1
Pick your pot
Five-gallon buckets, storage totes, even a deep laundry basket lined with landscape fabric will work. Drill or punch 4 to 6 holes in the bottom so water can run out.
🪴
Beginner
Container Gardening 101
No yard? No worries. A bucket, some dirt, and a sunny window will do you just fine.
What you need
- •A container at least 10 inches deep with drainage holes
- •Potting mix (not yard dirt - it packs down too hard)
- •A spot with 6+ hours of sun, indoors or out
- •A watering can or an old jug
- •Starter plants or seeds
Step by step
2
Fill it right
Use bagged potting mix and leave about an inch of space at the top. Skip the gravel layer - it does not help drainage, it just steals root room.
3
Start with easy wins
Lettuce, green onions, bush beans, peppers, and herbs like basil and mint are forgiving. One tomato plant per five-gallon bucket, no crowding.
4
Water low and slow
Stick your finger in an inch deep. Dry? Water until it drips out the bottom. Containers dry out faster than the ground, so check daily in summer.
5
Feed every couple weeks
Potting mix runs out of groceries fast. A half-strength liquid fertilizer every two weeks keeps things producing.
Grandma said
"If you can keep a houseplant alive, you can grow supper. Start with one pot and get to know it."
Garden coach
Ask about this guide
Stuck on something? Ask and we'll write you a plain-English answer built around this guide.
Watch out for
- No drainage holes - roots drown
- Using packed yard soil in a pot
- Pots too small for tomatoes and squash
- Watering a little bit every day instead of deeply