Prior to 2025, the only way Magz and I were able to garden was in containers. As renters, the opportunity to build raised garden beds or dig beds into the ground wasn’t there. In this post, I’m going to walk you through our history with container gardening, including the containers we used and what we grew, and discuss the pros and cons of gardening this way. Finally, at the end, I’ll ask the question, “Is it for you?”

Our Experience With Container Gardening

The Containers We Used

We have grown in many different containers. Our first experience was a terracotta pot that many people are familiar with. That was in 2016, and we used these pots in the years that followed. We’ve also used hard plastic planters of various sizes. They’re affordable and easy to find. The most unique containers we’ve gardened in are plastic totes and 5-gallon buckets. In 2022, we wanted to try growing a bunch of different seeds but couldn’t have an in-ground garden. So, we bought roughly a dozen plastic totes and two dozen buckets, along with some plastic planters and shallow totes for lettuce.

Finally, the most unique and potentially gimmicky planter was the GreenStalk. If you’re unfamiliar with GreenStalk, it’s a tiered growing system that maximizes the space to grow many plants. It has an ingenious design that trickles water down from the top tier. We had the 3-tier system that is currently sold for $110. We’re still technically gardening in a container with the planter box I built for our long beans. It was cheap to build and only took two hours. We also have a plastic rectangular planter that we have butterfly peas in.

I would say that of all the containers we’ve used, my favorites are the homemade wooden one I built and the GreenStalk. The wooden one is nice because it’s homemade and doesn’t use plastic. Anything we can do to reduce our dependency on plastic, even if it isn’t single-use, is a good thing. I also really liked the GreenStalk design. It allows you to grow a lot of vegetables in a small area and is relatively easy to use.

What Did We Grow?

We have grown a bit of everything in containers. In our GreenStalk, we tried growing lettuce, carrots, beets, bok choy, chamomile, and herbs. Prior to the GreenStalk, we grew a cherry tomato plant at our first apartment. Those are all pretty standard things. That all changed when we did our 2022 garden.

We unintentionally pushed the boundaries of what’s possible with a container garden. We attempted everything we could think of and were interested in. That included potatoes (early and mid-season), corn, cabbage, pumpkins, musk melon, watermelon, and Brussels sprouts. We also grew the vegetables that most people grow: cucumbers, tomatoes, peppers, lettuce, and beans. And for the most part, it all grew.

Were Our Container Gardens Successful?

In general, yes, our container gardens were successful, with each attempt producing more than the previous one. We got a few tomatoes from the first tomato plant we grew; however, it eventually died because we had to travel for work that summer and couldn’t find anyone to water it.

Our GreenStalk garden was doing well until we moved. We started everything from seed in early May and had successful germination. Unfortunately, two things happened that caused the plants to die before reaching full maturity. We had a week of intense rainfall not long after germination, which restricted early plant growth, and we unexpectedly had to move later in May. The move led to the plants experiencing shock. After moving, we were unable to tend to them for a week while we were getting some things settled, and by the time we got back, it was too late.

Our 2022 container garden was very successful. I believe people thought we were crazy for trying to grow plants that typically aren’t “container-friendly,” but we harvested multiple ears of corn, at least one big head of cabbage, many pounds of potatoes, and more than one watermelon, musk melon, and pumpkin. We also had a lot of success with our tomatoes, beans, and cucumbers.

Pros & Cons of Container Gardening

I’ve gone over some of our experience with container gardening, the majority being positive, but that doesn’t mean there weren’t some negatives. Here are some pros and cons of gardening in containers.

Pros

You’re (Almost) Guaranteed to Have Good Soil

When container gardening, you are typically bringing in soil to fill the containers. I think most people buy their soil in bags, but you can also buy it in bulk from landscape centers or garden supply stores. This soil is typically nutrient-rich, balanced, and light. It tends to drain well because it has vermiculite, perlite, or coconut coir in it. This is important when container gardening, but more on that in a bit. This type of soil makes it easier to have success when growing root crops like carrots and beets, as well as potatoes, since the roots don’t have to battle compacted soil to grow. If you’ve been following our blog from the beginning, you’ll know that good soil isn’t a guarantee.

Maneuverability

Container gardens give freedom that is impossible with traditional in-ground or raised bed gardens. You can place the containers in “creative” ways to maximize your space and relocate them to give them more sun or shade as needed. If you need to move around them, they can be moved for that reason too.

Opportunity to Garden

If you rent a house, you may not have the chance to build a raised garden bed or till up the lawn to create an in-ground garden. And if you live in an apartment, you certainly don’t have that chance. Containers give you that chance. I think it’s important that people have a connection to their food. Knowing how your food is grown gives us an idea of how much work goes into that vegetable you’re about to eat. A container garden may allow you to only grow a few plants, but that is better than nothing. The joy of harvesting your first successfully grown tomato or pepper is hard to describe.

Cons

Weight

Containers may provide maneuverability that rigid gardens don’t, but they’re not easy to move. The totes we grew in, especially the 33-gallon ones that our potatoes were planted in, were very heavy when full. We never weighed them, but I would guess that each was over 50 pounds. I could pick them up, but it was awkward and gave me some back pain. Dragging them was the easier option. Moving them a couple of feet each week to mow around them wasn’t a problem, but anytime I needed to move the rows around, it was a struggle. The buckets were much easier with their handles.

Another part of the weight is moving the soil around. If you buy soil in bulk, you have to get it into the containers. If you use bagged soil like we did, you have to carry those bags around. An individual bag may only weigh 40 pounds, but when you buy 20 of them at a time, it quickly adds up.

Watering

Something I didn’t know about container gardening before we began our 2022 garden was how different watering is compared to an in-ground garden or raised beds. Traditional gardens retain moisture quite well, so you can get away with only watering them once a week. You place your finger into the soil, and if it’s dry a couple of inches down, it needs water. It’s pretty straightforward. A container garden requires a much more hands-on and active approach. Even though the soil is good, the containers still don’t drain as well as raised beds or in-ground beds. The top of the soil will often dry out, while the bottom retains moisture. This can lead to overwatering and root rot. I found that you need to check the moisture level at a greater depth. Depending on the weather, we either needed to water the containers daily or every other day, but it was rare that the plants went more than a couple of days without water.

Cost

Starting a garden of any type can be expensive. I’ve gone into the costs of this year’s garden in various posts. Container gardens are no different and may actually be more expensive. If you don’t have the containers, you need to buy them. When we bought our totes, each one cost $5.98, so we spent roughly $80 on those. Each bucket was around $3, so we probably spent $50 on those. You also need soil and various amendments to help with draining. We bought perlite and broke up foam to put in the bottoms of the containers. Then you need to buy the seeds/starts, fertilizers, and plant supports that are needed for any garden. It quickly becomes expensive, and it doesn’t include the cost of water. We probably spent $500 on that year’s garden and got rid of most of the containers at the end of the year. For a one-year experience, it wasn’t cheap.

Neither a Pro Nor a Con

Amount of Work

Gardening in any form is a lot of work. It requires physical labor and time. I don’t think this is a bad thing, but it’s a commitment, and oftentimes, it’s done in hot weather. Container gardening is no exception. You don’t have to deal with the digging and weeding required with traditional gardens, but the amount of work is comparable. Each container needed to have drainage holes drilled. They were then filled with the perlite or foam and soil before the seeds were sown. And as I mentioned, the containers needed to be moved. I even moved them into our garage early in the year when we had torrential downpours. It was a lot of work, so please don’t start a container garden, especially a big one, if you think it will be light on work.

Do I Recommend Container Gardening?

Absolutely. If you’re interested in growing your own food but either can’t have a traditional garden or don’t want to commit to one, growing in containers is a great alternative. It is a ton of fun, and if you can commit to only having a few containers, it’s not too much work. The payoff can be huge and can take advantage of space that may otherwise go unused.

Tips for Container Gardening

After recommending gardening in containers, I want to share some tips that can hopefully help you. These are things we learned through our experiences.

1.) Buy the Right Seeds

It’s important to buy the right seeds when container gardening. A vegetable variety that works well in the ground could be problematic in containers. This is often due to the depth of the roots and the height of the plant at maturity. For root crops like carrots, you will have more success with shorter carrots like oxhearts than you will with longer ones like yellowstones. Most containers won’t have enough soil for carrots to reach their full size of 7 to 9 inches, so it’s best to stick to varieties that are only intended to reach 5 to 6 inches.

For non-root crops, you should look for container or determinate varieties. These are only intended to grow to a set height, making it easier to contain them. You can also look for bush varieties that don’t need trellising or supports. You can find bush varieties of beans and cucumbers and determinate varieties of tomatoes. For corn, we looked for varieties that only reached a height of 5 feet. That will reduce the risk of them getting too tall and blowing over in strong winds. There are a lot of container-friendly plant varieties now, so don’t be afraid of growing what you want to eat.

2.) Choosing the Right Size of Container

It’s important to choose the proper container size for the plant you’re growing. When in doubt, go with the bigger option. Plants want soil for their roots to explore, so give them as much depth as possible. You can put multiple plants in one container, but don’t crowd them. We tried growing more than one pepper and bean plant in 5-gallon buckets, which was a mistake. Your plant will be happier and grow fuller with extra room.

3.) Have Fun, and Don’t Worry About Mistakes

Gardening can be a lot of fun. It’s meant to be relaxing and helps us connect with nature. It can also be stressful. Accept that you will make mistakes, but please don’t let that get you down. Keep going (and growing) and focus on the success you’re having. At the end of the season, you can think about ways to improve next year’s garden.

If you’re thinking about container gardening but have been unsure if it’s a good option for you, I hope this post helps you feel confident. It’s certainly worth it.