Choosing the Best Containers for a Balcony Garden

There are a lot of options out there when it comes to choosing containers for a balcony garden. With endless styles, materials, sizes, and prices to choose from, you want to make the best choice so you can invest in something that will last.

Below you’ll find a list of considerations and recommendations to help you choose the best containers for your balcony garden. Whether you’re planning to grow heaps of vegetables or you’re creating a container cottage garden.

So if you’re replacing older containers, or simply starting out new, this guide should help you invest in the best containers for your space that’ll last for many successful growing seasons to come!

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Container styles

From standard, round plant pots to cleverly designed vertical planters. There are lots of container styles that each serve a different purpose or bring a different style to your garden. Some can allow you to grow more on a balcony, like this balcony railing planter from Amazon or a hanging basket.

A mix of the following container styles can be a great way to create your balcony garden. 

• Simple, standalone pots and containers
• Grow bags
• Window boxes
• Balcony railing planters
• Containers with handles
• Hanging baskets
• Growing tables

You could grow trailing tomato varieties in a hanging basket, dwarf peas varieties in a window box or a range of flowers or kitchen herbs in a balcony railing planter near your door.

The best materials for balcony containers

Stone, terracotta, wood, fabric, clay, plastic, concrete, metal… there are plenty of material options when choosing containers.

It can depend upon your climate and personal preference, but often, plastic containers and grow bags are the best choices for balcony gardens. They’re lightweight, easy to stack and store and can now be found in a great range of colours and sizes.

Often, balconies have a weight limit of up to 40+ pounds per square foot (although many experts agree it’s higher). So if you’re planning on filling your balcony with plants, lightweight containers might be a safer option. It also makes them easier to move around if you ever change up your layout, or move apartments!

If you’re worried about using lots of plastic, to reduce the impact of plastic usage you could opt for secondhand planters or choose containers made from recycled plastic.

Finding budget-friendly containers for your balcony

If you’re on a budget, instead of buying containers new you could also check out websites like GumTree or Craigslist to find secondhand containers at a cheaper price.

I bought my stepped terracotta strawberry planter from Gumtree. It’s a great place to look for gardening bargains!

Related Read | Budget Friendly Ideas for Small Gardens

Make sure water can drain away

Drainage holes are a must-have in any containers you buy for your balcony garden. Excess water (from rain or over-watering) needs to be able to drain away. Otherwise, roots will begin to rot or become stunted in compact, wet soil.

Some cheaper garden containers will come without pre-drilled drainage holes, so make sure to add holes in before you get planting.

If you’re repurposing an old bucket, plastic box or any non-typical garden container, don’t forget to add drainage holes to these too.

Choosing the right size and style

Different plants will benefit from different pot depths and sizes. The shape doesn’t matter particularly, choosing round or square containers is more of a style preference. However, ensuring your plant roots have enough space to mature and grow is very important.

Trees and evergreens will always benefit from larger pots. One of the most important tips for growing trees in containers is to choose a container that won’t constrict the root system.

The best containers for growing vegetables on a balcony

Herbs, leafy greens and other small vegetables with shallow roots (radishes, pak choi etc.) will thrive in containers like window planters or shallow containers that are at least 6 inches deep.

But vegetables with larger root systems — especially carrots and potatoes! — will need deeper containers.

18-20L container sizes are often a great all-rounder choice for growing vegetables on a balcony.

These work well for vegetable and fruit plants that will require a lot of water and root space, for example, tomatoes, zucchinis, and even these mini pumpkin varieties!

Give plants enough space

Make sure not to plant too many plants into one container. When space is limited, especially when growing vegetables, it can be tempting to try and grow perhaps two squash plants per container or two tomatoes. While seedlings start off small, their growth will rocket as summer sets in and they’ll soon fill a container.

For larger vegetable plants you really need one container per plant. However, if you’re trying to grow as much veg as you can in a small space, you could interplant shallow root crops like radishes or lettuce while you’re waiting for a tomato or zucchini plant to mature.