Two Easy Steps to Container Garden Planning...

When it comes to container garden planning, there are really two main factors to consider:

1. Container location
2. Container size

Location, Location, Location!

It's as important in the container garden planning process as it is to real estate. The location of your container garden is VERY important. The success of your garden depends in it! It must be in a location that gets an adequate amount of direct sunlight - at least 5-6 hours everyday, but more is better. Your back deck or patio might be an ideal spot, if it meets the sunlight requirements. If not, you need to come up with some other location options.  If you live in a house, you can always place the containers in a sunny part of the yard or driveway. Just remember, the containers will probably kill any grass that might be growing underneath. If this happens, you can always visit my friend Daniel over at Better-Lawn-Care.com. He's got lots of great info about bringing your lawn back to life and keeping it in great shape.

In some parts of the country, wind can also be a factor to consider with a container garden.  Ideally, you don't want the plants in the containers to be exposed to constant wind.  This can dry out the plants or even knock them over if they grow tall enough.  Think about using a garage, shed or even a privacy fence as a wind break when choosing where to put your container garden.  

When choosing a location for your container garden, also think about other factors that may harm the plants.  Pets, kids playing with balls or other flying toys, deer and rabbit activity, etc... are all things to consider when determining where you want to put your containers.

If you live in an apartment in the city, the roof of your apartment building might be a good option. If your container garden doesn't get enough direct sunlight, it's almost sure to under-perform.

Size Matters!

And it's the second step in planning your container garden. The size of the container/s you need is dependent upon the type of vegetables you want to grow. A two gallon pot might be perfect for a hot pepper plant, but not nearly big enough for a large tomato plant. Check out our individual vegetable information pages for container size requirements. These vegetables are listed in the navigation bar on our Home page.

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