I’m learning to grow plants in containers and a common problem I find is wind affecting the plants. Here’s some helpful information on protecting your container plants from this issue.
How can I protect my container garden from wind? Here are a few tips:
- Use a windscreen to reduce wind
- Tie the plants to a stable base
- Choose a wind-tolerant container
- Grow wind-tolerant plants
- Stick bottom of pots to saucers
- Grow tall plants that can diffuse wind
- Protect individual plants with a cover
- Add a plastic sheet to cover all your containers
- Bring your container plants indoors
It’s easy to implement these tips in your container garden if you follow the details that I’ve written below.
How to protect your container garden from wind?
Use a windscreen to reduce wind
The easiest option you have is to add a windscreen to your container garden. This will help reduce the speed of the wind hitting your plants.
You can have a wooden trellis or even construct a wall as a windscreen. I don’t recommend you use a wall to completely block the wind.
This is because the wind will just flow over the wall and still hit some of the plants. And it will block the light from reaching your plants as well.
You can use a trellis but you need to either plant it in the ground or tie it to some support like the railing of your balcony. You can drill holes in plexiglass and tie it to the balcony as well.
Tie the plants to a stable base
Another good option is to tie the plants to a stable base. This could be a stake that you drive into the ground or the balcony railing.
I don’t recommend tieing the plants to a stake inside the pot itself. This does not offer much protection from the wind. It may even increase the chances of the pot toppling over due to the weight.
Instead, you can have the stake inside another pot and then tie the plant to it for some stable support.
Choose a wind-tolerant container
The heavier your container, the better support your plants will get against the wind.
You can either get containers that are heavy like those made with porcelain, ceramic, or metal. Or you can make the containers heavy by using large ones and filling them up with soil.
I don’t recommend adding rocks to the top of the container to increase weight. This prevents air and moisture to circulate around the plants and its roots.
Instead, you can grow the plant in a smaller pot and place it inside a larger one. Then add sand or gravel in between the two pots.
You can choose containers that are short and square. These have a much better chance against the wind than tall ones.
Grow wind-tolerant plants
There are certain plants that are adapted to windy environments. Growing them can help you avoid problems of wind in your garden.
These plants can be tall and bend with the wind. However, you’re limited in the type of plants you want to grow.
Another option is to grow small plants and plants with a wide base and narrow leaves.
Stick bottom of pots to saucers
You might be stuck with pots that don’t do well against the wind. A solution for this is to use heavy saucers as the base.
You can then hot glue the base of the pot to the saucer so it gets the required stability.
Just make sure that there is sufficient drainage possible when using the saucer. You don’t want to end up blocking the drainage holes with the glue.
Grow tall plants that can diffuse wind
You can grow tall plants that are stronger to withstand the wind. And then disperse smaller and weaker plants among them.
They will act as a barrier to reduce the wind that reaches the smaller plants. However, you need to be careful the tall plants don’t block the sunlight from the smaller plants.
You can do this by either planting the taller plants behind the smaller ones. Or taking care of the direction in which the plants can grow. So the sunlight can reach all possible areas of your container garden.
Protect individual plants with a cover
You can use a cover like a bell-shaped glass jar over plants to protect them from the wind. If this is difficult to get, you can also use plastic containers like a milk jug.
Just cut open the bottom part of the milk jug and place them over the plants for protection. You can unscrew the cap so the plant gets sufficient air circulation. This also acts as a small greenhouse for your plants.
Add a plastic sheet to cover all your containers
Another easy option to protect your container garden from the wind is to cover the entire area with a sheet. This sheet could be made with polyethylene plastic or fiberglass sheeting. You can get garden tents that are made with such materials and use them.
The plastic sheet will protect your container plants from the wind. However, it will not protect against a drop in the night temperatures. You then need to cover the tent with a blanket to keep the plants warm at night.
Bring your container plants indoors
This method will only work if you have small container plants you can move around when you choose to. But it’s an effective method to bring in the plants when there’s a windy situation like a storm.
If you face this problem often in your area, you can consider placing the containers on movable trays. This will help you move the containers without exerting yourself too much.
What are some plants that are wind-tolerant?
There are some plants that you can consider as wind-tolerant and you can grow them in your containers. However, then you’re limited to a select range of plants.
There are other plants that you can still grow in your containers that wind does not affect as much.
Herbs are one such category of plants that are small and flexible. You can grow them without worrying about wind causing problems to them.
Leafy greens are another type of plant that wind does not affect thanks to their small and blocky nature.
Most types of succulents won’t have problems growing in windy areas as they do well in deserts that are always facing such an environment.
And of course you can grow root vegetables that have a major portion under the ground and aren’t affected by wind as much.
| Herbs | Greens | Roots | Flowers | Fruits |
| Cilantro | Spinach | Carrots | Zinnia | Raspberries |
| Basil | Bok choy | Beets | Azaleas | Strawberries |
| Oregano | Chard | Potatoes | Nasturtium | Blueberries |
| Thyme | Kale | Garlic | Geranium | Gooseberries |
| Rosemary | Arugula | Turnips | Marigold | Red currants |
| Sage | Lettuce | Radishes | Daylily | |
| Parsley | Leeks |
What are some heavy pots you can use in your container garden?
Heavy pots can be one of the best solutions to protect your container plants from the wind. Let’s look at some of the options you have for your garden.
Classic Home and Garden Whiskey Barrel
The Classic Home and Garden Whiskey Barrel weighs 3.45 lbs which makes it suitable for protection against wind.
The distressed oak finish gives it a beautiful look for your garden. And the UV coating helps protect this finish from fading.
The construction is durable and made with high-density resin.
This pot measures 12.5 inches in height, 14 inches in diameter at the bottom. And it can hold 12.5 gallons of material by volume.
This pot does not have drainage holes so be prepared to drill some in for your plants.
Rivet Rustic Stoneware Crosshatch Plant Pot
The Rivet Rustic Stoneware pot is made with 100% stoneware with electroplated bronze crosshatch.
The weight of this pot is 7.5 pounds which makes it heavy and suitable for growing your plants in windy areas.
It’s a beautiful looking pot that comes with a 10-inch diameter and 8.66-inch height.
It’s easy to maintain and clean this pot as required. And it comes with drainage holes so you can use it for growing your container plants.
Stone & Beam Mid-Century Two-Toned Planter
The Stone & Beam Two-Toned Planter is made with 100% stoneware. This gives it a weight of 5.99 lbs which makes it heavy and good for growing plants in windy conditions.
The dimensions of this planter are 7.87 inches in diameter and 8.46 inches in height.
The pot does have drainage holes so you don’t need to drill your own. It’s easy to maintain this pot and you can clean it with a cloth.
There’s also drainage plug in the bottom so you can choose whether you want to allow the water to drain or not.
Stone & Beam Modern Ceramic Floral Planter
The Stone & Beam Modern Ceramic Planter comes with a 100% stoneware that has a solid color glaze.
It looks beautiful and has a weight of 3.2 lbs which makes it heavy to withstand wind in the garden.
The dimensions of this pot are 5.9 inches in diameter, 5.51 inches in height.
This pot does not come with drainage holes. So you need to drill some for growing potted plants.
Fact Checked, Written, and Published by Kevin Rodrigues
Kevin is the founder of Gardening Mentor, a website that aims to teach people to grow their own food in a limited space. As a self-taught gardener, Kevin has spent several years growing plants and creating gardening content on the website. He is certified in Home Horticulture and Organic Gardening from Oregon State University. He has a Post Graduate Diploma in Horticulture and Landscape Gardening from Mumbai University.
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