First, I think its best to start off small and work your way up. I’m not just talking about the plants, I’m talking about the pots. You may want to move your plants around (which is a big advantage of container gardening) and if you have a big pot that is already heavy, add a bunch of soil and water, and you’ll have quite a hard time relocating it anywhere.

Look for pots that have water drainage holes in the bottom. Most have at least one good size hole. Follow the watering requirements that come with the plant. When you are watering, you should stop when you see the water coming out the bottom. Also, keep in mind that clay pots that aren’t coated on the inside will soak up quite a bit of water from the potting soil.

When choosing plants, try not to over stuff the pot with too many plants. Its important, however, to group plants that require the same sun, water and soil conditions or you’ll have many problems trying to keep them all alive.

Don’t be afraid to experiment. If you go through a few plants until you achieve your desired outcome, its well worth it. Not only is container gardening fun, but it also provides a beautiful environment for any drab space.

I devised a solution that has kept them where they are supposed to be for over two years now. It’s pretty simple so anyone can really do it. I have three large pots in a grouping in my yard but this method will work on any number of pots.

First, determine where you will want the pot (or pots) to go. Draw a circle on the ground around the base of each pot. Now, place the pot off to the side and using the outline you just drew, dig a circular hole about one foot deep. Using a five gallon plastic bucket, mix around a half of the bucket full of cement.

Pour the cement into the hole so it’s about half way full. Next you will need to place one end of a length of chain into the cement. The chain should be long enough that if you were to pull it tight, it would stick out of the top of the hole at least 6 inches. You can hold the chain up tight while the cement is drying by threading a dowel or wire through one of the links and then bracing the dowel or wire over the hole.

Once the cement has dried, fill in the rest of the hole with soil. The only thing you should see now is a short length of chain sticking out of the ground. Now you can move the pot back in place and you will have to thread the chain up through the drain hole in the bottom of your pot.

To secure the garden pot, I used a carabiner that I picked up at a camping supply store and looped it through the link that kept the chain tight and the pot firmly to the ground. You can use whatever you want instead of a carabiner to hold it in place.

I then filled the pots about three quarters of the way full with dirt. This not only adds weight but also keeps anyone from simply removing the carabiner and taking the pot. This method should be enough to deter anyone from messing with your garden pots.

A carefully placed garden pot can also bring your garden up off the ground and splits it into multiple levels making your garden more interesting to the eye. Even more, some pots can be hung from a patio ceiling or a tree branch to give a greater impression of height. All this adds interest to your garden. And with the many different options of shapes that pots come in, your garden will really come to life visually. Try to pick out plant colors that will complement the colors you chose for your pots. Larger bright colored pots placed farther back can really add a boldness to your garden. And neutral colored pots will accept almost any colored plant.

Large single pots make perfect focal points.

Be careful not to overstuff the pots with too many kinds of plants. Try to limit each to three to five different kinds depending on the size of the pot.

Every garden pot should have a hole in the bottom for drainage. If not, the roots of your plants can become waterlogged. For unglazed clay pots, you should brush the insides of the pot with a waterproofing sealant. This will help to keep the pot from absorbing all the moisture out of the soil and will also protect the pot from too much water.

Another advantage of using garden pots is portability. Pots can be easily rearranged or even brought inside if the pot is small enough. Make sure to bring ceramic pots indoors during the cold of winter as they will crack. So with a few garden pots, you can easily bring a tired garden back to life.

Proper Watering

It’s just as important not to underwater as it is not to over water. To catch any extra water and keep it from rotting your patio or deck, most garden pots will have a saucer or bowl placed underneath. You should try to water your container garden by filling up the saucers. This is the best way to water as it help you avoid over watering and spilling the water over the top of the saucer. By doing this, the water will feed the roots of your plants by seeping up through the hole in the bottom of the garden pot.

You can also choose to water your plants on the top surface. If so, make sure to fill it a little at a time (about a cup or so) and keep an eye on how much water ends up in the saucer. Its best not to overfill the saucer. Your plants will always welcome a fresh spray of water from a hand sprayer. If you have really hard water from your sink, use bottled or rain water so calcium won’t build up on the leaves.

Nourishment For Your Plants

The nutrients in most potting soils don’t last much more than five or six weeks since garden pots are generally small. So, vital nutrients will need to be replenished. Plant food, for the most part, comes in granular and liquid forms. Since they last a long time and keep a steady supply of food going to the plants, slow-release granules are recommended.

Pest Control

Systemic and Contact are the two main types of insecticides. Systemic is poured right onto the soil and is then absorbed into the soil to the root system of the plant and right on up through the leaves. This type of insecticide works best for bugs under the soil that are hard to get to and for leaf eaters as they ingest the poison when they eat the leaves.

The next type of insecticide is the contact type which is sprayed directly onto the insects. It should work rather quickly but you might have to repeat the application after a few days depending on the amount of infestation is going on.

You are sure to have a thriving container garden with a small amount of monitoring and loving care.

You start with a large sized terracotta or stone bowl as your garden pot foundation. This will be the basin pot where the overflowing water will fall. Drill a hole out of the bottom center of the bowl if there isn’t one already. Now take the cord from your pump and run it through the hole. For larger holes, cover with duct tape and fill with a car body filler. Smaller holes can be filled in with silicon. When that has dried, coat the inside with a water sealant. Now you should be ready to place the basin in your desired location. Although not crucial, try to make the basin as level as possible.

The base is a pot that is turned upside down and houses the pump. Choose a pot that has a base diameter the same as the base diameter of the main fountain pot. Soak the pot overnight in water. This helps make it easier to cut notches around the top rim of the pot. These notches allow water to come in that gets pumped up through the fountain tube.

Cut a piece of tubing about a foot longer than the height of the fountain pot. Attach this to the pump. Now feed the base pot down over the tube through the hole in the bottom of the pot. Seal the gap around the tube with more silicon. Now you should have your basin with an upside down pot sitting in the middle of it with a pump inside and the tube sticking out the top of the base pot.

Now take your fountain pot and test fit it by feeding it down over the tube and placing it on top of the base pot. If everything looks good (it should be plumb and level with the tube sticking out the top higher than the height of the pot) you can take off the fountain pot and run two thick beads of silicon around the top of the base pot. Run one bead towards the outside to help hold the pots together and one on the inside to keep water from running in between the two pots.

When it is all dry, test it by filling it with water. Adjust the height of the tubing to get the desired effect of the water bubbling up. Finish it off by filling the bottom basin pot with rocks. Enjoy your beautiful fountain!

This video shows you what to look for when choosing a clay pot for your own container garden.