People have this misconception that gardening is only for those who have extra land in their area. Don’t let your small space stop you from enjoying the benefits of growing your food.
With pots, you can grow vegetables even when you don’t have an ample garden space. You can always plant your vegetables in pots even when you only have a tiny garden deck, balcony, or terrace garden (you can check out our guide to setting up your own terrace garden).
In this guide, we will take a look at how to grow some of the most widely used and loved vegetables in pots with step by step guide from choosing the pots to how to care for them.
- Beans
- Beets
- Carrots
- Eggplants
- Leafy Greens
- Onions
- Pepper
- Potato
- Radish
- Tomato
Top Vegetables to plant in pots and containers
When choosing vegetables to plant on pots, choose bush or small varieties of plants and ensure that you pick a plant that has ample time to grow before winter comes.
Starting off the list of vegetable plants that grow well in containers with beans.
Beans
There are two types of beans that you can plant on pots. You can choose a “bushy” variety of beans that simply grow in containers without any trouble. Or you can choose the climbing variety, which is ideal for optimizing your vertical space because you can run it up to walls and fences.
How to Plant Beans in Pots
- Choose the variety of beans you want to plant.
- Select pot according to your bean type.
- Add soil 8-9′ for pole beans and 6-7′ for bushy beans.
- Add beans seeds about 3′ apart for variety and proper growth.
- Select the support according to beans kind you have planted.
Beets
Most beet varieties grow in pots. However, you need to have a reasonably deep for the roots to develop. A container with a depth of 10 to 12 inches is ideal for proper root growth.
How to Plant Beets in Pots
- Choose the appropriate beets pot.
- 10-12′ deep pot is perfect for beets.
- Wider pots are also perfect for the beets, with which you can grow many plants collectively.
- Choose proper garden soil with a PH of 6.0-7.0; light soil is perfect for proper growth.
- Place the pots at a sun exposure place at least 6 hours UV rays.
- I inch of water is necessary for beets proper growth in a week.
- Support the plant if needed for perfect growth.
Carrots
Carrots, like beets, also require large deep pots to grow.
How to Plant carrots in Pots
- Choose the 12-15′ deep pots for carrots growth.
- Choose a fertilizer with less nitrogen and more potassium and phosphate.
- Dig and place seeds 1.25cm deep in the soil.
- Gently place the seeds in the soil and place the pot in complete sunlight.
- Proper water is necessary for proper growth.
- Fertilizer addition is also required once in a week.
- To thin out carrots is also necessary once the plant reaches to 1′
- Use the antifungal spray as well.
- Harvest the carrots, when they are ready and got the perfect color according to variety.
Eggplant
Eggplants can grow in containers, but you need to consider that they are vulnerable to cool temperatures.
How to Plant Eggplants in Pots
- Choose small plastic pots for seeds while 30cm pots for mature plants seedling.
- Choose the mix potting soil like with perfect proportion of nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium that can be equal or 20-30-20 proportion is also ideal.
- Place the seeds or plant into the centre of the pot 1-inch deep soil hole.
- Place where it can get the direct sunlight for 8 hours.
- Thorough watering and care boost up the growth of the plant.
- Add a support system as well.
- Do not forget to add liquid fertilizer in 1-2 weeks.
- In the case of seeds planting, change the pot when the plant is mature for proper growth and support.
Leafy Greens
Leafy greens are the undisputed kings of the edible potted plants. They are fast-growing and hardly need any space to thrive. They also have a low root system and don’t need plenty of sunshine, so it is easy to grow them on pots.
How to Plant Leafy Greens in Pots
- They can grow at any space as they face no restriction in roots growth.
- Leafy greens flourish and grow rapidly, so need just proper care and watering.
- Select the perfect place like container, pot, or plastic bottles for your plant’s growth.
- Take the fertilizer for perfect growth.
- Seedling is necessary and most beneficial for them.
- Take it when they are ready.
Onions
Onions are always in recipes, so it is a good idea to grow your own. They grow well in pots, especially the green onions.
How to Plant Onions in Pots
- For a good start, prefer the large pot or container with slow fertilizer in it.
- Slow-release fertilizer effect helps the roots to grow perfectly.
- Plant onion at 60-degree temperature.
- Onion needs about 2-3′ deepness to plant.
- Their distance of one onion must be 1-2′, and rows must be 12′ apart from each other.
- 8-10 inches deep pot will work for spring green onions.
- For large bulbs they need nitrogen.
- Usage of ammonium sulfate is best in the fertilizer mix.
- Though they need full sun, the partial shade will also work best.
- They need adequate water for the proper growth
Peppers
You can quickly grow chili peppers and sweet peppers in container pots, most of the varieties of peppers grow smoothly.
How to Plant Pepper in Pots
- Choose the plant or variety of pepper you want to plant.
- Choose a large pot or container for the growth of the wide roots of peppers.
- Pot with drainage holes and 10-12′ deep-toned is perfect for peppers.
- Use organic potting soil or mixture for it.
- Place it on the sunny spot.
- Apply the cage or sticks supports if needed in the pot.
- Proper watering is necessary, like at 65F water is necessary once in a day.
- Proper care boosts the growth of peppers. Harvest when you find peppers are ready.
Potatoes
Look for a potato variety that grows quickly. Other types grow for 120 days, so choose the fastest growing potatoes.
How to Plant Potatoes in Pots
- Buy the seed potatoes, and place them in a dark but cool place.
- Cut them with more eyes for more and proper growth.
- A plastic pot of 38l is the best one for 2-3 potatoes growth.
- Make the schedule of growth according to the kind of seed potato.
- There needs to be 4-6′ fertilizing material of soil in the pot for proper growth.
- Place the bulb potatoes in a way that eyes face upward.
- Also, add about 6 inches more fertilizing material and water it properly.
- Keep the care and addition of fertilizer according to the growth of the plant.
Radishes
Radishes don’t require very large or deep containers, and they are perfect for growing in springtime.
How to Plant Radish in Pots
- Choose at least 8′ deep pot for the radish growth. 10-12′ pot is necessary for the cylindrical type of radish.
- Select the kind of radish you want to plant.
- Prefer all-purpose fertilizer for the radish planting.
- Radish seeds to get planted about 1/2 inches deep in the pot.
- Seeds need to be moist so can grow within the perfect period of 5-10 days.
- Place container or pot where it can get the 6 hours direct sunlight.
- Thorough 4-5 times watering in a week is necessary for radishes growth.
- Take out ready redishes.
Tomatoes
Tomatoes are fruits, yes, but we are so used to them being labeled as a vegetable, so they are part of this list. Tomatoes are always the favorite when it comes to pot gardening, always put support when growing tomatoes to avoid the stem from breaking once the fruits have grown.
How to Plant Tomatoes in Pots
- Choose an 18-inch pot for tomatoes growth at home.
- Choose a pot with a drainage hole and place a pebble at the bottom.
- Add 1/3 of soil in your pot.
- Add 2 seeds to increase the chances of growth (i case you are growing from seeds)
- Set a plant (if you are not planting seeds) in the middle of the pot.
- You can add a cage or support if needed.
- Thorough watering will help you to grow your plant successfully.
Now that you have an idea of the vegetables that you can grow in pots, its time to look around your space and plan.
Look Around and Plan
You need to decide where to place your vegetable garden. You can scatter around the vegetable in the front porch or allocate a specific space for your garden; the latter is the best option for beginners.
Start small if you are a beginner. It is better to be happy and delighted about what you make in a small garden than to be frustrated with the time required in maintaining a large area of a vegetable garden. Therefore, before you spend lots of money and time in this new hobby, it makes sense to learn garden fundamentals.
A decent size is 10×10 feet for a garden for beginners. Choose up to five vegetable types to be grown, and you’ll soon find yourself planting more and more as you get better. For your summer meals, you get a lot of fresh produce, and keeping up with work is easy.
The good thing about planting in containers is you can start with only one pot of tomatoes. You don’t need a patio for potted plants, a sunny deck or balcony works well.
Choose Pots for Container Garden
Choosing the perfect container might be a daunting task. There are just so many choices!
You can use almost anything as long as it’s large enough, has adequate ventilation, and is made of food-safe material. But note, the larger the container, the easier it is to maintain. The more soil the container contains, the more moisture the container holds. Don’t bother containers smaller than 12 inches across the board. Remember, bigger is better when growing vegetables in containers.
- Wooden containers look good when growing vegetables, and they are typically not too costly. You can also DIY your own wooden vegetable growing box.
- Self-watering containers are also good options for growing vegetables at home. They are usually large, easy to use, and extremely durable. They make watering plants very easy; you only need to keep the tank full. You can also find self-watering planting systems that you can make yourself online.
- Containers of plastic or glazed ceramic may also be used. Terra cotta pots can be used as well, but it is harder to keep moist of the vegetations inside. This is because the clay draws the water from the earth. However, if you like the look of terra cotta pots, you can line it with plastic to avoid the clay from absorbing water.
- You can also DIY your container from a 5-gallon plastic bucket that you can buy from the hardware store. As long as it is large enough and well-drained, you can make unique containers from an old laundry basket or a toy basket or anything that you can find at home.
You can also use hanging planters to save space and to add character to your garden. There are also a variety of ways to plan vegetables on walls. There are unlimited options out there. Your choice should depend on the space you have, the type of vegetables you want to plant, your budget, and whatever is more suited to your needs.
Planting and Growing Plants in Container Garden
Now, you have plants and containers; there are still other things you need to consider in your vegetable plating journey. You need to check the amount of sunlight the plants receive, the quality of the soil, fertilizers, your watering routine, and the drainage system.
Sunlight
Most vegetables require at least six hours of sunlight every day. Do not overestimate how much sun an area gets or underestimate the heat of the sun. You need to assess the soil by checking the place every 30 minutes to see how long the sun hits the spot where you put your plants. If you live in a hot area, you need to put some kind of shade to avoid too much sun and burn the plants.
Soil or compost you need to use
The use of high-quality soil potting is essential for vegetables. You shouldn’t use your garden soil as it compacts into the containers and doesn’t properly drain water. One of the significant advantages when planting in containers is to avoid weeds from growing. Still, you can import weeds into your containers if you use garden soil. Studies have shown that good soil produces better-tasting vegetables and a higher percentage of antioxidants. Organic soil, whose nutrients are higher than conventional potting mixes, is produced in different pH levels and blends in a variety of crops.
You can make your potting soil using peat, sphagnum mouse, perlite or vemiculite in the mixture. The leaf mold and compost, which have a wide range of nutrients, are two more organic materials to add to your potting mix.
Fertilizers
Another thing you should also remember is adding nutrients to the soil using fertilizers. You can blend organic, granular fertilizer from top to bottom in containers before planting on the container. Then add the diluted emulsion of liquid fish or liquid seaweed every few weeks to give the plants the food they need. Compost is also a way to incorporate fertilizer.
Fertilizers are necessities for vegetables in a pot because nutrients in containers are really small, even non-existent. The plants are dependent on you to supply nutrients through fertilizers. Also, potted vegetables are watered a lot, so nutrients are washed away.
Watering of Plants
Vegetable plants, like tomatoes, need a lot of water. However, you should not drown the plant with water. Watering aims to keep the soil uniformly moist but not too wet.
You can check the moisture of your plants by sticking your finger in the dirt about an inch. If the soil is dry, add water; if you are not sure, wait and test later that day. You may have to water the plants at least once or twice a day during the summer.
Watering the plants in just the right amount is one of the most critical parts of growing vegetables in pots.
Drainage
Aside from watering the plants, you should also have proper drainage to prevent the plant from drowning. Plants should not sit too weakly on the ground and succumb to root rot, that’s why your container should release excess water. There should be a large or several smaller openings at the base of your container to drain water out. You should dig holes and cover a large gap before adding coffee or plastic filters to the soil to keep the dirt from falling away.
Conclusion
In a nutshell, to grow your vegetable garden successful, but the proper plans, place, pots, method, watering and drainage also play their part in it. This article will help you to plan everything perfectly and to manage a garden at the confined place you have. You can enjoy fresh, healthy, and tasty vegetables at your home!