Guides
How to Choose Pot Size
A small pot won't be fixed with more watering. Volume and drainage table.
The number one mistake in terrace gardening is using a 5 L pot for a tomato. The plant will transpire more than the root ball can absorb, even if you water three times a day.
Minimum Volumes
Indeterminate tomato: 25 L. Pepper and eggplant: 18-25 L. Cucumber: 25 L. Lettuce and basil: 5-7 L. Strawberry: 5-11 L or planter. Drought-resistant herbs: 7-11 L with good drainage. Young Monstera: 11-18 L.
Shape and Material
Light plastic indoors; outdoors, dark colors heat the root ball in August (sometimes too much). Prefer wide mouths over narrow vases: lateral roots explore. Real holes, not a factory micro-hole.
Pot Transfer
Increase size when the root ball comes out with white roots through the holes, not “just in case” to a 50 L pot that stays cold and damp. A jump from 7 to 14 L or from 14 to 25 L is reasonable.
What We Recommend at Control Garden
Plastic pots from 3 L to 25 L in packs. Combine sizes: not all plants on a balcony need a 25 L bucket.
Recommended products
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FAQs
Always a saucer?
A long planter or several pots?
Is a transparent pot worth it?
Keep reading
All universesWhat pot do I need for a tomato?
Pot size is the most important decision. Then the stake.
Drainage in Pots
Without water drainage, even the most expensive substrate turns into a swamp with yellow leaves.
Overwatering in Pots
Overwatering kills more plants than August vacations.
Basil
Ocimum basilicum: warm annual. Cold and waterlogging kill it faster than drought.
Monstera
Tropical interior: filtered light, coco-perlite, and a stake when it starts to climb.