Garden in a Container

How to make a quick and inexpensive planter in three steps!

Step 1. Buy a container!

You can skip this first step if you already have a pot. I bought this brown unglazed Terra Cotta planter at Ginger Bloom in Richmond, IL for $18.00. It is 17 inches wide by 10 l/2 inches tall. See tip below.

Step 2. Buy a plant!

This ten inch hanging Calibrachoa plant was purchased at Jewel Osco for $13.00.  What the heck is a Calibrachoa? It’s just a cute little trailing petunia. The growers give it a fancy name because you don’t have anything better to do than look up what Calibrachoa is when you get it home.

Step 3. Place Plant in Pot!

I put the plant as is inside the terra cotta planter exactly as I bought it. In order to make this work, because the pot was a little too tall, I added an upside-down clay pot to give it height. No, I didn’t put dirt in the pot and replant. That's too much work.  Another benefit is if you get tired of the look because it clashes with your patio furniture or some other fickle reason, you can switch plants by just taking out that one and popping in another.

But if you must add dirt, here’s a tip from Ginger Bloom: If you’re planting annuals, which have a shallow root system, it is not necessary to fill the entire pot with dirt. You can put a “false bottom” in the pot with empty cans, plastic bottles, or packing with a layer of weed barrier fabric, and then add dirt only to the top five inches or so.

Total Cost:  $31.00. Total Planting Time: 31 seconds!

Tip: Need to take clay pots indoors over winter if possible or could possibly crack. Or empty soil, turn pot upside down, or cover with plastic so that water doesn’t enter into the pot if you must leave outside. Luckily, I still have a couple inches of space left in my garage so that’s where this one’s going.