Plant Vegetable
Should You Be Planting Vegetables in Containers?
Just about any spot you have in or around your house that receives a good 8 hours of sunlight is an excellent place for planting vegetables in containers. Container gardens can be adapted to the space you have and your favorite foods. Container gardens or mini-gardens, as they are sometimes called, can be set up in a variety of growing containers. They can come in many shapes, colors, sizes and materials to add to the character of your yard, patio or home.
Plain or Magnificent
Milk cartons, old buckets and even plastic bags are excellent alternatives to garden containers and pots if you don’t mind the plain look. You can put a few holes in for drainage, add a vine type vegetable and hang the plastic bag over your fencefor a quick and easy container garden. Most any container will work, if there are no drain holes you can add some with a hammer and nail. Put a small amount of pea-gravel in the bottom to enhance drainage. The important thing is to keep the roots from drowning and having your plants rot from the roots up.
Stay away from any wood that has been treated. The chemicals that are used to preserve the woods lifespan are very powerful and can leach into your food.
Potting Soil
Potting soil is aptly named. It is designed to be light and nutrient rich. Don’t be lulled into thinking that you will not have to continue to fertilize your container garden during the growing season. Rich potting soil does give your vegetable container garden a good start with nutrients that promote vibrant plants.
Jumpstart Your Container Garden
You can jumpstart your container garden by planting seeds in paper cups inside the house late in the winter. Paper cups make good seed starting containers. Let the sprouts grow for about a month after they poke through the soil. Then it is time to transfer your vegetable seedlings to their growing containers. You then can put the containers in their place, on the porch, deck, corner of the yard, or maybe use a container as a door stop.
Since they grow well in small spaces, bush plants and miniatures usually are the most successful plants for container Gardening for vegetables. Herbs were made for growing in containers. And herbs give a tasteful variety to your food list. Spinach and lettuce do well also, growing in containers. You will enjoy fresh salads all summer.
Into Fall
You can extend your growing season by putting your container garden in warm sunny locations inside your house. Worries of frost are melted from your mind. I once grew cherry tomatoes well into February in Western NY by taking advantage of the space inside my house.
Tips
When you select your garden containers and pots be sure to consider the full-grown plant size. Root vegetables do not like to be transplanted, so plan well.
A one-gallon milk carton will hold 2 lettuce plants and 1 spinach plant nicely. A 10-inch pot that holds a gallon of soil will grow a little over 2-dozen radishes.
About the Author
Steve runs the website Vegetable Gardens Made Easy, where you’ll find more on planting vegetables in containers and other advice on making a veggie garden.
How to Plant Fall Vegetables
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