or
guarantee any product and does not recommend one product instead of another that might be similar.
Published by the Alabama Cooperative Extension System (Alabama A&M University and Auburn University), an equal
opportunity educator and employer.
25M, Reprinted Sept 2009, ANR-1139
ANR-1139 2009 by the Alabama Cooperative Extension System.