Make Container Gardening Crazy Easy!

You want to start your garden, but you think don’t have enough space. Don’t worry! You don’t need to have a huge backyard to start a garden – you can grow in containers.

Container gardens are easy to start, easy to scale up, and even portable if you decide to move. It’s all the benefits of a full-size garden in a portable, easy to deal with package. Sure there are some crops that don’t lend themselves to container growing, but I think you’ll be suprised at the big yields you can get out of small spaces.

Like any garden planning, to get the most out of your container garden, you need to make some choices up front. First, decide what you want to grow and how much you want to grow of it. You also need to set some parameters for the budget you have available, how much time you have to spend, and the look you want for your container garden. There are an almost infinite number of container sizes, types, materials etc. You need to decide what your vision is for your container garden and then work to make it a reality.

Next you need to figure out what you’re going to fill your containers with. This may depend on what you decided to grow, how big your containers are and what your budget is. It’s easy to spend more than you planned if you don’t have a realistic idea of how much growing medium it’s really going to take to set your container garden up. Figure out if you have access to any free or low cost dirt or compost in your area, sometimes there are gardening programs you never even knew they existed.

You also need to think about where your container garden is going to be located. Indoors or out? Natural lighting or will you supplement with grow lights or lamps? How long of a growing season will you have? The answers to these questions may help you decide the containers and types of crops that will work best. Also make sure the location you choose has easy access to water and you have the tools you need for your garden to thrive. One big benefits of growing in containers, if your first location isn’t working out, it’s a lot easier to move your container garden than one in the ground!

Finally you need to choose the variety of plants you’re going to grow in your container garden. Some plants lend themselves to growing in containers, and others can work with a little improvisation. Seed growers have even developed specific varieties that work really well in containers. You also need to think about any special care that your container plants might need. For example, if you are growing inside without natural pollinators or wind, do you need to hand pollinate your plants to make sure they set fruit? Do some research to make sure you know how to care for your specific varieties.

So, you’ve got your dream container garden layout with your perfect containers. You know what you’re going to fill them with and where they are going to be located. You even have perfect varieties picked out and know about any special needs your plants may have. You’re ready to start your crazy easy container garden. Get going today!

Still feel like you have more questions or want some help stepping through the container garden planning process? Check out my Crazy Easy Containers guide with more info on the steps above and worksheets to fill out for each step with the key questions you need to answer at each stage.