Container gardening using garden planters provides flexibility and accessibility for growing all kinds of plants, including vegetables and flowers.
Garden planters offer a convenient way for you to get growing. In fact, you can use them in virtually any garden space. Because of their flexible nature, you can use them in spaces varying from the tiniest balcony gardens to urban rooftops.
Not only are garden planters flexible in terms of the available space, but they are also helpful in hardiness zones with unpredictable weather patterns. Growing in containers also provides the opportunity for expressing your unique creative flair, from humorous to cute, funky to functional, there are sure to be containers for every taste and need.
Take a look as we explore the many options in the realm of container gardening.
5 Reasons to Use Garden Planters
So, you might be wondering why people would choose to grow in garden pots or planters. Here are some of the best reasons to give them a try.
1. Easier to grow plants, flowers and veggies anywhere.
Growing fresh fruits and vegetables in garden pots or planters is a great way to supplement your food bill with highly nourishing fresh produce. Homegrown is a nutrient rich as it comes.
In many countries, such as the Philippines, container gardening can even help to feed families. Residents there heavily rely on growing their own vegetables, even in large urban areas like Manila. Without container garden planters, many would go without access to fresh produce.
While you certainly can’t grow a full garden on a balcony, there’s a lot you can grow in garden planters and vertical gardening systems.
“[K]itchen or family gardens… to grow vitamin-rich, nutritious vegetables and fruits, generally quite expensive on the local market.”
~According to Willem Van Cotthem, PhD., of Ghent University,
Garden Planters Ideas for in the City
We love the concept of how garden planters can be used for turning barren city rooftops into productive vegetable gardening❣️
Balcony Gardens
Growing trees on balconies?!? Awesome! Garden planters bring nature to the concrete jungle of apartment buildings. Garden planters let urban dwellers create their own balcony garden oasis.
2. Growing plants in urban areas helps improve air quality.
Plants clean the air by absorbing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and oxygenating the air in photosynthesis. So in large cities, planned rooftop gardens can actually help to fight pollution.
Plants oxygenate and freshen the air by absorbing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere in photosynthesis.
Some rooftop gardeners grow in extra large garden planters and grow bags. Office building with rooftop gardens become an oasis where employees can enjoy eating lunch outdoors.
Balcony gardens are also a wonderful option for apartment buildings that have balconies. Imagine the face of a tall apartment building where each balcony is full of plants of all kinds.
Rooftop gardens can not only transform a building, they can transform the lives of those who live or work there as well as the surrounding areas. Just one rooftop garden becomes a delightful focal point for all within a view of it.
Urban gardens provide food for the soul… and the birds and the bees.
3. Easily grow plants and flowers to add beauty and peace to any environment.
Beyond the utilitarian uses of container garden planters, consider the sheer joy and beauty. While growing your own food and clearing the air are fantastic goals, sometimes you just want to take time out to smell the flowers.
Yes, flower planters are a popular option and enhance your home. Add flowers out on the patio or in indoor planters to create a fragrant oasis.
“Take some time to smell the flowers
As you walk the path of life.
Take some time to ease the tensions
From the challenges and strife.”
~Excerpted from “Take Some Time” by Leon Hansen
4. Garden planters provide easier access for the disabled and elderly.
Those who have mobility impairments often find container gardening safer and easier to make accessible. We’ve had a number of folks in the GardensAll community say that they can no longer garden like they used to. Yet most of those folks are so grateful to be able to still grow a few plants such as herbs and tomatoes from their patio or deck.
Container Gardening Options
- Garden tables and grow boxes
- Rotating planters
- Tower planters – come in all types
- round
- pyramids
- multiple sided
- tiered one sided
- Upside down tomato planters
- Garden planters on castors
- Grow bags
- Wall gardens
- pockets
- wall hanging pots and planters
- fence/deck rail hanging planters and pots
Many of the tower and table designs come with wheels or castors, which can be very helpful for optimizing for sun, cleaning and accessibility.
When it comes to potting soil, it’s cheaper to buy it from your local home store to save on shipping costs. However, if you’re unable to easily lift bags of potting soil, it can be worth it to pay a few dollars extra in shipping to get it delivered right to your door.
At your local homestore, you can ask for assistance in having the item loaded to your cart and then your car. However, once home, you’ll still need to lift it from your car to your garage, shed or garden. So to order heavier garden items online, you can save the time and backache by having it delivered directly to your door.
If you make the acquaintance of your delivery person—or in your order delivery instructions—you can ask them to deliver it to the location your specify. If it’s within reason, such as to your garage door instead of your front door, chances are they’ll be glad to accommodate that.
In a UK study entitled Growing Health, Food Growing for Health and Well-Being, Professor Tim Lang with the Centre for Food Policy at City University London, states the following:
For the large number of people in our society – children and adults – who live with challenging physical or mental health problems, gardening and community food growing can be especially beneficial.
Choosing the right garden pots
Whether you want lush, vibrant blossoms or bountiful herbs or veggies, choosing the right garden planters is a must.
Consider the location
First, consider the use of the container. Ask yourself the following questions:
- Do you need outdoor or indoor planters?
If you’re planting outside:
- Do you want outdoor hanging planters or planters that will rest on the ground?
- Are you planning to use smaller plastic planters which are lighter in weight or investing in a plant caddy to maneuver around heavier pots?
- Do you want large concrete planters that will stay in a fixed position?
Or, if you plan to grow indoors:
- Do you want tall planters to accentuate a bland corner of the room?
- Do you want indoor hanging planters that will capture the sunshine, or do you want to set your containers on a plant stand?
Know what you’re planting
Also, think about precisely what plants you intend to grow. While most typical plants grow happily anyplace they have soil, sunlight, and water, some have special requirements.
For example, plants with a larger root system require large garden planters. Or, ornamental trees might require larger, heavier pots to counterbalance a top-heavy weight.
Before you purchase plants for your container garden, read the labels. They will often instruct you on whether or not they are suited to growing in pots.
Think outside the pot
Don’t limit yourself to standard plastic planters. Some of the most charming container gardens are filled with unique and wonderful “outside the pot” creations.
My grandfather passed away while I was in college. We lived next door, so he came over every day to eat with us every evening. He always carefully removed his boots (he wore them all year round) and left them right inside the back door.
After he passed, my mother removed the laces, filled the boots with soil, and grew succulents in them. Those boots held a position of honor for many years in that sunny spot near the back door until the leather eventually deteriorated.
While I don’t have a photo of them, I searched Pinterest and found something similar to them.