N
Netanya Sadoff
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- Thread Author
- #1
Container gardening comes with its own host of challenges and learning experiences that differ from those seen in traditional gardening. In many cases, traditional gardening advice simply doesn’t hold up against the conditions of a pot or planter; instead, soil, watering, and harvest expectations require a different frame of reference to understand and maintain your plants effectively.
Here are a few tips from my experience in micro-gardening, and a few easy mistakes I’ve made that you should avoid:
I start seeds inside in late winter-early spring. This ensures I have seedlings ready to go in-ground as soon as the frosts are over.
This tip isn’t container-exclusive, but nonetheless super important! For a first timer, growing plants from seed quite a daunting task. However, take the time to learn the basics and you’re bound to have success. Plus, the sense of accomplishment that comes from harvesting a vegetable you’ve nursed along from seed to adulthood is like no other!
Some plants are easier to start from seed than others. I have had great luck starting spinach, chard, bok choy, basil, marigolds, radish, parsley, and head lettuce from seed. I had less luck with broccoli, oregano, lavender, and rosemary, although I do have one thriving broccoli plant from seed starting last spring and a seed-started oregano patch in one of my herb pots.
Certain plants need a very long season to grow to fully maturity. These are the plants you’ll be wanting to start inside, rather than direct-sown in the soil of your garden or containers. Starting seeds indoors allows for us in cool-climate parts of the world to grow and harvest plants like broccoli successfully.
When plants stay stout, small, and scraggly in your container, it could be due to plants being placed too close to each other. After harvesting the bok choy (left), I retained the chard and replanted the pot with basil and later, some marigolds. I plan to fully harvest this pot and replace its contents with cool-season veggies, this time with PROPER spacing. Photo credit: Netanya Sadoff (left); Lejo Kaarlo Arvet Silfverhjelm (right)
Here is one of my fails from this last growing season: I tried cramming too many plants into too small of a container, leading to one plant dominating in one case and meager growth across the board in another. If you are going to be zealous in seed starting, ensure you have the container space to accommodate every plant you grow. Make sure to take into account how big each plant gets at full size, and plan according to the written seed spacing and plant sizing found on the back of your seed package.
I did not consult the back of my seed package when spacing my plants for my second harvest, and tried fitting a spinach, two marigolds, a old and well-rooted Swiss chard, and large basil plant all in one 12-inch pot. Regrettably, this decision led to the health of all of my plants to suffer and the pot looks less like a healthy, happy collection of plants and more like a hospital sick ward. (see August image above!)
When growing in containers, it is normal for your plants to not reach the same size as the same plant grown in a large garden bed. However, you shouldn’t settle for tiny plants and a meager harvest. Under ideal circumstances, plants will eagerly grow large enough to fill out whatever container you put them in, so to increase your yield, one should try choosing a pot a size larger than they think they’ll need to encourage healthy growth all season long.
If you don’t have the money or space to buy large pots, don’t fret: you can still have a successful garden that is petite and wallet-conscious. The trick? Growing dwarf cultivars and plant varieties. These diminutive little guys will deliver all the flavor and fun of a full-sized vegetable, with none of the bulk. Find some of our favorite mini-veggies in our blog about tiny vegetables.
I personally wish I had thought ahead and purchased a larger pot for my San Marzano tomato plant. I probably would’ve had a larger harvest and a happier plant if I didn’t have it contained in a 12-inch pot all summer long! Still, I was able to harvest enough tomatoes to make a delicious pasta sauce.
After a long afternoon tending to your plants, it can be tempting to pretend to not see an aphid or two on your lettuce as your finishing up for the day. However, it is absolutely crucial to notice and treat pests and diseases ASAP to prevent damage and spread of the issue to your other plants. With containers, this is an especially crucial issue as the small space you have to work with makes disease transmission all the faster (and more devastating to your crops) when it occurs.
Early this summer, I made the crucial mistake of ignoring cabbage worms on my broccoli for about a week before doing anything. In that short time, the small, harmless-appearing worms on my plant devoured roughly 40% of the crop and left the rest of the plant frail and unhealthy. Eventually, I could no longer ignore the damage on my plant and I spent about an hour picking off and smushing countless cabbage worms off my broccoli until none remained.
If you find pests on your precious plants, don’t panic: there are ways to remove harmful insects, fungi, and other issues from your garden without resorting to pulling the plant or using toxic chemicals. For many plants, a natural solution using diluted neem oil* is enough to kill and deter most issues. I personally use a formula dubbed “sexy plant juice spray” by plant influencer Paige Tailyn, aka Blossom Effect on social media. This all-in-one plant pick-me-up is a DIY concoction make with neem oil, peppermint Castille soap, and rubbing alcohol.
This colorful planter from the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum demonstrates the beauty of mixed use companion plant containers. Nasturtium (bottom right) acts as a trap crap that prevents bests from attacking the the kale (center), chard (center left) and sweet potato vine (throughout).
There’s a lot of talk in the garden world about companion planting. that is, growing plants near each other so they provide benefits to one or both plants. You see a lot of companion planting in community gardens, where the presence of trap crops and pest-deterring flowers helps not only one person, but every family with a plot in the garden.
With so much focus on using companion planting to aid gardens and agriculture on a larger scale, it may seem silly to try companion planting in containers. However, even with space at a premium, your plants greatly benefit from being grown together with compatible companions to spectacular visual and performance results.
For container-based planting, avoid tall or space-intensive companions. Instead, opt for smaller varieties that can grow well in a shared container. For example, I grow dwarf French Marigolds underneath my tomato plant. Marigolds are shown to prevent whiteflies from infesting my plants by releasing limonene, a natural insecticide. The farmer’s almanac has a great companion planting chart you can use to find which plants will become fast friends in a shared container.
Due to being confined to a small space, container plants are less resilient to environmental changes and conditions compared to your standard garden plant. Pots tend to dry out quickly, so it is of utmost importance to water your plants on a regular, constant schedule to keep them happy and healthy.
When growing in containers, you’ll need to water more often than if you were growing in the ground, regardless of the type of plant. I check on my containers every morning to see if they need water. You can do this by sticking a finger up to your knuckle into the soil. If the soil feels dry, that means its time to water!
It is best to water your plants in the morning, when the sun is still low in the sky so evaporation off the soil and leaves is minimal. Water at the base, not the leaves. Wet leaves attract pests and increase the likelihood of fungal infections, such as powdery mildew. If you neglect to water your plants regularly and often, they will become more susceptible to certain issues (like sun scald) and may develop visible signs of stress. Watch out for wilt, yellowed leaves, or droopiness.
What a difference a season makes! I will be investing in a pot twice the size as this one for next years tomato plant!
: Netanya Sadoff (left), Lejo Kaarlo Arvet Silfverhjelm (right)
One plant that’s infamous for being a diva about watering are tomatoes. Whether grown in the ground or in a planter, tomatoes demand a TON of water, and will absolutely let you know when they are dehydrated through dramatic yellowing and droopiness of the leaves, especially near the bottom of the plant.
Earlier this summer, I misjudged the resiliency of my tomato plant and assumed it would be fine without water for 36 hours while I visited family. When I came back, my tomato was the plant equivalent of a sickly Victorian child, drooped and yellowing while prematurely dropping its fruit. I quickly watered deeply at the soil level (as is recommended for most container plants) and prayed for its recovery. Within a few days, the tomato had regained its upright stature and most of its strength, but the yellowed bottom leaves never improved in health.
If you plan on using neem oil to treat your plants, be aware that this natural insecticide doesn’t discern friend from foe when destroying bugs. It might help with your Japanese Beetle infestation, but it could also kill the helpful insects (like butterflies, bees or ladybugs) that help your plants and the ecosystem thrive. It also can be tough on your plants, and can hurt or kill them if used with little discretion. Like any insecticide, it is prudent to be sparing in its use.
Netanya Sadoff is a bold young writer and educator with a passion for all things gardening. A lifelong plant enthusiast, Netanya is delighted to contribute to Northern Gardener as their Marketing Intern since June 2025.
Follow them @Net.Sadoff on Instagram.
The post Room to Grow: Do’s and Don’ts for your Container Garden appeared first on Northern Gardener.
Here are a few tips from my experience in micro-gardening, and a few easy mistakes I’ve made that you should avoid:
I start seeds inside in late winter-early spring. This ensures I have seedlings ready to go in-ground as soon as the frosts are over.
Do: Start plants from seed
This tip isn’t container-exclusive, but nonetheless super important! For a first timer, growing plants from seed quite a daunting task. However, take the time to learn the basics and you’re bound to have success. Plus, the sense of accomplishment that comes from harvesting a vegetable you’ve nursed along from seed to adulthood is like no other!
Some plants are easier to start from seed than others. I have had great luck starting spinach, chard, bok choy, basil, marigolds, radish, parsley, and head lettuce from seed. I had less luck with broccoli, oregano, lavender, and rosemary, although I do have one thriving broccoli plant from seed starting last spring and a seed-started oregano patch in one of my herb pots.
Certain plants need a very long season to grow to fully maturity. These are the plants you’ll be wanting to start inside, rather than direct-sown in the soil of your garden or containers. Starting seeds indoors allows for us in cool-climate parts of the world to grow and harvest plants like broccoli successfully.
When plants stay stout, small, and scraggly in your container, it could be due to plants being placed too close to each other. After harvesting the bok choy (left), I retained the chard and replanted the pot with basil and later, some marigolds. I plan to fully harvest this pot and replace its contents with cool-season veggies, this time with PROPER spacing. Photo credit: Netanya Sadoff (left); Lejo Kaarlo Arvet Silfverhjelm (right)
Don’t: Improperly space your plants
Here is one of my fails from this last growing season: I tried cramming too many plants into too small of a container, leading to one plant dominating in one case and meager growth across the board in another. If you are going to be zealous in seed starting, ensure you have the container space to accommodate every plant you grow. Make sure to take into account how big each plant gets at full size, and plan according to the written seed spacing and plant sizing found on the back of your seed package.
I did not consult the back of my seed package when spacing my plants for my second harvest, and tried fitting a spinach, two marigolds, a old and well-rooted Swiss chard, and large basil plant all in one 12-inch pot. Regrettably, this decision led to the health of all of my plants to suffer and the pot looks less like a healthy, happy collection of plants and more like a hospital sick ward. (see August image above!)
Do: Opt for larger containers (when possible)
When growing in containers, it is normal for your plants to not reach the same size as the same plant grown in a large garden bed. However, you shouldn’t settle for tiny plants and a meager harvest. Under ideal circumstances, plants will eagerly grow large enough to fill out whatever container you put them in, so to increase your yield, one should try choosing a pot a size larger than they think they’ll need to encourage healthy growth all season long.
If you don’t have the money or space to buy large pots, don’t fret: you can still have a successful garden that is petite and wallet-conscious. The trick? Growing dwarf cultivars and plant varieties. These diminutive little guys will deliver all the flavor and fun of a full-sized vegetable, with none of the bulk. Find some of our favorite mini-veggies in our blog about tiny vegetables.
I personally wish I had thought ahead and purchased a larger pot for my San Marzano tomato plant. I probably would’ve had a larger harvest and a happier plant if I didn’t have it contained in a 12-inch pot all summer long! Still, I was able to harvest enough tomatoes to make a delicious pasta sauce.
Don’t: Ignore pests and diseases when they occur
After a long afternoon tending to your plants, it can be tempting to pretend to not see an aphid or two on your lettuce as your finishing up for the day. However, it is absolutely crucial to notice and treat pests and diseases ASAP to prevent damage and spread of the issue to your other plants. With containers, this is an especially crucial issue as the small space you have to work with makes disease transmission all the faster (and more devastating to your crops) when it occurs.
Early this summer, I made the crucial mistake of ignoring cabbage worms on my broccoli for about a week before doing anything. In that short time, the small, harmless-appearing worms on my plant devoured roughly 40% of the crop and left the rest of the plant frail and unhealthy. Eventually, I could no longer ignore the damage on my plant and I spent about an hour picking off and smushing countless cabbage worms off my broccoli until none remained.
If you find pests on your precious plants, don’t panic: there are ways to remove harmful insects, fungi, and other issues from your garden without resorting to pulling the plant or using toxic chemicals. For many plants, a natural solution using diluted neem oil* is enough to kill and deter most issues. I personally use a formula dubbed “sexy plant juice spray” by plant influencer Paige Tailyn, aka Blossom Effect on social media. This all-in-one plant pick-me-up is a DIY concoction make with neem oil, peppermint Castille soap, and rubbing alcohol.
This colorful planter from the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum demonstrates the beauty of mixed use companion plant containers. Nasturtium (bottom right) acts as a trap crap that prevents bests from attacking the the kale (center), chard (center left) and sweet potato vine (throughout).
Do: Grow companion plants together
There’s a lot of talk in the garden world about companion planting. that is, growing plants near each other so they provide benefits to one or both plants. You see a lot of companion planting in community gardens, where the presence of trap crops and pest-deterring flowers helps not only one person, but every family with a plot in the garden.
With so much focus on using companion planting to aid gardens and agriculture on a larger scale, it may seem silly to try companion planting in containers. However, even with space at a premium, your plants greatly benefit from being grown together with compatible companions to spectacular visual and performance results.
For container-based planting, avoid tall or space-intensive companions. Instead, opt for smaller varieties that can grow well in a shared container. For example, I grow dwarf French Marigolds underneath my tomato plant. Marigolds are shown to prevent whiteflies from infesting my plants by releasing limonene, a natural insecticide. The farmer’s almanac has a great companion planting chart you can use to find which plants will become fast friends in a shared container.
Don’t: Water your plants irregularly
Due to being confined to a small space, container plants are less resilient to environmental changes and conditions compared to your standard garden plant. Pots tend to dry out quickly, so it is of utmost importance to water your plants on a regular, constant schedule to keep them happy and healthy.
When growing in containers, you’ll need to water more often than if you were growing in the ground, regardless of the type of plant. I check on my containers every morning to see if they need water. You can do this by sticking a finger up to your knuckle into the soil. If the soil feels dry, that means its time to water!
It is best to water your plants in the morning, when the sun is still low in the sky so evaporation off the soil and leaves is minimal. Water at the base, not the leaves. Wet leaves attract pests and increase the likelihood of fungal infections, such as powdery mildew. If you neglect to water your plants regularly and often, they will become more susceptible to certain issues (like sun scald) and may develop visible signs of stress. Watch out for wilt, yellowed leaves, or droopiness.
My experience: tomato melodrama
What a difference a season makes! I will be investing in a pot twice the size as this one for next years tomato plant!
One plant that’s infamous for being a diva about watering are tomatoes. Whether grown in the ground or in a planter, tomatoes demand a TON of water, and will absolutely let you know when they are dehydrated through dramatic yellowing and droopiness of the leaves, especially near the bottom of the plant.
Earlier this summer, I misjudged the resiliency of my tomato plant and assumed it would be fine without water for 36 hours while I visited family. When I came back, my tomato was the plant equivalent of a sickly Victorian child, drooped and yellowing while prematurely dropping its fruit. I quickly watered deeply at the soil level (as is recommended for most container plants) and prayed for its recovery. Within a few days, the tomato had regained its upright stature and most of its strength, but the yellowed bottom leaves never improved in health.
Final tip– Neem oil
If you plan on using neem oil to treat your plants, be aware that this natural insecticide doesn’t discern friend from foe when destroying bugs. It might help with your Japanese Beetle infestation, but it could also kill the helpful insects (like butterflies, bees or ladybugs) that help your plants and the ecosystem thrive. It also can be tough on your plants, and can hurt or kill them if used with little discretion. Like any insecticide, it is prudent to be sparing in its use.
Netanya Sadoff is a bold young writer and educator with a passion for all things gardening. A lifelong plant enthusiast, Netanya is delighted to contribute to Northern Gardener as their Marketing Intern since June 2025.
Follow them @Net.Sadoff on Instagram.
The post Room to Grow: Do’s and Don’ts for your Container Garden appeared first on Northern Gardener.