The Best Pots for Indoor Gardening

You have researched the benefits of having an indoor garden and found the best plants for your home -- now what do you put it in?  From terra cotta pots to decorative ceramic ones, there are many choices available and in various sizes (you can find some cute ones at the bottom of this post).  Not only do you want to choose a pot that looks good in your home but you want one that is the best size for your plant too.

Image via WikipediaYou want to look at the long-term growth expected in the plant you have chosen and use that information to pick an appropriately sized container.  If you pick a pot that is too small your full-grown plant the roots will not have enough room to grow and the plant will be come “root bound”.  This is a rectifiable condition with re-potting, but it can put the plant through unnecessary stress and creates more work for you.  Your plant may look unbalanced at first in a container that is out of proportion but you will be glad you thought ahead as the plant continues to grow.

The container you choose needs a form of drainage too.  The most common method of drainage is one or more holes in the bottom of the pot to let excess water drain out.  If you have chosen a pot that does not have these holes there you still have two options to provide drainage.  You can put your plant in a smaller pot with drainage holes and then place the smaller pot inside the larger one with no holes.  Or place an inch or two of gravel in the bottom of the container before you put in the soil.  The gravel will allow the excess water to run through the soil and into the rocks instead of staying in the soil and water-logging the plant (just make sure not to water it too much).

 

Related articles on Indoor Gardening:

• Winter Indoor Gardening - Part 2, by Kate in Colorado (survivalblog.com)
• Your Winter Indoor Vegetable Garden (lewrockwell.com)