Gardening can improve your physical and mental health. But if you don’t have a large yard for gardening, then not to worry, that’s what container gardening is for.
So what are the best plants for container gardening? Read on to find out…
What Are the Best Plants for Container Gardening?
The best plants for container gardening include tomato, rose, ornamental pepper, thyme and blackberry. With a little time and attention they can all be grown in containers if you don’t have a big garden and combine delicious food with a bit of beauty!
Did You Know?
Gardening is actually good for your health–physical and mental. It can also help you emotionally.
Let’s start
Oxygen comes from plants, right? Even when plants are indoor–as in the case of some container gardening–they still produce oxygen.
If that’s not enough reason to start gardening, then I don’t know what is.
But there’s more
Gardening is also good for our physical health. Oxygen, for example, has so many benefits.
Aside from giving us life, here are some of the benefits of oxygen:
- Stimulates brain activity
- Increases memory
- Raises energy
- Reduces stress
- Strengthens immune system
Now let’s talk about the physical aspect
Gardening is a form of exercise. You will be using some strength and will be stretching some of those muscles after all.
The stretching will help you reduce the likelihood of getting osteoporosis when you are older. Speaking of older, this is also a good exercise for older people as it is light.
Plus
According to some studies, regular gardening can help people deal with high blood pressure better. Such activity will also reduce the risk of heart attack and stroke.
Yes, you read that right!
As we also mentioned earlier, gardening is good for our mental health.
You’ve probably heard that spending so much time on your cellphones and other gadgets is bad for your health. Well, gardening is one way to balance that.
How is that possible?
The act of gardening is calming. And that is backed by science as we earlier said that oxygen helps reduce stress.
You’ve probably heard of the saying: Stop and smell the roses. This means to take time to appreciate the beauty of life.
You can literally do that!
If you are planting roses, that is!
But even if you don’t have roses, any kind of flower will add beauty to your home. That beauty will have a wondrous effect on your mood and general well-being.
Also, you’ve probably heard about this:
Talking to plants! Apparently, it makes them grow faster.
The non-plant enthusiasts will think you are crazy, but actually this practice is also good for your mental and emotional health.
So
If you are living alone, at least you can still let your thoughts and feelings out.
But what if you don’t have the space for gardening?
About Container Gardening
For those who don’t have enough space for gardening, they can make do with container gardening.
This is when you grow plants in containers like pots, barrels or tubs.
So here we go
If you don’t have a yard, you can place your potted plants on the porch or terrace.
You may even have them inside the house. Just make sure that the plants will have access to sunlight.
Here’s something great:
Potted plants can really add color to your home–whether you put it on the porch or inside the house.
Not only that, they can be used as decoration. In some cases, you can have hanging plants around the house.
Isn’t that amazing?
If you have flowers, then they could also add a delicate scent around the house.
Now, let’s talk about the best plants you can grow in containers…
Best Plants for Container Gardening
It would be nice if you have a good variety of plants growing at home.
By variety, I mean that you should have plants for food purposes and some for decorative purposes.
#1 Tomato
Is it a fruit or a vegetable? Does it matter?
The important thing is that it is something you can eat. You can also drink it as juice.
See how great tomatoes are?
Tomatoes are actually fruits used as vegetables in cooking. You can use them in salads, sandwiches and various other dishes.
You can make a sauce out of it, too. The sauce can be used in pasta dishes and pizza.
Or
You can have a healthy and hearty tomato juice.
Hearty because tomatoes contain lycopene, which is good for the heart. Lycopene reduces the risk of cancer, too.
Now
You can actually grow tomatoes in containers, albeit, they are better in yards. Growing tomatoes in containers is challenging but worth it.
A bigger container is preferable–at least one square foot–and you should put some sticks around it to prevent sagging and breaking.
On the upside
The portability of the tomatoes allow you to transfer them wherever the situation is best. If sunlight is better on a certain area, then you can easily lug the container.
If you prefer it in a certain area, you can easily do the transfer.
#2 Rose
We mentioned smelling the roses earlier, right? Well, you can literally do just that when you plant roses!
Rose is just a classic flower. It will definitely liven and elevate your home.
The great thing is
Roses have different hues. You can choose the best one to make your home more fascinating.
They can truly brighten up your porch or wherever you intend to place them.
Just like tomatoes
Roses need a larger container because of its roots, which need a larger area to spread out.
Moving on
Now, there are a number of rose varieties, choose the smaller shrub roses.
There are also different colors, roses are not just red, mind you! There are pink roses, white, yellow, peach, and orange. Some of the unique colors like black and rainbow are not really natural, so they will be taken out of the equation.
Advantage
If you have your own rose container garden, you wouldn’t have any problems during special occasions. You don’t need to buy gifts because a rose or a bouquet of roses is special and meaningful.
Red is romantic while white is pure and spiritual. The former can be given to a significant other while the latter is great for spiritual occasions like baptisms, weddings and funerals.
Here’s more:
Yellow rose symbolizes friendship and will also be great for celebrations like a graduation or a promotion. It can also be a get-well-soon flower.
Pink is sweet and can be used to show gratitude. Peach can convey the same thing.
Orange, too, is perfect for romance.
That’s right!
#3 Ornamental pepper
Ornamental pepper is just gorgeous.
It starts off growing as a green foliage. Once the fruit appears, it certainly brightens up the room.
Look:
The fruits grow in clusters. There are shades of red, orange, purple and yellow, among others.
The fruits’ colors perfectly contrast with the green leaves. Ornamental pepper is truly magnificent!
But can it be eaten?
Yes! But it’s not a popular culinary ingredient, hence, the name.
This plant is better as a home ornament.
You know what’s even better?
The ornamental pepper is actually a low-maintenance plant. It can be planted in small containers and it can be placed indoors.
It requires little care.
#4 Thyme
Now that you have a food plant in your container garden–the tomato–you should definitely add a plant that could elevate your food.
That’s where thyme comes in!
Let’s talk about thyme
It’s an herb that makes your food smell delicious. As a plant, it also oozes a fresh scent.
Thyme is definitely amazing!
The best part?
It doesn’t need a lot of taking care of. It’s pretty independent.
By the way
There are two types of thyme: ornamental and culinary.
You can choose whatever you want, both varieties are pretty low-maintenance. But the culinary one is just more useful.
Also
A small pot is enough to grow thyme. It doesn’t take a lot of space.
Astonishing, isn’t it?
Well, wait till you hear about the medicinal benefits of thyme.
Thyme leaves, flowers and the oil from the plant can help alleviate diarrhea, sore throat and stomach pain.
There are also reports that thyme can ease the pain caused by arthritis.
And you know what else?
You can grow thyme in hanging containers. Now that would be something to see at home, don’t you think?
Here’s a tip: If you want to use thyme for cooking, harvest them before they flower. That would give you the best herb flavor.
#5 Blackberry
Bet you didn’t know that blackberries can grow in pots?
Let’s be clear, though, you want the dwarf variety.
Check this out:
Baby cakes is a dwarf blackberry that would be perfect for container gardening.
You might also like to know that baby cakes doesn’t have thorns!
You read that right!
Now, you need a larger container when growing blackberries because you need at least six inches of soil.
Its root system is quite expansive.
You should now
You really need to take care of blackberries in pots. You might have to water them daily and use a well-balanced fertilizer.
Now imagine what you can do with blackberries!
You can bake pies or make jams. They are also perfect for smoothies.
Blackberry ice cream? I’m in!
You can also make blackberry glaze for meat recipes.
Summary
Container gardening is the best hobby you can have. It’s good for your physical and mental health, some plants are also fruitful–literally.
So what are the best plants for container gardening? My top five are nothing fancy but they are truly perfect for every home!
You have tomatoes as source of food and blackberries to make glorious desserts. Roses will certainly make your home look more beautiful, as will ornamental peppers – it’s in the name. Thyme also elevates your home and your dish!
You Might Also Like
Are you new to container gardening? If you are, then here is a guide for you: The Ultimate Guide to Container Gardening.
Now that you are ready to do container gardening, it’s time to know more about the containers. Here is your guide to the best containers for container gardening.
In order to be sustainable in case we have to face another pandemic, try to grow vegetables in containers. Here are the five best vegetables to grow in containers.
Useful Resources
- 10 Container Garden Tips for Beginners – The Spruce
- Urban Gardening with Vegetables in Containers – Gardeners’ Supply Company
- 7 Surprising Health Benefits of Tomatoes – Good Housekeeping
