Beginner container gardening help
Hi, I live in New York City and I recently moved to an apartment that has some outdoor space in the form of a small balcony. The previous tenants left behind two planters and I have a large plastic pot from a house plant I downsized, so I wanted to put in some native plants to make insect habitat.
I was hoping to get some advice about what native plants would do okay in pots outside and overwinter without dying (though I can always re-plant). Two of the planters are circular: 17"w x 15"h and 13"w x 13"h. The third is low and wide with a trellis: 25"w x 10"h x 10"d. The balcony gets ~5 hours of direct sun midday where the circular planters are, and the trellis planter gets maybe 2 hours of direct sun.
I have very little gardening experience, so I would also love some general advice: I'm pretty sure summer is a bad time to plant, but can I plant in the fall? Or should I wait until spring? Does it depend on planting from seeds vs. plugs? And is it possible to plant two or three species in one planter, or will they crowd each other out? I've also noticed a squirrel (or several) that like to dig in the trellis planter, so is there a good way to prevent them while plants are establishing?
Thanks in advance!