Growing in containers may not be the first thing that comes to mind when you think about gardening.  But there are several benefits that container gardening has over traditional gardening.  Here are eight benefits to growing vegetables, herbs, and flowers in containers:

1. Easy to Relocate Plants

Location, location, location.  Where you grow plants is as important as how you grow them.  You can do everything right, but if you have planted in an area that does not get enough sun or water, it can negatively affect the plant’s growth.  For example, as the seasons change, so does the angle of the sun.  The location that received the perfect amount of sun in the spring and summer may be inadequate for a fall garden.  Growing in containers allows you to move plants according to the need.  Too much wind or not enough water or sun? Simply move the container to a more suitable location.

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In addition, you may also need to move plants to protect them from winter conditions.  Cold temperatures and frost do not have to spell the end of the growing season.  Cold frames, greenhouses, or indoor spaces, especially under a well-lit window or grow lights, can help extend the growing season and protect the plant from the harsh cold.  By growing in containers, you can move plants to protective spaces until the spring arrives.

2.  No Weeding

If you hate weeding, container gardening is for you! Containers are filled with potting mix, so there are no weed seeds to begin with.  And because the plants are above ground, those sneaky weeds can’t spread from neighboring soil.  On the rare occasion that a weed seed, carried by the wind, lands in your container and takes root, it will be easy to pull out.

Weed-free gardening eliminates one of gardening’s most hated chores, giving you more time to enjoy your garden and outdoor space.

3.  Customize Nutrition

Gardening in containers allows you to customize nutritional supplementation to meet the specific needs of each plant. You can provide a little more nitrogen to nitrogen-loving plants like broccoli, Brussels sprouts, peas, beans, and spinach, without affecting those that need less nitrogen and more phosphorus like carrots, beets, turnips, and okra.  Container gardening also makes it easy to refresh the soil if needed for the next rotation of plants you will be growing.  No more once size fits all.

4.  Easy to Expand Your Garden

One of the best things about growing in containers is that it allows you to add more growing space, especially in unconventional places like balconies, terraces, patios, railings, along fences, porches, sidewalks, driveways, and window sills.  Containers also make it possible for people to garden who wouldn’t otherwise be able to.

Growing in containers such as pots or tubs is also a convenient way to supplement the harvest that comes from in-ground or raised bed gardens.  So whether you live in an apartment on the third floor or you have lots of backyard space, containers are an easy way to expand your garden.

5.  Control Soil Borne Problems

Another benefit to growing in containers is that it halts the spread of soil borne diseases like Fusarium wilt (damping off), Verticillium wilt, and root rot, as well as organisms like root knot nematodes.  When plants in the ground are infected with soil borne diseases and organisms, the infection can spread through the soil to neighboring plants.  But growing plants in containers limits the reach of such destructive pathogens and organisms, thus, stopping the spread and related crop damage.  Moreover, it is easier to remove and dispose of the contaminated soil if it is in a container as opposed to in the ground.

6.  Eliminate Damage From Underground Vermin

Some areas have rodents that live underground.  Gophers, pocket gophers, moles, and voles are notorious for either destroying plant roots while looking for grubs or for eating plants from the roots up.  Some gardeners even report entire plants disappearing from the garden overnight because a critter pulled them into their underground lair.  Needless to say, waking up to a garden with plants that are either damaged or M.I.A. is frustrating and costly.  But for those who grow in containers, it is not an issue.   

For those who think the subterranean critters will simply move on, think again.  Even if you trap one, the little vermin has friends.  If this is a problem in your area, container gardens will eliminate the frustration and costs associated with the loss of crops as well as the cost and effort it takes to get rid of these pests.

7.  Contain Plants That Spread

Some plants don’t know how to mind their own business.  Mint, purslane, oregano, sweet potatoes, ginger, creeping jenny, periwinkle, and so many more, spread out as they grow, claiming new territory by putting down more roots or rhizomes. Sometimes such aggressive growth can be a good thing, but it can also mean that a neighboring plant’s space is invaded. But not in containers!  Containers are good at, well, containing, making it easier to grow some of our garden favorites while curbing or controlling their spread.

8.  Containers Add Visual Interest

Another benefit to growing in containers is that they add visual interest to your outdoor space.  Containers come in all shapes, sizes, colors, and textures turning the garden into an outdoor canvas in ways that in-ground gardening cannot.

Traditional in-ground and raised bed gardening will always have a place in the world.  But growing in containers is a great way to make the world a more beautiful place.

Containers are a practical, beautiful, and easy way to grow vegetables, flowers, and herbs.  Consider adding some to your existing garden, or better yet, turn your barren outdoor space into a green haven.  (You can learn more about how to choose the right containers for growing vegetables in this helpful article!)

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