Plants, Pots & Container Gardening Course

Learn how to grow plants in pots and containers with our gardening short courses in Sydney!

Pots are different to gardens. Potting mix is different to garden soil. They look different, act differently, and plants behave differently in pots compared to gardens. The plants grow differently. The watering is different. The drainage is different. All of these aspects matter when growing plants in pots and containers, for the health, happiness and vitality of the plants. Join this class to experience how almost any vegetable, flower, herb, shrub, or small tree can grow successfully in a container.

For beginners looking to start gardening or those with only small patio spaces or yards to grow in, container gardening can be one of the best ways to garden, and you will be amazed by just how much you can really grow in containers!

Almost anything can function as a container, from an old wheel barrel to a galvanized tin bucket. The beauty of container gardening is that it allows you to be creative, and if you have a big enough container you can grow pretty much anything – perfect for living in the city with minimal outdoor space.

There are endless possibilities when it comes to container gardening that can range from simple and affordable containers to complex and more expensive systems – so before you get started, we discuss your project idea and brainstorm what your ideal container garden would look like, what are the practical outcomes that you want to achieve, what your budget is like to meet that, what size and styles of containers will be good for that, and we start to build your plant wish list. Join this class to make that happen.

Bring your gardening knowledge and excess plants to class to share with the group. In the gardening world, we all learn from diverse sources and experiences.

Learning outcomes

By the end of this Plants, Pots & Container Gardening course, you should be able to:

• See, feel, and know when plants are healthy and happy
• Recognise and choose plants that are trustworthy and dependable
• Apply the process for growing an abundance of healthy herbs, flowers, greenery and vegetables
• Determine the perfect positioning for indoor and outdoor potted plants at your place
• Use the one dependable, appropriate method of watering potted plants
• Know the reliable methods of care and maintenance of container gardening

Course content

What will be covered in this Plants, Pots & Container Gardening course

Stylising your pots and container collection

• Grouping
• Matching
• Eclectic blending

Materials & weight ranges of pot plants

• Heavy-weight – concrete, terracotta, etc.
• Medium-weight – wood, metal, etc.
• Lightweight – plastic, fibreglass, resin, polythene, etc.

Decorating with containers

• Know the differences between decorative and growing containers.
• Re-purposed & up-cycled containers

Pots and containers size

• Why the sizes of containers matter
• Moisture retention, types of plants, root space

How to treat plants well – don't overlove them!

• Simple, sensible, reliable growing techniques
• Practical methods for healthy maintenance
  • Oxygen, aeration, drainage, filtration
• Watering, fertilising & pruning
• How to check plant root moisture levels without getting your hands dirty

Longer-term care and maintenance

• Re-potting plants – with skill and confidence
• Troubleshooting plant health issues – what to look for

Intended audience

Who is this Plants, Pots & Container Gardening course for?

This course is for people with or without green thumbs, with or without big enough garden spaces, or people with problem areas that need fixing up, and they don’t know where to start, or how to do it. It’s for people who want to be gardeners and find out how, and who want to bypass making rookie mistakes or throwing away good money on bad products. If that’s you, whether you are renting or owning, we can find a solution for your garden spaces.

Course venue

Rozelle Campus

2A Gordon Street, Rozelle NSW 2039 (corner of Gordon St & Victoria Rd in the grounds of St. Joseph's Church)

Course materials

What to bring to class

• Gardening gloves (tight fit is better for gardening work)
• A face mask (to protect against potting mix/garden soil bacteria like Legionella)
• Sharp secateurs / garden snips/scissors or kitchen scissors
• Small hand spade tool
• Small bag to carry small pots
• Wet weather gear / sun hat if required