Sunny porches dotted with a mismatched selection of containers filled with medicinal herbs, patios with large containers of tomatoes and hot peppers, or a balcony with window boxes bursting with salad greens are among the many ways to enjoy a container garden. Whether you live in a small apartment or on an extensive property, container gardens have a unique appeal. They add beauty, greenery, and productivity to otherwise plain spaces and can be exciting to tend.

The Benefits of Container Gardens

Container gardens aren’t ideal for everyone, but they offer a few unique benefits whether you’re starting a container flower garden or want to harvest herbs and vegetables.

Perfect for Early Starts

Starting a traditional garden in spring can feel like an exercise in patience. Is the soil warm enough yet? It’s hot today, but we still haven’t reached our expected last spring frost date. Will it frost again? You get the idea.

Container gardeners can take away some of the risk of early planting. The soil in containers warms up early. Plus, if you use portable containers, you can always drag them inside on a night that’s calling for frost.

More Accessible

Container gardens may be more accessible for some gardeners, like those with mobility issues. You can set up your container garden right outside your door so it’s easy to access.

Placing pots on a sturdy table or shelf will alleviate the need for kneeling or bending. You can also design tabletop container gardens at heights and spacing appropriate for wheelchair access.

Less Weeding

If weeding is your least favorite task, you’re not alone. Container gardening limits the need for weeding and may create a much more joyful garden experience for you. You can also use mulch in containers just as you would in a traditional garden bed.

Ideal for Making the Most of Tricky Spaces

Generally, we see container gardens recommended for folks who don’t have any access to a yard, like those with apartment balconies or tiled patios. However, container gardens can be helpful in other situations, too.

If you live on a small lot and have already maxed out your backyard growing area, you can sneak in a few more plants on your porch or in any unused parking space.

Container gardens are also ideal in areas with poor soil. Newer homes and lots often have poor, rocky soil thanks to topsoil removal, compaction, and the use of fill dirt during the construction process. To create a traditional garden, you’d need to invest in a large amount of finished compost or garden soil, or slowly build up organic matter. In the meantime, a container garden will quickly flourish.

You can also set up containers in areas with contaminated soil, whether the ground is contaminated with heavy metals or fuel from industry or herbicides. Just ensure the roots don’t escape the container into the soil beneath.

You may also choose to use containers if your yard doesn’t receive adequate sunlight. A container garden on a sunny front porch may perform better than a traditional garden in a shady backyard.

Limited Care

Container gardens are arguably easy and faster to tend. If you’re in a busy stage of life or have little energy, container gardens can help you enjoy growing and produce a harvest on a tight schedule.

The Disadvantages of Container Gardens

Like with any gardening technique, there are a few trade-offs when choosing container gardening.

Limited Space

The obvious drawback of container gardens is that they offer limited space. Even if you purchase large containers, this system will limit space-intensive crops like large vining pumpkins and sweet corn. While it’s still possible to grow these crops with a bit of ingenuity, you’ll likely see a smaller harvest than in a traditional garden bed.

Want growing ideas? Check out our post, 12 Varieties Perfect for Container Growing.

Less Affordable

Depending on what you need to purchase for your container garden, it can be quite costly. Upcycling containers can help mitigate the expense, but you’ll still need to buy potting soil and amendments.

That’s not to say that traditional gardens are always cheaper. Many people find they need to purchase large amounts of compost or other amendments for good production.

More Watering

Containers will dry out much more quickly than traditional beds. Especially in hot, sunny climates, you’ll need to stay on top of watering. Using light-colored containers and mulch can help some, but plants will still suffer quickly if you forget to water or leave for vacation without a garden-sitter.

Additional Nutrients or Fertilizer Required

In a traditional bed, your plant’s roots will move further into the soil as they grow, accessing more nutrients. Ideally, you’ve also worked to build nutrients and organic matter in the soil over time through methods like composting, cover cropping, and mulching.

In a container of potting soil, plants have access to a limited supply of nutrients. During the season, you’ll need to offer your plants a boost if you want good production. Liquid fertilizers like fish emulsion or liquid kelp are great easy to apply, organic options. You can also mix finished compost with your potting soil at the start of the season to create a more nutrient-rich blend.

How often you’ll need to fertilize will depend on the plant. A slicing tomato that fruits heavily will use a lot more nutrients than a pot of lavender. Fertilize whenever you see signs of nutrient deficiencies, like yellowing leaves, or when the plants begin to flower.

Container gardening isn’t the perfect solution for everyone. Like any gardening technique, it comes with a unique set of benefits and drawbacks. Weighing these considerations can help you decide if it’s the right choice for your garden.

Think container gardens might be the right choice for you? Check out our post Grow Anywhere: Tips for Container Gardening.

Toads are the nighttime guardians of your garden. Even if you don’t see them, you might hear them. Toad’s have beautiful trills that echo through the spring and summer evenings. These nocturnal creatures come out at night to feed on insects, protecting your plants and keeping the ecosystem in balance. There are several toads that live in the Southeastern United States and with a little work you can invite them to your garden.

Why Should I Attract Toads to My Garden?

While they may not be turning into princes any time soon, toads are little warriors that help guard your garden. Adult toads are voracious predators that feed on small invertebrates like slugs, cutworms, roaches, earwigs, ants, beetles, caterpillars, and grubs. Some sources indicate that during the growing season, over 80% of a toad’s diet may consist of common garden pests. 

Toads of the Southeastern United States

While the differences can be tricky to spot, there are several different species of toad that live in the Southeastern United States.

Southern Toad (Anaxyrus terrestris)

These medium-sized toads that are usually brown but may range from gray to red or black. They often have dark spots which contain one or more warts. Don’t worry, you can’t get warts from them! That’s an old wive’s tale. Southern Toads have two prominent bumps called cranial crests on top of their heads, between their eyes. These crests can help you differentiate them from other species.

American Toad (Anaxyrus americanus)

American toads are medium-sized and usually brown or gray but can also be reddish, olive, or tan, often with yellow or tan patches and irregular dark spots. They usually have one or two warts within the dark spots. American toads also feature distinct, kidney-shaped, wart-like glands called parotoid glands behind each eye.

Fowler’s Toad (Anaxyrus fowleri)

These small to medium toads have brown to gray, dry warty skin and short legs. Occasionally, they may feature yellowish highlights. Unlike American Toads, Fowler’s Toads typically have at least three warts within each dorsal spot.

Oak Toad (Anaxyrus quercicus)

The Oak Toad is the smallest North American toad! These toads feature a distinct light colored stripe down the center of their backs making them easy to distinguish from other toad species. They also feature large, irregular brown and black spots. 

How to Attract Toads to My Garden

Toads occur naturally in many of the places we garden, but they’re more likely to spend time there, and eat more pests, if you make the space more comfortable for them. Here’s five simple ways you can make your garden a bit more appealing to toads.

Add Some Shelter

Toads thrive when they have plenty of shelter from predators and the weather. Overturned pots, rock piles, toad houses, wood piles, rock gardens, and wild areas are great options for toad shelters. Create spaces where the toads can get beneath to stay moist and be protected from wind, sun, and predators.

Provide Water

Toads don’t swim like frogs, but they do need plenty of water for drinking and breeding. Shallow dishes of water in the garden are great for drinking water. If you’re up for a larger project, you can also make shallow ponds in or near your garden for breeding. Avoid treating the water with chemicals. No matter what water sources you’re providing ensure it has shallow sides that toads can easily climb. 

Create Dense, Shady Areas

Adding shrubs and dense plantings to your garden helps hold moisture and gives toads a place to hide from predators. These areas are also great for other wildlife like songbirds. They can be as simple as wildflower strips or native shrubs planted alongside your growing area.

Avoid Pesticides, Herbicides, and Other Chemicals

Toads have permeable skin that allows them to absorb oxygen and moisture from their environment. Sadly, this also means it’s easy for them to absorb toxins and pollutants that contact their skin which can lead to illness and death. They may also come into contact with pesticides as they feed on affected insects. To protect toads and other wildlife, avoid applying chemicals in your garden.

Allow Leaf Litter to Accumulate 

Leaves keep the soil cool and moist. They provide attractive habitats for toads and for the bugs they eat. In dense piles beneath shrubs, toads may even find places to overwinter.

Toads are surprisingly long-lived with many living 10 years in the wild. If you can convince one your garden is a good place to stay, you may have a helpful garden partner for years to come.