Container Gardening: Top Vegetables to Grow This Year

Container gardening is perfect for anyone short on yard space or wanting easy access to fresh produce. Some of the best container vegetables include:

1) Tomatoes: choose compact varieties like Little Bing Cherry, Little Sicily, and Tiny Tim that grow to a height of 18-24″ and make sure your pot is at least 18″ in diameter to support the plant’s growth. Bush Early Girl can also grow in a pot but it gets to about 3ft tall so it needs a bigger pot and a tomato cage for support. Resist the urge to plant too many plants in one container! Add some herbs like basil and parsley if want to fill up some space around the tomato plant.

2) Peppers: California Wonder (regular sized peppers) or dwarf varieties like Patio Baby or Sweet Mini Bell do well in containers. Check size info for each variety and space accordingly. Add some herbs like dill and cilantro. *Note: check those dill plants for black swallowtail caterpillars before you harvest- swallowtail caterpillars really love dill! Better yet, leave the dill for the caterpillars and just harvest the peppers.

3) Leafy greens: lettuce, spinach, kale, and bok choy do very well in containers. Space plants appropriately to prevent over crowding that can cause fungal/mold issues. Add some green onions to the container to help deter bunnies and insects.

4) Bush beans: most bush bean varieties grow 1-2 feet tall so they need a small trellis which you can make by inserting 3 bamboo stakes along the inner edge of the pot and tying the three stakes together at the top with twine. Be sure to space the bamboo evenly.

5) Radishes and herbs: Standard Red Radishes are very small and you can fit many in one container. Herbs are also a great choice to add to containers, especially shallow containers. Sow seeds close to the inner edge of the container for easy snipping. I prefer to sow groupings of herbs but you can go wild and mix them altogether as you sow. I would do a theme like Italian herbs (basil, parsley, oregano, thyme) or Tex-mex herbs (cilantro, thyme, cumin). Choose a container that is 6-12 inches deep for best results.

Did you know that you could snip herbs and leafy greens? You don’t have to pull the whole plant out to harvest- you can snip off what you want to use and the plant will regrow continuously until the end of its season. Each plant has its own season so be sure to look it up so you know when to pull the whole thing before it bolts (goes to seed) and becomes inedible.

6) Potatoes: I’ve heard of potatoes being grown in plastic laundry baskets, cardboard boxes, and plastic grow bags. No matter which container you choose the trick is that it has to be at least 2-3 feet tall and it needs to hold a lot of soil. You need a container that would be large enough to hold several bags of potatoes from the supermarket + soil around them because we’re aiming to turn a few seed potatoes into a potato bonanza and that can’t happen in a cramped box. I prefer grow bags like this because they are sturdy and have a cutout on the front that makes it easy to access the lower part of the container where the tubers almost always end up. Choose the location of this container wisely because you won’t be able to move it later on. Add some nasturtiums or marigolds (smaller varieties) to attract beneficial insects.

Soil:

• Use a mix of potting soil (about 40%), compost (about 40%), and vermiculite (about 20%). Regular soil or even raised garden bed soil is too heavy and may compact in the pots.
• Apply a small amount of 10-10-10 fertilizer to the soil when you sow your seeds or transplant your seedlings and then reapply every 2-3 weeks through the growing season to keep everything nourished. Potting soil doesn’t have as many nutrients as other soil so don’t skip the fertilizer!

Containers:

• Choose large sturdy pots (with drainage holes) for the larger veggies like tomatoes and peppers. Try to install supports like tomato cages right after sowing or transplanting.

Water:

• Consider a self watering container to stay on top of watering. Once the fruit starts to grow, you must water consistently especially during the hotter months. Water seedlings lightly every day and as the plants grow, water every other day or when the soil seems dry. A simple way to tell if the soil is too dry is to stick your finger in the soil-if it feels like you stuck your finger into the sand at the beach, you need to water ASAP.

Don’t be afraid to move your containers around to sunnier spots. Identify which sides of your property face North and South and keep your containers in one of those two locations if possible.