Container Gardening Ideas: How to Grow Vegetables, Herbs and Flowers in Pots

You don't need a big backyard to grow food and flowers. Container gardening lets you garden on a patio, balcony, porch or front step. Containers also warm up faster in spring, keep weeds to a minimum and are easier on your back.

Container gardening basics

• Drainage holes are a must. Without them, roots sit in water and rot.
• Bigger is better. Larger pots hold more soil and moisture, so they need watering less often. Tomatoes need at least a 5-gallon container, and 10 gallons or more is better.
• Use potting mix, not garden soil. Garden soil compacts in pots and drains poorly.
• Feed regularly. Frequent watering flushes nutrients out of containers. Use a slow-release or liquid fertilizer according to the label.
• Water often. Check containers daily in summer. See how often to water plants.

Container gardening ideas

1. A salsa pot

Grow a compact tomato, a pepper plant and cilantro in a large container or a few pots grouped together.

2. A kitchen herb garden

Basil, parsley, chives, thyme and oregano thrive in pots near the kitchen door. Grow mint in its own pot, because it spreads aggressively.

3. A salad bowl

A wide, shallow container of mixed lettuces and spinach lets you snip fresh greens for weeks in spring and fall.

4. Potatoes in grow bags

Fabric grow bags make it easy to grow potatoes. Just tip the bag over at harvest time.

5. Vertical gardens

Wall planters, railing planters and tiered stands maximize small balconies. Train cucumbers or pole beans up a trellis in a deep container.

6. Strawberry pots and hanging baskets

Strawberries in a hanging basket stay clean and away from slugs.

7. "Thriller, filler, spiller" flower pots

Designers use this formula for showstopping containers: a tall thriller (like an ornamental grass or canna), mounding fillers (petunias, coleus) and trailing spillers (sweet potato vine, calibrachoa) that drape over the edge.

8. A pollinator pot

Combine salvia, lantana and zinnias to bring butterflies and hummingbirds to your patio. See flowers that attract hummingbirds.

9. Upcycled containers

Galvanized tubs, wooden crates, old wheelbarrows and buckets all make charming planters. Drill drainage holes first.

Best vegetables for containers

Look for varieties labeled "patio," "bush," "dwarf" or "compact." Great choices include cherry tomatoes, peppers, lettuce, spinach, bush beans, radishes, green onions, herbs and compact zucchini.

Sun and placement

Most vegetables need 6 or more hours of sun. Shadier spots can still grow lettuce, herbs like parsley and mint, and shade flowers such as impatiens, begonias and fuchsias. Put heavy pots on wheeled plant caddies so you can move them easily.