Choosing containers that last

The material matters. Terracotta breathes beautifully and looks timeless, but it dries out fast and cracks in hard frost. Glazed ceramic holds moisture better and survives winter if the drainage hole is clear. Plastic is light, cheap, and reliably frost-proof, but it degrades in ultraviolet light — black pots last longest.

Metal containers — galvanised steel, powder-coated aluminium — are excellent if they have drainage. They heat up quickly in sun, which Mediterranean herbs adore, but they can cook roots if placed on black tarmac in July. Wooden planters are beautiful and insulating, but they rot unless lined with plastic or made from naturally durable timber like oak or larch.

Size is more important than style. A 20cm pot will grow basil for six weeks, then it will bolt. A 30cm pot will grow basil all summer. For fruiting crops — tomatoes, aubergines, courgettes — you want 10 litres minimum, ideally 15–20 litres. Salad leaves and annual herbs tolerate 15–20cm depth; root crops need 30cm; perennials want 40cm to establish properly.