Tight on space but itching to grow something? Gardening in containers may be a solution for you! Gardening in containers is a great way to grow both ornamental and edible plants even if you don’t have a few acres. Extension Master Gardener Benton Murphy covers the basics of container gardening, including raised beds, selecting the right container, suggestions on plants well-suited for containers, care tips for your pots, planters and raised beds, ways to create seasonal interest with containers, and more!
Zoom session, recorded April 19, 2024
Video of Presentation
Chapter Breaks
- 0:00:00 Introduction & Overview
- 0:05:01 Planning Your Garden for Your Goals
- 0:07:12 Advantages of Container Gardening
- 0:08:44 Right Plant/Right Pot
- 0:26:07 Questions
- 0:29:52 Growing Medium
- 0:37:25 Watering
- 0:41:59 Fertilizing
- 0:45:29 Questions
- 0:48:53 Right Plant/Right Place
- 1:03:39 General Maintenance & Care
- 1:05:53 Overwintering
- 1:07:37 Ideas to Try
- 1:13:11 Questions
Additional Resources
Resources for Edibles in Containers
- Best Management Practices: Outdoor Container Gardening. Virginia Cooperative Extension.
- Relf, Diane, and John Freeborn reviewer. n.d. Vegetable Gardening in Containers. Virginia Cooperative Extension, Virginia Tech & Virginia State University.
- Stuckey, M. and Nichols, R. 2002. Bountiful Container: Create Container Gardens of Vegetables, Herbs, Fruits, and Edible Flowers. Workman Publishing Company, New York, NY.
- Traunfeld, Jonathan. 2006. Container Vegetable Gardening: Healthy Harvests from Small
Spaces. University of Maryland Extension, Home & Garden Information Center.
Resources for Attracting Pollinators
- Elaine Mills. 2020. Small Space Gardening for Pollinators. Master Gardeners of Northern Virginia.
Start at 1:09:43 to see her recommendations for natives for containers.
Suggested plants include perennials, ferns, grasses, sedges, rushes and small shrubs.
Resources for Native Plant Selection
- 26 Plants You Should Always Grow Side-By-Side. 2020. Editors of Good Housekeeping.
- Native Plants for Partially Shady or Shady Locations. Best Bets: Plants for Particular Uses. Master Gardeners of Northern Virginia.
- Plant NOVA Natives. Native plant resources for Northern Virginia.
- Tried & True Native Plants for the Mid-Atlantic. Master Gardeners of Northern Virginia.
Container Selection
- Albert, S. 2024. Container and Pot Sizes: How Much Soil Do I Need? Harvest to Table.
- Pennisi, B. February 2021. “The Container Conundrum.” Fine Gardening, pp. 37-41.
Soil Volume for all types of containers:
- Albert, S. 2024. Container and Pot Sizes: How Much Soil Do I Need? Harvest to Table.
- Pamuła, Hanna. 2024. Potting Soil Calculator. Omni Calculator.
Growing Fruit Crops in Containers
- Campion, F. February 2021. “No Orchard Needed.” Fine Gardening, pp. 56-61.
- Crignan, C. 2023. Growing Dwarf Citrus. University of Maryland Extension (umd.edu)
- Pruning: How to Prune Dwarf Apple Trees. 2009. Video. eHow Garden.
- Jackson L. and Williamson, J. 2004. Growing Fruit Crops in Containers. University of Florida Extension – Institute of Food and Agricultural Science.
- Nardozzi, C. 2024. Edible Landscaping – How To: Overwinter Containerized Fruit Trees – National Gardening Association Learning Library.
Growing Roses in Containers
- American Rose Society
- Capote, Jason. “Growing Roses in Pots — Winterizing Your Roses.” Spring 2018 | American Rose Society Newsletter.
- Tips for Growing & Recommended Roses. Arlington Rose Foundation.
Growing Specimen Plants in Containers
- Ottesen, C. (Jan/Feb 2011). “Growing Carnivorous Plants in Containers.” The American Gardener. American Horticultural Society, pp. 18-22.
- Palmer, K. 2001. Growing Cacti in the Northwest. Clark County Master Gardeners. Washington State University Extension.
Seasonal Porch Pots
- Jones, C. (Sept/Oct 2019) “Seasonal Porch Pots.” The American Gardener. American Horticultural Society, pp. 15-19.
Additional Resources
- Goodspeed, Jerry. 2016. Seven Tips for Container Gardens that Thrill, Fill and Spill. Utah State University Extension.
- Knox, Gerry. 2008. Container Gardens for Outdoor Spaces. University of Florida Extension – Institute of Food and Agricultural Science.
- Opperman. Larry. 2020. The Upcycled Garden. Alaska Master Gardeners,
- Reed, Anne. 2021. Contained Excitement: Outdoor Container Garden Basics & What’s Trending! Master Gardeners of Northern Virginia.
- Walliser, J. (2017) Container Gardening Complete: Creative Projects for Growing Vegetables and Flowers in Small Spaces. Cool Springs Press, Beverly, MA.