There are many advantages to growing your plants in pots. If you only have a small balcony to cultivate on, or if the idea of keeping large flower beds in check is just too daunting, pots provide an excellent solution. You can grow large or small plants, indoor or outdoor, plants that are good for eating or beauty, or those that offer medicinal benefits. The only catch is that some plants grow better in pots than others, which is why we’ve made a list of what we believe to be the best plants to grow in pots, whatever your gardening experience; the best veggies, fruits, herbs, and flowers.

But before we get down to the business of naming them, it’s important we discuss the type of pots you choose to garden with. Traditional plastic or ceramic plant pots don’t help plants to grow as much as fabric pots do, because root systems in a traditional pot are allowed to tangle. This, in turn, ends up stifling the plant’s growth. However, fabric pots, like our Spring Pot range, allow plants to breathe. Air penetrates through the bottom and sides of a fabric pot, naturally pruning the growing roots and helping to keep the plants in tip-top condition.

Whether you choose to garden in a small 5-gallon fabric pot, or a medium sized 30-gallon model, these are the plants we think you’d have fun cultivating…

Growing Tomatoes In Pots

As long as they get enough sun – we’re talking around 5 to 6 hours every day at least – tomatoes can really flourish in a fabric pot. However, if you’re thinking about gardening in a particularly small fabric pot, you might want to stick to the cherry or plum tomato varieties, as they don’t need as much room to grow as larger tomatoes.

Growing Green Beans At Home

Get some green veggies on your plate at meal time by turning your hand to a bit of green bean growing. These veggies like to grow upward, so for the best results you’ll need to position your fabric pot next to a wall or trellis, and you should really garden in the biggest pot your space will accommodate. Green beans need lots of sun and a depth of at least 11in (30.5cm) to grow well.

Growing Spinach In Pots

This tasty leaf, great for making veggie pancakes and salads, is one of the easiest plants to grow in a fabric pot. It’s quite happy in any kind of space, even indoors, or in small areas, like a windowsill. The only two things you really need to worry about are pot depth and shade. Spinach likes a little bit of shade and needs a minimum of 6in (16cm) of soil depth to grow well. In fact, it’s better that your pot is deeper, rather than wider. And now for the flowers…

How To Grow Begonias

If you want to inject a little bit of color into your garden, or balcony area, then begonias are a really good choice. Choose a spot that gets a bit of sun during the day, but avoid the really sunny areas as the begonia needs a break from the rays to really flourish. You also need to be careful that you don’t get them too wet, which is another reason why growing them in one of our spring pots will really help, as water drains away better in fabric pots. The other really cool thing about the begonia is that it’s quite happy to grow in the same pot as other plants, so if your space is super small you can try cultivating your garden in one large fabric pot.

How To Grow Hydrangeas

Strictly speaking, the hydrangea is a flowering shrub, and while you might have thought it would be difficult to grow a shrub in a pot, in the case of the hydrangea, it really isn’t. White, pink, purple, lime-green, the dwarf varieties of this gorgeous plant are without a doubt the best choice for a fabric pot hydrangea garden. Oh, and just so you know, some varieties like the sun, while others prefer the shade, so it’s best to get a little bit of advice about the variety you’ll be planting when you buy.

Growing Rose Bushes In Pots

Classic, decorative, and elegant, the rose grows beautifully in fabric pots, strategically placed on patios or garden decking. Just make sure you give them a space with lots and lots of sun. So, what about fruit?…

Growing Lemons In Pots

Considering they are a tropical fruit, lemons do pretty well at growing in pots. There are no real hard and fast rules for how best to cultivate a lemon tree, as each variety has its characteristic quirks. Try and get as much information about how best to take care of your lemon tree when you buy. Get ready for some refreshing afternoon gin and tonics on the porch!

Growing Strawberries At Home

One of the easiest and most satisfying fruits to grow in a fabric pot, is the strawberry. You don’t need large pots to grow strawberries, nor do you need large spaces. If you happen to live in a tropical location, you can try growing strawberries in the winter too.

Growing A Pineapple Plant

The only challenging thing about trying to grow a pineapple plant, is that it needs constant warmth and humidity in order to thrive. If you don’t live in a warm, humid place, then maybe give this one a miss. You won’t encounter many problems, however, if you don’t have a lot of room to garden in, because pineapple plants are petite and contained – they never grow beyond 3 to 6 ft. tall (1-2 meter) – and their roots are very shallow. Remember, lots of sunlight for these juicy guys!

Growing Basil In Pots

Last up on the list are the herbs, and first up is basil. If there’s one thing this herb loves, it’s the warm weather, which is probably why it displays no real problems when placed on a small windowsill. It’s important to keep the soil well-drained, which is a lot easier to do in a fabric pot than it is in a plastic pot, and make sure it gets plenty of sunlight. If you can do these few things, you should start enjoying fresh basil on your pizza in no time. Just one final tip… delicately break off any flower buds that suddenly appear. If you leave the flowers to grow, the quality of the basil leaf will eventually deteriorate.

Caring For And Growing Rosemary

Rosemary is woody, aromatic, and flavorsome. It’s quite happy to grow outside in the summertime, but you should bring it indoors as soon as the autumn days start to turn colder – another reason why growing your plants in fabric pots can be really helpful. It’s also a herb that likes to grow upright, which means you can easily grow it round the edges of larger fabric pots that already house other plants. Avoid overwatering it, however, as it will perish quite rapidly if it becomes too wet.

Growing A Mint Plant At Home

And finally, we suggest you try your hand at cultivating a little mint. You’ll want lots of moisture and a really rich soil, if you want to make a success of mint in your garden. Be warned, however, that if left to its own devices, mint can spread like wildfire. The good news is that fabric pots help to keep mint, and its incredible growth, under control – just another awesome reason to turn to the powers of fabric pot planting – and don’t forget… there are many types of mint for you to grow, including peppermint, chocolate mint, and spearmint. Anyone for a mojito?