I have always been fond of container gardening and it's benefits. As someone who has rented homes and has lived a nomadic life at times, container gardens were the only way I could grow fruits and vegetables. Now that I own my own home and have lots of land, I still find my patio covered in containers to grow plants in.

My Current Container Garden

There are many reasons container gardens are preferable over other gardening methods.

Convenience

First, containers are convenient. You can move them around, pick containers of different sizes, and they can be less work. Open a bag of dirt, pour it in a bucket, plant some seeds, and you're done. We have a garden out in the yard but that involves digging, tilling, and other hard work. My container garden was quick and simple to set up.

If you rent your home, many landlords don't want tenants digging up their yard. Having a garden when you rent can be hard. Container gardens make it possible for renters to grow plants without messing up the yard. Container gardens are also nice when living in a big city. When you live in an apartment building in the middle of a city, a container garden can be started on a balcony or roof.

More Variety

Second, container gardens allow you to have a wider variety of plants. If you want to grow a small amount of a bunch of different fruits or veggies containers help with that. Some plants you can't grow together because of factors such as differing soil needs or plants attracting bugs that can kill other plants. Some plants are picky about their conditions. Containers allow you to determine your soil needs for individual plants. For example, my blueberry plants like peat moss mixed in their dirt because they like acidic soil. My raspberries don't respond well to peat moss so their container is just dirt and fertilizer.

Easier Upkeep

Third, container gardens are easier. Container gardens really don't have problems with weeds. My garden out in the yard it is a constant battle with mother nature to keep the weeds at bay. With a container garden all you have to do is walk outside on your porch. You don't have to drag heavy shovels or tools around the yard. Everything you need can be kept in one small space.

You don't have as many problems with animals and birds. Animals out in the woods don't come on my patio like they do my yard. I have lights, a rail, and a gate to protect my patio that deter animals from coming inside. Pesky raccoons and possums are less likely to steal from my container garden than my yard garden.

A Container To Fit Your Needs

Fourth, containers are easy to find and come in whatever size you need. If you want to grow a perennial plant like blueberries you can pick a large pot so your blueberry bush can grow big and come back year after year. If you want to plant an annual plant like green beans and only want a small batch you can get small pots. If you want to have a bunch of plants in one pot you can get a kids swimming pool like I did below. You can get them for cheap at local dollar stores here in the United States. My plastic totes came from moving and were sitting in the garage. Other pots I got for free from a relative getting rid of theirs.

Found out recently I have a bad allergic reaction to most of my yard. Because of this I'm forced to garden in a kiddie pool until I can figure out how to kill off the periwinkles that make me sick. The kiddie pool garden is kind of fun though.

Tips For Starting A Container Garden

• Research how deep a plants roots will grow to help you pick a container. Some plants need deeper containers than others. For example, corn needs a container 12 or more inches deep because their roots grow that long. Plants like cucumbers only need a one gallon pot and would be good if you don't have a lot of space.

• You can recycle objects for your garden instead of purchasing containers. I've used spaghetti sauce cans to plant flowers. I've painted the outside of the can to be pretty colors. I used old baskets, bags, buckets, and other things in the garage for container gardening.

• Dollar stores have great deals on gardening tools. I found one gallon sized containers for $1 at our local Dollar Tree. They also had seeds for 25 cents! The seeds are good too and I've got a row of carrots growing to prove it.

• If you use containers not made for garden make sure to poke holes in the bottom for drainage. Plastic totes, swimming pools, aluminum cans, etc. need holes put in them for drainage.