Module 2: Plan Your Container Garden Layout

It’s best to plan your container garden so you know the space you have and how many vegetables you’ll be able to grow.

Spacing

You want sufficient space to grow the vegetables and to keep distance between them so they don’t get overcrowded. Lack of space will cause humid conditions that attract pests and diseases. 

I would suggest keeping 1-2 feet separate between the container plants. You don’t need to overthink this. Assume each container will be 10-inches wide and then plan how you’ll be placing them in the garden. You could even take a 10-inch container and place it in the location just to get an idea.

Sunlight

Sunlight is crucial if you want the vegetables to grow well and provide harvest. Most will need at least 6-8 hours direct sunlight. Some might tolerate shade but they are only a few. You should choose an area near your house or balcony that gets plenty of sunlight.

Take a day to measure the sunlight the area gets from sunrise to sunset. Every hour, visit the area and check the sunlight. This will give you a rough idea of the number of hours of direct sunlight your garden can get.

Now, this will change with the seasons as the angle of the sun changes. But the good thing about container gardening is you can move the containers to a place that is getting better sunlight.

Avoid areas that might be getting filtered sunlight such as fences, trees, tall plants, or walls.

Accessibility

The benefit of container gardening is you can place the containers anywhere available and move them around as needed.

Pick an area that you can easily access every day. I would suggest monitoring your container garden daily to check for issues. 

That’s why you need it in a location that you can visit daily. The place you use for gardening should have access to water supply such as a tap. This makes it easy to water plants regularly.

If you’re living in an apartment, this location will be nearby such as the balcony, patio, or kitchen. If you’re living in a house, it might be your backyard, porch, or kitchen.

If you’re a senior, it might be beneficial to place the containers on a bench. So you don’t need to bend and exert yourself while tending to the plants.

Action Steps

• Check the location near your house where you plan to build your container garden.
• Make a rough note of the area available and number of containers it could hold.
• Observe how much sunlight this location gets throughout the day and make a note.