This post shows you container garden tips beginners need before spending money!
Gardening is an experiment.
You can do everything right and no seeds will grow or you can create the worst conditions possible and new plant life will be born. It’s just a part of nature.
If you’re a beginner, don’t get discouraged if you don’t have success at first.
You’re not a real gardener if you haven’t killed a plant. But there are some things you can do to be proactive and give yourself the best chance of success!
Gardening can be healing, frustrating, and rewarding all at the same time.
What Beginners Should Know About Container Gardening
It’s therapeutic. I started gardening because I was depressed. And I prefer container gardening because I’ll admit, I just don’t have enough energy for the traditional way. Maybe one day that will change.
It’s spiritual. I like walking around barefoot on my patio, putting my bare hands in the soil, feeling a distant breeze, and observing everything around me. It truly makes you feel one with nature. Talking to my plants feels like having talks with God!
It’s practical. It’s no secret things are getting more expensive. Not only will a container garden help you supplement a growing grocery bill but growing plants brings a community of people together. Learn garden tips, swap plants with neighbors, or propagate to grow new ones!
When you find yourself surrounded by darkness, you have been planted.
All this to say, if you’re thinking about starting a container garden, stop thinking about it and just do it!
Here are some things to know so you can (hopefully!) avoid making the same gardening mistakes that I did.
10 Container Garden Tips for Beginners I Wish I Knew When I First Started
1. Start small.
If I could turn back time, I really would take the time to master one thing to grow. It would’ve saved me so much frustration, time, and heartache.
But I was obsessed and just knew I was going to save money by growing all of my own produce. Delusional, I know!
If you want quick success, start small with something that is low maintenance.
Once you get comfortable, move on to the next plant, and so on. For vegetables, herbs, beans, and peppers are great starter plants.
2. The bigger the pot, the better.
For seedlings, small containers or even using plastic baggies to germinate certain seeds are okay.
But once you transplant into a pot, the bigger the better. Why? Because the smaller the volume of soil, the quicker it will dry out! Watering plants multiple times a day gets old quickly.
Also, some plant varieties have deep root systems and need that extra space to mature and thrive. Depending on the plant, standard 12-inch pots are okay, but other times an 18 or 20-inch is even better!
And remember, it doesn’t need to be a pot! You can use grow bags, storage containers, or even 5 and 10-gallon buckets to grow in.
3. Find free resources.
I know what you’re thinking, you have to spend money in order to garden, right? Mm, wrong!
If you’re learning to garden when living in an apartment, then you can definitely learn to be resourceful in other ways.
Always try to find items for free before spending a dime. For example, did you know libraries participate in seed exchange programs where you can pick seeds up for free?
Some provide container gardening classes! With inflation at an all-time high, it’s important to take advantage of local resources.
4. Learn as you go.
Gardening is a trending hobby these days which is amazing!
However, with everything being so accessible, sometimes you may feel bombarded with information and get into a state of analysis paralysis.
Listen, you don’t need to be an expert in gardening. What you need are seeds, some soil, and a pot.
You will make mistakes so don’t feel like you need to consume every bit of information to get started. Learn by doing and by trial and error. The fun is in the journey!
5. Plant native flowers.
This seems so obvious but there was a time that I just could not figure out why my zucchini plants weren’t growing.
Turns out it was because they weren’t getting pollinated!
Help nature and plant some native flowers from your area or go by your local nursery to get flower recommendations to help attract bees and other pollinators.
This past summer, I saw my first hummingbird moth! You just never know what visitors you’ll have.
6. Be humble.
The great thing about social media is it will always inspire you to want to try something new, but they always leave out the ugly details.
You will kill a plant and that’s okay! Or you will do so well that insects will make themselves at home and eat that vegetable that took you months to grow and there’s not a single thing you can do about it.
If not insects, Mother Nature will ensure you pay the toll with a thunderstorm or two. Gardening will teach you a lot of life lessons, including patience.
7. Overwatering kills.
You’re going to want to nurture and love your plants and think water is helping them but you’re really just drowning them.
Always look up the water requirements for the plant you’re growing, hence why I said to start small.
Unless you’re growing heavy fruits, most plants only need an inch or two per week. This leads me to my next point…
8. Observation is key.
One day your plants will be thriving and the next day there will be a complete infestation!
At least in the early stages, observe your plants every day. Start a garden journal and keep notes of any changes you see.
There are even apps you can use to determine if your plant is sick and how to treat them! PictureThis is a great app and has helped me identify and fix a problem on more than one occasion.
Always observe how your plants act and respond to certain environments.
9. Grow with your lifestyle.
If you’re on the fence about gardening, don’t go online and buy a bunch of expensive supplies.
If you don’t have a lot of time to invest, start off growing plants that can stand some neglect, like herbs. Are you on a budget? Learn to resource what you can for free.
No balcony or outdoor space?
Grow an indoor hydroponic garden with jars. You know what you are willing and not willing to do. Don’t force it, but choose a method that complements your lifestyle.
10. Resistance is futile.
You will get addicted to gardening. There is nothing like seeing something you grew from seed, grow up, and thrive on its own.
Huge bonus if you actually eat vegetables that you grew yourself. There’s really no going back after that.
Plus, it’s healing. With so much chaos happening in the world, why not use these container garden tips for beginners to ground yourself in your own garden?
