Last year, for kicks and to celebrate increased interest in vegetable gardening, I planted vegetables in most of the pots that I sprawl out through my gardens. I’d planned to do all vegetables but in the end, I had to have some annual blooms mixed in.
That was fun. I found I liked squash blooms mixed with prairie coneflower. I liked kohlrabi with columbine, hot peppers with asters.
Prairie coneflower with broccoli in a container.
But last year, growing veggies in containers turned out to be just fun. Other than broccoli and cayenne peppers, I didn’t experience the kind of harvests from the containers that I do from my garden. Some of that was probably because I didn’t use large enough containers and I didn’t search out the right plants for small spaces.
If you’d like to try growing vegetables in containers this year, here are a few suggestions. Make sure your container is in a very sunny spot and make sure your pot is the right size for the plant. You’ll need to search out compact plants, feed your plants and use good potting soil.
Vegetables need at least 6 hours of sunlight. Sun fuels the life processes of the plant. You can’t skimp on sun and you can’t make up for it with more plant food or water. Lettuces will do ok with a little less light, especially once the heat of the summer kicks in.
Certain types of vegetables do better in pots than others. In general, larger plants have larger root systems and bigger nutrient demands. So growing large corn or large tomatoes in a container can be disappointing.
Daniel Gasteiger, author of the popular blog “Your Small Kitchen Garden,” said growing plants in containers always implies a trade off. Root systems are restricted by the size of the pot and the plant and the vegetable size will be affected, he said.
Broccoli in a container.
“In a small garden plot,” he said, “ The root systems can extend out as they need.”
If a plant’s mature height is 3 feet, you won’t have great success with that plant in a 10 inch pot. In general, look for a 14 inch pot or larger.
“Consider the size of the plant at maturity, “ he said.
You still have time to peruse seed catalogues to look for varieties that will do well in containers. You’ll want to look for plants that are described as compact, bush or dwarf. Many seed companies will offer certain container plant varieties. A couple veggies varieties with decent reputations are Eggplant ‘Fairy Tale,’ Summer Squash ‘Peter Pan,’ and cherry tomato, Tomato ‘Sweet 100”
Broccoli sprouts. Phots by Laura Mathews
It’s doable and fun to start some seeds inside. “Your Small Kitchen Garden” has a nice post on seed starting.
Tomatoes and peppers can be started inside now. Peas and spinach can be started outside now. Squash, beets and kale can be started outside once the soil warms a bit more. Otherwise, hit your garden center for veggie starter plants once the threat of frost has past. Again, look for compact varieties.
Greens in general are great for containers. Lettuce mixes are as lovely as they are tasty. Ruffled kale, and swiss chard and shorter growing herbs are as ornamental as any coleus.
Finally, understand that there is a big difference between potting soils and soil from your garden.
Especially if you’ve built up your garden soils over time with organic matter and compost, good garden soil is full of nutrients that will feed your plants and fuel the growth of your vegetables. Potting soil has the nutrients of a rice cake. So start with a good loose soil that allows drainage and feed your container plants.
I grew corn in a couple of containers last year. I liked the way the rain stuck to the leaves. It reminded me of a very tall thin grass. Importantly, it always generated a decent laugh or two from visitors. Think I’ll do that again.
Squash blooms surrounded by sedum. All photos by Laura Mathews
One Trackback
[...] I’ve grown corn here and there in the past. I’ve never grown enough quantity of it, really, to have good pollination or create more than one meal of corn, but this year, for a couple of reasons, I planted a little more of it. [...]