If I can do it, there is definitely potential for anyone starting your own container garden!

You see, when I originally wrote this post I lived in a 1,000 square foot apartment in Atlanta. You wouldn’t think I would have much potential for gardening, but one look at this picture and you can see my mini-vegetable jungle in full bloom!

Several years ago I began my gardening adventures with a single plant. A tomato plant. At least that’s what I thought until it began to grow cucumbers. True story.

For the first THREE weeks I thought maybe tomatoes were elongated and green in their infancy. Nope, only if they are cucumbers! 😂

Starting Your Own Container Garden:

Basics:

I bought a few books on the topic of container garden after my tomato/ cucumber mishap. There is really only one I recommend you buy if you are getting started, and that is McGee & Stuckey’s Bountiful Container.

I found that this has all the information ANY container gardener would need to know! Here’s what I learned from both the book and from my experience with successful container gardening.

1. You Need Drainage

It may sound elementary to some of you, but to start your own container garden the first thing you will need is a pot with holes in the bottom for water drainage. No drainage= PROBLEMS! When deciding on size, you need to know the adult size of the plant you want to grow. Of course, aesthetically, you may want to coordinate your pots. This year. I went thrifty and turned anything I could into a container. (Sorry neighbors!) I even had stools and garbage cans from IKEA that I drilled holes in the bottom of to make cheap pots!

2. Healthy Soil

The right DIRT is very important in container gardening. Make sure to buy an organic POTTING MIX. I learned this the hard way. Buying garden “soil” or even potting “soil” will lead to a stunted and rotted container garden. The “soil” will compact and it makes it difficult for water to drain through and roots to grow in a container. Buy Potting MIX.

3. Time Your Planting

Check your area’s planting schedule for when and what you will be able to plant HERE. You will need to enter your zip code into the box and then click on your Zone number.

4. Start With Transplants

If you’re a newbie gardener, I would start with “transplants.” These are baby plants that you buy at your local gardening store or nursery. Simply remove them from their temporary container, and “transplant” them into the containers they will grow to maturity in. This year my tomato plants were transplants and the first of my garden babies to produce (no, not a cucumber) a true TOMATO! Needless to say, I felt super awesome this time around. (:

5. Jiffy Pellets- What??

If starting plants from seeds, know that many seeds actually need to be started inside in smaller containers or even a Jiffy pellet kit. I learned this from the lady at my local Pike Nursery, but there are TONS of videos about this on You Tube as well. Jiffy pellets are what I used to start growing my pepper plants and all but one of the 12 I started with have survived and are beginning to flower and sprout REAL peppers! (And it’s super easy!)

6. Buy Organic Seeds

If you can find ORGANIC seeds in your area, I would use these for your garden. This way you can guarantee no pesticides are lingering, especially if you plan on using organic farming methods to maintain your garden. Also, you never know what is a GMO these days!

7. Feed Your Plants

You will need to feed your plants often with a good organic plant food or fertilizer if you want an abundant crop. I like E.B Stone for under $10.00 which should last you the whole season.

8. Water Water Water

Water daily. Filtered water is great, but don’t beat yourself up if you don’t. Rain water isn’t filtered either. We have THIS FILTER for our garden hose.

9. Make your Own Organic Pest Spray

If you NEED to use pesticides, look up some organic, natural pest control methods online or read about them in the book I recommended. These can be as simple as some peppermint oil and cayenne pepper diluted with water and castile soap in a spray bottle. Container gardens are much less likely to have pests since they are not in-ground. It also helps to keep them on a cement slab or patio to avoid pests even further. I feel “slack” for not telling you guys what miracle organic pesticide has worked for me, but I haven’t had a bug problem yet!

10. Enjoy and Cherish

Take time to sit in and enjoy your garden! My daughter and I are so proud of ours and it has become a ritual for us everyday to water our garden together and say “hello” to the plants. No matter how totally hippie that sounds, we love it! This year we have successfully grown tomatoes, banana peppers, bell peppers, basil, lavender, parsley, carrots, radishes, beans, chard, and cucumbers.

If you got to the end of this list and still feel overwhelmed, please know that I felt the same way in the beginning. My green thumb surely evolved over time and from trial and error. Start with your one plant. Just one! And perhaps your love of container gardening will grow. 🙂

I’m curious what you guys would add? How many experienced container gardeners out there?

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