Container Gardening for Beginners: My First Plants and Why

Container gardening for beginners is transforming my small backyard into a thriving green space, and it can do the same for you, even if you’re starting with just one pot on a balcony.

I won’t pretend I’ve always been a gardener. In fact, just a few months ago, the idea of growing my own food felt like something other people did- people with sprawling yards, green thumbs, and endless patience. But standing in my kitchen one morning, preparing my herbal tea, something shifted. Why was I buying herbs that I could grow myself? Why was I waiting for the “perfect” moment, the “right” space, or more knowledge before I started?

That’s when I decided: I was starting now. Truthfully, I started with one herb – fevergrass, and it died. However, months later, I decided to start again. Not with a grand garden plan, but with a few containers, common sense, and a genuine desire to connect with my herbs, food, and the earth beneath my feet.

Why I Chose Container Gardening

Let me be honest about my constraints. I don’t have acres of land, as you might have read in my last blog post. I don’t even have soil, as my rented space is all concrete, nor do I have a dedicated garden plot. What I do have is a modest backyard, some determination, and the realization that container gardening for beginners is actually the most realistic path forward for someone like me.

Container gardening made sense for three crucial reasons:

1. Space realism. I’m working with what I have, not what I wish I had. Containers let me maximize my available space without overwhelming myself or my yard.

2. Flexibility. If a plant needs more sun or less wind, I can move it. If I need to rearrange my space, my garden adapts with me. There’s something empowering about that mobility.

3. Sustainability. Starting small means I can actually maintain what I’m growing. I can learn as I go without the pressure of managing a massive plot. This isn’t about perfection – it’s about progress.

The Six Plants I Started With

I am keeping my first container garden simple, choosing plants that matter to my daily life, my health, and my Jamaican context. Here’s what made the cut:

1. Snake plant might seem like an odd choice in a herb and food garden, but it’s my resilience teacher. It thrives on neglect, purifies the air, and reminds me that not everything requires constant intervention. Some things just need the right conditions and time.

2. Guinea hen weed is my traditional medicine staple and my first non-negotiable choice. I have already harvested it for my wellness tea, a practice rooted in generations of Jamaican herbal knowledge. Growing guinea hen weed connects me to my ancestors while supporting my immune system and overall vitality.

3. Tomatoes represent my commitment to growing real food. They are practical, versatile, and give me a tangible return on my effort. Watching and waiting for the first green tomato to appear on the vine. This will be like a small miracle.

4. Pepper connects me to Jamaican cooking traditions. Whether it’s scotch bonnet or a milder variety, pepper is essential. Growing it myself means I will know exactly what’s in my food, no pesticides, no questions.

5. Scallions – In Jamaica, we use scallions in nearly everything, soups, rice and peas, and seasoning. I have already harvested mine twice, and let me tell you, there’s something deeply satisfying about walking into your yard to pick fresh scallions for teas and dinner instead of realizing you forgot to buy them at the market.

6. Green mint is my wellness plant. I can now brew fresh mint tea regularly, and buying bundles that wilt within days never made sense. Now, I have a constant supply of mint for teas that soothe my digestion and help me wind down after long days. The scent alone when I brush past the leaves is therapeutic.

What These Plants Have Already Taught Me

I am only a few months into this journey, but the lessons are flowing faster than I expected.

Patience is non-negotiable. Seeds don’t sprout on your timeline. Plants grow at their own pace. Learning to wait, to trust the process, and to resist the urge to over-manage has been surprisingly meditative. My container garden is teaching me to slow down in a world that constantly demands speed.

Excitement is a valid emotion for adults. I genuinely get excited checking my plants each morning. Are my tomato plants getting bigger? Are there new mint leaves? That childlike wonder isn’t silly; it’s nourishing. It’s reminding me that growth, even small growth, is worth celebrating.

Small steps compound. I started with six plants. That’s it. Not sixty, not a whole farm, six. Though I will be growing others, those six plants will be feeding me, healing me, and building my confidence. They are proof that you don’t need to go big to make a meaningful change.

Context matters more than perfection. I’m not following some idealized American or European gardening guide. I’m learning what works here, in Jamaica, with our sun, our soil, our rainfall patterns. That’s the garden that will thrive.

You Don’t Need Perfection to Start

Here’s what I wish someone had told me before I started: You don’t need to know everything. You don’t need expensive equipment. You don’t need a green thumb or years of experience.

You just need to start.

My first tomato plant? I overwatered it. My mint? I planted it in a container that was too small initially and had to transplant it. My scallions? I harvested them too aggressively the first time and had to learn how to cut them properly.

But I learned, and that’s the point.

Container gardening for beginners isn’t about getting it right immediately. It’s about showing up, trying, observing, and adjusting. It’s about choosing plants that matter to your life and giving them a chance to grow while you grow alongside them.

If you are in Jamaica or a similar climate, you have everything you need to start today. A few containers, some soil, seeds or seedlings, and the willingness to learn as you go. That’s enough.

Your Turn: Just One Plant

If you are still on the fence, I want to challenge you with a simple question: If you started with just one plant in a container, which would it be?

Not ten plants. Not a whole garden. Just one.

Would it be something practical, like scallions that you use every week? Something healing, like mint for your evening tea? Something that connects you to your culture or your ancestors’ wisdom?

Think about it. Choose it. Start it.

Because here’s what I have learned in these early months: The garden that exists, even if it’s imperfect, is infinitely more valuable than the perfect garden that lives only in your imagination.

So tell me, what’s your one plant? Share it in the comments below. Let’s grow together, one container at a time.

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P.S. Follow my wellness and container gardening journey on Instagram @gillianlarmond, where I share what I’m growing, learning, and creating as I rebuild my health and encourage others through the Grow Back Jamaica mission. 🌱