Popular vegetables for container gardening

Popular vegetables for container gardening

Beans:

Plant from seed. Bush beans produce only one crop per season. Pole beans are more productive, but require space for a 6-8 foot pole to climb.

Carrots:

Plant generously with seed, then thin out the seedlings. Choose a variety that fits the depth of your container—there are carrots of various lengths.

Cucumbers:

Bush varieties take up less space than the trailing type, which will grow over your container and produce cucumbers all over your patio.

Eggplants and Peppers:

Eggplants are beautiful plants that are ornamental as well as delicious. Be sure to put them where you can see them! Peppers are also attractive as they grow and come in all varieties from sweet to inferno.

Squash:

There are so many types of squash! Summer squash, such as zucchini, are more productive than winter squash (both grow in summer).

Tomatoes:

The queen of the garden! If you choose a determinate variety of tomato (one that grows only 2-3 feet and produces its crop all at once), then put a small wire cage or bamboo stakes around the plant at the time of planting. If you choose an indeterminate variety (rangy plants that produce all season), then use a 5 foot cage. Sweet cherry tomatoes are particularly successful in containers and usually have a long productive season.

popular vegetables for containers pepper
Pepper
popular vegetables for containers Squash
Squash
popular vegetables for containers Tomato
Tomato
popular vegetables for containers Cherry Tomato
Cherry Tomato
popular vegetables for containers Beans
Beans
popular vegetables for containers carrot
Carrot
popular vegetables for containers Cucumber
Cucumber
popular vegetables for containers Eggplant
Eggplant

Growing vegetables in container gardens

growing vegetables in container gardens

Nothing beats a delicious home-grown tomato, or a zucchini, or some exotic fresh peppers snipped only moments before lunch. This can all be yours if you grow vegetables in your container garden. Growing vegetables in containers makes a lot of sense. The growing medium in containers warms up faster in spring, giving you a head start on planting. Containers also protect your plants from marauding pests.

Rule number one: choose to plant vegetables that your family actually likes! There is no point in dedicating precious space in the garden to a vegetable unless you enjoy cultivating, eating, and sharing it.

You will need a spot with six good hours of sunlight. Fill your container with good soil and mix in an organic fertilizer or compost. Organic fertilizer can be supplemented with a boost of fish emulsion every few weeks. Don’t let the soil dry out completely because water is the key to vegetable growth. Water at the soil level so that water droplets don’t stay on the leaves and cause them to rot.

Vegetables can be started either from seed or small plants. Some vegetables do better with one or the other. Once your plants begin to produce vegetables, keep them harvested! Picking the vegetables will encourage the plant to develop more vegetables!

Growing vegetables in container gardens