Choosing Your Containers

YOUR NEXT TASK as a fearless small garden grower is perhaps the most expensive. Before you can begin to dig into your plants, you'll have to have somewhere to stow them. Recycled material is a container gardener's best friend for doing it on the cheap; be certain, though, that your pirated treasure wasn't used to hold oil, paint, or any other type of hazardous chemical before you plant your squashes in it (unless you want to grow that extra hand, of course). You have a number of options where containers are concerned. As usual, your main concern will probably be maximizing your sun and space.

FREE-STANDING CONTAINERS: Free-standing containers is what pops into my mind, at least, when I hear the words 'container garden', even though I don't use any of them myself! These containers rest on their own bottoms and have the excellent bonus that they may be moved easily without any messy drilling or major plant surgery.
The cheapest option here is the found free-stander: the elderly bucket, the make-your-own wooden container, the aging water butt. We'll come to a few caveats about free containers in a moment.
Next are the purchased variety of container. This includes unglazed terra cotta pots, lightweight styrofoam or plastic containers made to look like stone or terra cotta, wooden containers, and then those pots that aren't created for gardening but can be used that way nonetheless! The converted pots could be unused paint cans (sold at most hardware stores), buckets- whatever strikes your imagination.
The most expensive free-standing containers are large and heavy or else possess some type of advanced technology (I know, I know- advanced technology gardening! It's life on the edge!). Examples of each would include ceramic pots with some sort of decorative glazing (the glaze prevents water from evaporating through the sides of the terra cotta as quickly as an unglazed pot), or the self-watering planters from Gardener's Supply Company. Glazed pots can be purchased from larger outlets such as Home Depot or Lowe's, but really lovely ones can be had at local nurseries, such as Stringer's here in Memphis.

RAIL PLANTERS: This category is dominated by windowboxes, though there exist several types of containers specifically designed to 'straddle' a railing. They look pretty weird, but they seem to work! Windowboxes can be solid pots or can be merely a sturdy frame that is filled with a coconut mat or moss liner. My own are excellent lightweight frames with evergreen boughs wrapped around the frame inside and out- only $8 for each 24" box at Home Depot, though they don't seem to be for sale on the website.

HANGING PLANTERS: Hanging planters, like windowboxes, can be either solid material or a wire frame with a coconut mat or moss insert. Mine again came from Home Depot (don't judge me- it's in my back yard) for a decent $6, standard wire frame with a coconut mat interior. In order to get these down to a position that watering them doesn't take Stretchman-like superpowers, I also have short chains (Home Depot again, sorry!) that keep them at a more reasonable watering distance. Gardener's Supply Company also sells the ominously named 'Revolution'; the soil goes into a bag on the top and the plants grow through a hole in the bottom. It's supposed to be ideal for tomatoes and might be a good option for anyone interested in squeezing just one more veggie plant out of a narrow hanging space.

Ultimately, whatever container you choose needs to have:
- at least one 1/2 inch drainage hole at the base
- a wide opening
- a depth appropriate to hold any root vegetables
- (with exceptions) at least 4 inches across and 4 inches deep for herbs, and at least 5 inches across and 6 inches deep for veggies

Don't forget that wood can rot; redwood and cedar are most rot-resistant. Plastic can leach harmful chemicals into soil when left in the sun. And you're going to have to replace those coconut mats or moss interiors once a year (at least), so don't get too attached to them.

Once you have your containers, the fun of choosing your first harvest can begin!

Container Ideas:
Martha Stewart: Milk Pails
Martha Stewart: Surprising Garden Pots
Martha Stewart: Window Box Alternative