Container Gardening 101 | What Size Container to Use, Best Container Crops & More!

Talking all about container sizes and the best edible plants to grow in your container garden! In this video I’ll break down what size container to use for what plant, how many plants to grow per pot, and more.

Welcome to my urban balcony garden! My name is Ally and I’m so happy to have you here. Follow along as I transform my balcony space into the lush garden of my dreams! With 84 square feet of space, I pack my balcony with more than 30+ plants every spring, summer, and fall. I’ve been gardening for over 5 years now using only containers and I’m always coming up with new ways to use what I grow in my kitchen — so make sure to subscribe to follow my journey of living more mindfully! Peace and love, Ally✌🏻🩷🌱

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[Music] hey everyone my name’s Ally and welcome or welcome back to my channel Mindful Living in today’s video I’m going to be talking all about container sizes when growing in containers choosing the correct size is a key factor to the success of your crops the size of the container directly impacts the plant’s root development access to nutrients and moisture retention when you plant in too small of a container it can lead to slow growth poor yields and more frequent watering but the right size container gives your plant room to grow and allows them to stay hydrated longer and absorb the nutrients they need to thrive in this video I’ll break down what size container to use for what plant how many plants you can grow per pot and more so let’s go ahead and get started so we’re starting off with a large size container which is anywhere from 5 to 10 gallons in a container this size you can grow tomatoes cucumber eggplant zucchini or squash potatoes broccoli and cauliflower all of these plants grow really large they need adequate root space so I recommend using a 5 to 10 gallon container for the best growth and production now I’m just going to show some examples for tomatoes you only want to plant one plant per pot even in a large-siz container like this when growing tomatoes in containers I prefer to grow determinant varieties over indeterminant the difference between the two is that determinant varieties will grow anywhere from 2 to 4 feet tall and then set all of their fruit at once they are smaller and more compact plants which makes them great for growing in small spaces whereas indeterminant tomatoes they are very large bushy plants they can grow upwards of 12 ft tall and they will continue growing until they’re killed off by frost i’ve grown both in my container garden and I definitely prefer determinant varieties because they help me save space while still providing a large crop of tomatoes cucumbers also grow well in a 5 to 10gallon pot cucumbers are moisture-loving plants that require consistently moist soil especially during the fruing stage so select a large and deep container with good drainage plant one to two plants per container depending on the size for example a 5gallon pot will support one plant and a larger 8 to 10 gallon pot will support two after planting I like to install a trellis to support the vines and train them to grow vertically select bush cucumber varieties which grow compact vines that are ideal for small gardens and containers a few of my favorite bush varieties are pickle bush which grows smaller pickling cucumbers or bush champion which grows larger fulllength cuces like I’m showing here another plant that requires a large 5 to 10 gallon container is zucchini as you can see from the size of the leaves here zucchini grows quite big and will sprawl out 2 to 3 feet tall and wide so you only want to grow one plant per pot like cucumbers it’s best to grow bush varieties in containers which require less space than vining varieties and they grow more compact with their leaves and fruit emerging from the center point of the plant lastly eggplant is another great option to grow in a 5 to 10 gallon pot while you can grow any type of eggplant I like to select smaller varieties like black beauty fairy tale or patio baby which are known for their compact bushy growth habit the plant I’m showing here is a black beauty eggplant which produces glossy dark purple fruits that are typically 6 to 8 in long okay so now we’re going to move on to a mediumsiz container which is anywhere from 3 to 5 gallons in a container this size you can grow various plants like peppers green beans Swiss chard carrots leaks peas and kale i’ll show you some examples of what I’ve grown in a 3 to 5 gallon pot first being peppers all varieties of peppers will grow well in a 3 to 5 gallon container but you only want to plant one pepper plant per pot i’ve grown quite a few different types of peppers in my container garden over the years a few of my favorites include sweet bell peppers like the California Wonder variety which are a staple in most gardens i also love growing banana peppers i typically grow both a hot and sweet variety in my garden each year as they are high producing plants that grow lots of banana-shaped peppers you can also grow spicy varieties of peppers like habanero jalapeno or cayenne which all thrive in containers as well another edible plant you can grow in a medium-sized container is green beans which are also referred to as snap or string beans opt for a bush variety of beans like tender green or golden yellow wax and you can plant two to three plants per pot bush beans grow more compactly so they only reach about two to three feet tall and they don’t require a support like pole beans which grow long climbing vines bush beans also grow very quickly maturing in only 50 to 55 days and they produce a large harvest of tasty beans for you to enjoy another option is Swiss chard which is a vibrant and nutritious leafy green that grows well in a medium-sized container that is 3 to 5 gall in a container this size you can easily grow two to three plants but keep in mind that the leaves will be slightly smaller when you grow multiple plants together so if you want larger leaves then only grow one plant per pot to add a pop of color to your garden space choose colorful varieties like rhubarb or bright lights which have red yellow or orange stocks you can use the cut and come again method like I’m showing here harvesting the outer leaves and your plant will continue growing all summer into fall allowing for multiple harvests off each plant another nutritious leafy green that grows well in a medium container size is kale my favorite is the dwarf curly kale variety which has a smaller growth habit compared to other types of kale and is known for its distinct leaves that have curly or fringed edges in a 3 to 5gallon pot you can grow one to two plants one plant will spread out and produce larger leaves in a pot this size or you can grow two plants in one pot which will produce slightly smaller leaves last but not least I’ll be sharing what to grow in a smalls size container which is anywhere from 1 to two gallons in a small pot like this you can grow shallow rooted plants like lettuce arugula spinach radishes green onions and various herbs for example lots of different herbs will thrive in a smaller container and depending on the type of herb and the pot size you’ll be able to plant multiple plants basil does well in a container this size i have three plants growing in this one pot dill also grows well in a smaller pot like this and you can have multiple plants growing along with green onions and chives i planted these chibives 5 years ago now and they continue to come back and regrow in the same container each year another option is stevia which is a natural zerocalorie sweetener that is made from the leaves of this plant in a wide but shallow container like this you can also companion plant multiple herbs like rosemary thyme oregano sage and parsley lettuce and other leafy greens will thrive in a small but wide container as they all have a shallow root system i always grow lettuce arugula and spinach in these longer blue containers that aren’t very deep but they are wider to accommodate multiple plants stackable planters also work great for growing lettucees and leafy greens i typically can grow 12 heads of lettuce in this three tier stackable planter radishes also have a shallow root system which makes them ideal for growing in a 1 to two gallon pot again opt for a wide but shallow container so you can sew multiple seeds 1 to 2 in apart in a container this size you can easily grow 6 to eight radishes radishes also grow very rapidly and are typically ready for harvest within 30 days well that’s it for this video i hope if you guys enjoyed learning about container sizing and what plants grow best in what size container that you’ll give this video a thumbs up leave me a comment down below and let me know what you’re growing in your garden this year and don’t forget to hit subscribe so you don’t miss any of my future uploads thank you guys so much for watching and I’ll see you in my next one [Music]