Best Containers

One of the most important components in container gardening is the container itself. There are a variety of containers you can choose from and it can be overwhelming. This guide will help you pick one that is suitable for your needs.

I think for a beginner the Unique Bargains – Plastic Pot is a good choice for starting to grow some container plants. The dimensions are good enough to start growing almost any container plant. It has a top diameter of 7.7 inches, a height of 8 inches, and a bottom diameter of 6.3 inches. It’s made from plastic that makes it lightweight, durable, and inexpensive.

The most important thing you need to look for in a container is that it has a suitable width and height to grow the plant. And it’s good to have something that is durable and with good drainage. These and some other factors that I mention below should be in your mind when selecting a good container.

How To Pick The Right Container

Material

There are a variety of options you can choose from when it comes to the material used for the container. You can get plastic, terra cotta, metal, ceramic, clay, wood, concrete, and fiberglass containers.

The one you pick should be based on your garden needs. If you’re looking to grow some plants outdoors, a concrete one might be a good option. It is very durable to the elements like the heat and wind. The drawback is that it’s heavy.

If you’re looking for something lightweight, a plastic, terra cotta, or wooden pot is a good choice. Plastic is also inexpensive and reusable.

Terra cotta looks great with its earthy look but is brittle and porous. This means you need to water the container more frequently. This problem is avoided when you use a ceramic pot where you get a good looking pot without the porous nature.

Metal and fiberglass pots are very durable but they can tend to be expensive.

Size

The size of the container you choose depends on the plant you want to grow in it. If the plant is small and has small roots like herbs, you need a small container. But if the plant is going to grow large with deep roots, you’ll need a larger container.

I would suggest using a container that is 1-2 sizes larger than the plant. This helps the plant roots get the right area to spread out and collect moisture and nutrients. But it’s not so large that the plant roots get too many nutrients or risk of rotting due to the excess moisture.

The size you pick should also depend on where you’re going to place the container. Placing a large container on the ground or outdoors will not be a problem. But if you’re thinking of placing it on the balcony you need to ensure the structure can hold the weight of the container, plant, and the soil.

Drainage

This is an important factor that determines whether your plant grows well or suffers problems like root rot and overwatering. Some containers will come with drainage holes at the bottom for throwing out the excess water.

Some containers might not have such drainage holes and you’ll need to add some yourself. If it’s a plastic or terra cotta pot, this is easy to do. But for others like metal or ceramic, this might not be easy.

An option you have is to use a smaller plastic container for growing the plant and place the plastic container in a larger metal or ceramic container. This way you get the aesthetics of the larger container while having the benefit of the smaller one.

Quality

You need to pick a container that has good quality. This will ensure that the container will last a long time and you may even be able to reuse it for growing more plants in the future.

You want to get a good quality one because once you start growing a plant, you don’t want to have to transplant it just because your container was weak and broke down.

Price

Price should be the last factor to consider when choosing a container. The price will vary on the material used for the container.

Plastic and terra cotta containers are inexpensive compared to containers made with metal, ceramic, wood, or fiberglass.

You should not mind spending a little more if you can get a quality check on the container. It’s even better if you can get a warranty when selecting an expensive one.

Where can you find containers

There are plenty of stores both online and offline that will sell gardening containers. You can get them from your local garden center.

You can also get them from stores like Walmart, Home Depot, Target, and Amazon. There are a lot of small businesses that sell containers and you can buy it from them to show support.

If you’re looking to save some money or recycle old material, you can reuse things from your home as a plant container.

These could be things like buckets, paint cans, and metal food containers. Just make sure to clean them well before growing plants in them.

You can do this by adding 1 part bleach to 9 parts water. And soaking the containers in this mix for an hour. Then take the containers out and rinse it well with water. Then leave them to dry and they’re ready to grow plants in.

Some Containers You Can Choose From

I’ve written about some of the best containers you can choose based on the type of material whether it’s plastic, terra cotta, ceramic, metal, wood, concrete, or fiberglass.

Plastic Container

If you’re a beginner, I would suggest starting with a simple plastic container like the Unique Bargains – Plastic Pot. This is an inexpensive container that is durable and sufficient for starting your container garden. It has a top diameter of 7.7 inches, a height of 8 inches, and a bottom diameter of 6.3 inches.

Terra Cotta Container

The Bloem Terrapot is a container made from terra cotta. It has the typical terracotta earthy look. It has a UV resistant material that makes it durable in different weather conditions. It is 14 inches in height and 16 inches in diameter.

That’s quite a good dimension for growing most of the container plants. It also has drainage holes at the bottom to protect plants from overwatering.

Ceramic Container

The Peach & Pebble Ceramic Planter is a good choice if you’re looking for something in ceramic. It has a width of 10 inches and a height of 10 inches as well. It’s made from good-quality material and comes with a 1-year warranty.

This container has drainage holes at the bottom that help you protect the plants from overwatering.

Metal Container

If you’re looking for a metal container, the Robert Allen Red Planter might be something to consider. This is a metal planter that comes with a 6-inch height suitable for small container plants.

It’s durable and elegant with 3 coats of paint. It also has drainage holes at the bottom.

Wood Container

The Millwood Pines Wood Planter has a 6-inch height and 5.5-inch width suitable for small container plants. It has handmade material and comes with a 30-day manufacturer warranty.

Concrete Container

The Kasamodern Concrete Planter comes with a 12-inch width, 12-inch length, and 12-inch height. It has a blend of fiber clay, cement, and magnesium that makes it strong and durable.

There is a drainage hole at the bottom which is useful to allow excess water to run out.

Fiberglass Container

The Root and Stock Fiberglass Planter comes in several varieties of dimensions but the 10-inch width and 9-inch height variant should be good for container plants.

The material used is weather-resistant fiberglass that makes it lightweight and durable. You can use this planter indoors or outdoors without any problems.

One drawback of this planter is that drainage holes are not already present. So you’ll need to drill some into this planter before use for your container garden.

Further Reading

Choosing the best container is one aspect of building a good vegetable container garden. I’ve written a lot more that can help you and you’ll find it under the basics of container gardening below,