Grow Beautiful Plants in Pots and Containers
Clear, practical guides to choosing containers, potting mix, watering and plants for patios, porches and doorsteps.
New to growing in pots? Read these four guides in order, from choosing a container to watering it well.
New to growing plants in pots? Learn why containers behave differently from garden beds, the five decisions that shape most results, and a small first project that is easy to manage.
A step-by-step way to pick a pot: check for drainage holes, compare materials by how fast they dry and how much they weigh, then weigh up size, color and whether it ever has to move.
Why soil from the yard packs down and drains poorly in a pot, what the ingredients in a bag of potting mix do, how to read the label and how a good mix should feel in your hand.
A reliable way to water pots without a calendar: what makes a container dry faster or slower, three quick checks that tell you when it needs water, and how to water so the whole root ball gets wet.
The basics every container garden rests on: drainage, pot size, potting mix, light and a simple watering routine.
Arrange pots so a patio, deck or porch looks good and stays usable. Plan around how you use the space and where the sun falls, then apply simple ideas for grouping, height and placement.
Ten common reasons pots struggle, from missing drainage holes to crowded planting, with a plain explanation of why each one matters and what to do differently this year.
Find out how much direct sun your patio, porch or steps really get. Learn a one-day way to measure it, what full sun, part shade and shade mean on a plant tag, and the signs that a pot should be moved.
An overview of plants that grow well in pots, sorted into sun flowers, shade plants, herbs, vegetables and long-lived shrubs and grasses, with a short lesson on reading a plant tag.
Plants that are happy in pots, with the container size, light and care each one needs.
Why potted basil turns tall and thin or collapses, and how to prevent it: warmth, sun, evenly moist mix, and pinching above a pair of leaves so the plant branches and stays bushy.
Nine cooking herbs that grow well in pots, sorted into the ones that like steady moisture and the Mediterranean ones that like it drier, so you know which can share a container.
Lettuce is one of the quickest edible crops for a pot or window box. Learn which types to sow, how to thin and harvest, and why heat is the main thing to plan around.
How to grow a tomato plant in a container: choosing a compact type, picking a pot that is big enough, planting deep with a support, and keeping moisture and feeding steady.
Colorful pots, window boxes and hanging baskets, and how to keep them blooming through the season.
A step-by-step guide to planting your own hanging basket: choosing the basket and liner, picking plants that trail, planting the center and the edge, hanging it securely and keeping it from drying out.
The classic three-part recipe for a mixed pot explained plainly: what each role does, how to choose plants that can share a container, where to place them, and how to plant it step by step.
Which flowers and foliage plants bring color to pots on a shaded porch or under trees, how to design a pot that shows up in dim light, and how watering and care change when the sun is scarce.
Ten widely sold flowers that suit sunny containers, with the growth habit, rough size and one thing to know about each, plus a table of deadheading needs and tips for buying healthy plants.
Tomatoes, peppers, salad greens and other crops you can grow on a patio, porch or balcony.
Lettuce is one of the quickest edible crops for a pot or window box. Learn which types to sow, how to thin and harvest, and why heat is the main thing to plan around.
How to grow a tomato plant in a container: choosing a compact type, picking a pot that is big enough, planting deep with a support, and keeping moisture and feeding steady.
A realistic list of vegetables that grow well in pots, grouped from easiest to most demanding, with commonly suggested container sizes and how much sun each one wants.
Choosing pots and planters, getting drainage right and filling them with a potting mix that suits the plant.
Old potting mix can often be used again when the plants in it were healthy. Learn when to discard it, how to refresh it with fresh mix and fertilizer, and what to do with the rest.
Does a tall planter need potting mix all the way down? The honest trade-off of using lightweight filler, which plants should never get it, and the steps for filling a big container properly.
A tour of container types beyond the round pot: troughs, window boxes, hanging baskets, fabric grow bags, self-watering planters and railing planters, with what each is good for and its catch.
How to match a container to a plant: why volume matters, when depth beats width, how pot sizes are labeled, commonly suggested starting sizes and the signs a plant needs more room.
Step-by-step projects to follow from an empty pot to a planted, watered container.
Old potting mix can often be used again when the plants in it were healthy. Learn when to discard it, how to refresh it with fresh mix and fertilizer, and what to do with the rest.
Does a tall planter need potting mix all the way down? The honest trade-off of using lightweight filler, which plants should never get it, and the steps for filling a big container properly.
How to remove faded flowers so potted annuals keep producing buds, which plants need it and which clean themselves, how to pinch young plants for bushier growth, and how to trim leggy trailers in midsummer.
How to tell when a potted plant has outgrown its container, how to pick the next pot, and the steps for moving it into fresh potting mix, plus what to do when the plant has to stay in the same large pot.
An end-of-season guide by task: fall color, clearing spent annuals, storing pots that can crack in freezing weather, and protecting the perennials, shrubs and herbs that stay in containers over winter.
Why pots suffer in hot weather, how to tell heat wilting from a dry pot, simple ways to cool the root zone, and how to set containers up before a week away.
How to tell when it is warm enough to plant your pots in spring: last frost dates, which plants can go out early and which must wait, how to harden plants off, and the jobs to do beforehand.
Arrange pots so a patio, deck or porch looks good and stays usable. Plan around how you use the space and where the sun falls, then apply simple ideas for grouping, height and placement.
Old potting mix can often be used again when the plants in it were healthy. Learn when to discard it, how to refresh it with fresh mix and fertilizer, and what to do with the rest.
Does a tall planter need potting mix all the way down? The honest trade-off of using lightweight filler, which plants should never get it, and the steps for filling a big container properly.
Every guide is listed on one page, from choosing a pot and potting mix to flowers, herbs, vegetables and seasonal care. All of them are free to read, with no sign-up needed.
