Soil, Water & Container Care

This is the pillar every other one on the site quietly depends on. Potting soil versus garden soil, how deep a container actually needs to be, how often and how much to water through the seasons, when and how to feed — none of the specific crop guides make sense without these fundamentals in place first. If a plant elsewhere on this site isn’t doing what the guide says it should, the answer is usually here.
Container gardening breaks a few rules that garden-bed gardening takes for granted. Garden soil compacts and drains poorly in a pot; containers dry out faster than beds do, especially in summer heat; and because there’s no surrounding soil to buffer nutrients, containers need a more deliberate feeding schedule rather than relying on the ground to provide it. Getting these three things right — the right mix, the right watering rhythm, the right feeding schedule — solves the vast majority of container-gardening problems before they start.
Whichever pillar brought you here — Balcony Greens, Pot & Tub Veggies, or Pocket Vertical — the guides in this category apply to all of them. If you’re brand new to any of this, Start Here is the best place to begin before diving into the specifics below.