Best Containers for Vegetable Gardening--Choosing the right one!

Smart pots or grow pots make container gardening easy! These offer great flexibility and are better for your plant's roots systems and development over traditional pots. 
When choosing a container for growing vegetables you should consider the following:

Size: For most vegetables, they need 5 gallons or more, putting one plant in each pot. You can get smaller sizes if you are growing lettuce or herbs. Remember that the more soil in your container the more resilient your plants will be. And bonus you won't have to water as often. 

Drainage: Make sure you have proper drainage at the bottom. Nothing is worse than soggy soil, drowning the roots. If your pot doesn't have a hole, use a drill or nail to add one to 3 holes in the bottom. Make sure to add rocks or a coffee filter at the bottom to avoid losing soil when watering.

Color: Some argue that lighter colors are better due to less heat retention than darker pots. You don't want your roots getting scorched in the summer sun.

Soil: Well-draining soil. You can make your own mix or you can buy soil specifically labeled for pots. This soil will be lighter and mixed with perlite to let the roots breath. Never use garden or topsoil in containers as it is too heavy and can suffocate the root systems. 

Material: Clay points are heavy, and more porous so you need to water more. Plastic is lighter and cheaper and comes in a variety of colors. Wood is heavy and can become rotten, make sure you get untreated woods to make sure chemicals do not leach into the soil.

However, the best types, in my opinion, are the cloth pots. I bought these smart pots several years ago and use them every year. 

• They are lightweight easy to move around the garden if needed
• They are super easy to clean and take up no space when storing them over winter
• They help to aerate the soil keeping plants warmer in the winter and cooler in the summer
• Prevents root from wrapping around; instead, air pruning of roots which improves the overall structure and productivity of the plant
• Better use of water and nutrients
• Quicker growing time with bigger yields

I found some newer versions of these on Amazon which offer handles, that I am going to purchase for this year. The handles will make it even more easy to move the pots around once filled with soil. 

I am super happy with these pots and can't wait to start planting again this year!

This post is not sponsored and all opinions are my own. This post does contain affiliate links and I will be given a percentage of the sale if a purchase is made.