Container Gardening
Types of Containers to Consider
If you’re thinking about growing vegetables in containers, there are many different types of containers to consider for container gardening. Containers for container gardening may include wooden barrels, terra-cotta pots, porcelain containers, plastic containers, and many more. The possibilities are endless when considering the types of containers for container gardening. No matter what type of container you choose for growing vegetables, make sure the container has drainage holes in the bottom. Proper drainage allows the roots of garden vegetables to remain healthy by keeping them out of standing water. It’s also important to make sure containers for growing vegetables are large enough to give the roots space as the plants grow.
Preparing a Container for Planting
Begin container gardening by choosing fertile soil that will fill a container of your choice. Potting soil is great for container gardening. Add soil to the container until it’s approximately two-thirds from the top, and prearrange garden vegetables before planting them. Be sure to leave plenty of space surrounding each plant by following individual instructions specifically for the vegetables you have chosen.
After deciding the placement of vegetables, gently remove plants from their original containers, and carefully loosen their roots. Dig adequately sized holes, and plant the vegetables according to label instructions. Fill in the holes with surrounding soil, and add additional soil to bring the level about an inch below the top of the container.
Growing Beans in Containers
Beans of all types grow very well in containers. For those who want to give container gardening a try, the most practical variety of beans to grow in containers are bush beans. Pole beans can reach heights of eight feet, but bush beans grow to a maximum height of around twenty inches. This is a more practical bean variety for container gardening.
Although bush beans in containers need lots of sunshine, they require cooler climates in order to properly grow and produce beans. During the hottest days of summer, beans may not grow or produce as prolifically, but keep up with regular harvesting, and your container beans will continue to produce for weeks.
Growing Beets in Containers
If you love beets and thought you couldn’t grow them because you don’t have a yard, you were mistaken. Container gardening will allow you to successfully grow juicy succulent beets right outside your door. They are cool-season vegetables that can be planted as a spring or autumn container crop, and beet seeds can be planted every three weeks for successive harvests.
Beets require rich organic soil, that’s less acidic. Add lime to the soil of your container garden to reduce acid levels if necessary, and provide your container garden with lots of direct sunshine. Beet roots should be less than two inches in diameter when harvested, and beet greens should be picked when they are no more than six inches long for the best flavor.
Growing Carrots in Containers
Short-rooted carrots are great vegetables to plant when container gardening. As long as your container is deep and full of loose sandy soil, you can successfully grow carrots in your container garden.
Sew short-rooted varieties of carrot seeds in early spring. A couple varieties of short-rooted carrots to consider for container gardening are “Little Finger” and “Thumbelina,” but any short variety will do well in a container garden. Follow specific directions for the variety you choose, and your container garden will produce dozens of fresh carrots throughout spring, summer, and early autumn.
Growing Cucumbers in Containers
If you love crisp green cucumbers on a hot summer day, there is no reason why you can’t grow them in a container garden. Cucumbers are fantastic vegetables for container gardening. Bush varieties of cucumbers are best for container gardening because bush varieties only reach a height between two and four feet. The type or variety you choose for your container garden is entirely up to you.
Consider starting your container garden of cucumber seeds indoors about a month before the last frost. The container may be placed outside after all danger of frost has passed. Cucumbers prefer full sun, and adding mulch to the soil will help keep the roots of container plants equally moist.
Growing Peppers in Containers
Some of the finest green peppers my mother ever grew were grown in a container garden. Her container-grown peppers were big, crisp, firm, and juicy. You can grow big beautiful peppers in a container garden, and if properly cared for, your peppers might be the best ever too.
Peppers are easy to grow in a container garden. They reach a maximum height of about 2 Ã?½ feet, and they require full sun to grow to their full potential. Pepper seeds can be started in a container indoors about two months before moving the container outside. After the danger of frost has passed, place the container outside, and as the days grow warmer you’ll have big beautiful container garden peppers.
Growing Tomatoes in Containers
Although tomatoes are actually considered fruit, most people use them as they would use a vegetable. For this reason, tomatoes have been included in this list of vegetables that do well in container gardening. The ripening fruit of tomatoes adds lots of color and interest to container gardening, and tomatoes grown in this manner are some of the juiciest flavorful tomatoes you could ever grow. Consider growing your favorite variety of tomatoes in a container. Cherry tomatoes grow especially well in a container garden. It’s easy to open your door and pick several cherry tomatoes for a salad or to pop in your mouth as a tasty snack.
Tomatoes require full sun to grow to their full potential, so place your container garden in a sunny location. Tomatoes cannot endure any amount of frost, so be sure you don’t set your container garden outdoors until all danger of frost has passed.
Fertilizing and Watering Container Plants
Container gardening in many ways is easier than regular gardening, but vegetables as well as other plants require more watering while growing in containers. The soil in containers dries out much more quickly than ground soil, especially when placed in full sun. Be sure to check containers every day to see if vegetables require watering, particularly during the hottest days of summer.
Plants and vegetables grown in containers require regular fertilizing. Fertilize vegetables growing in containers with a liquid fertilizer approximately every ten days. Alternately, a slow-release fertilizer may be used, and it will provide the necessary nutrients the entire growing season. Follow fertilizer label instructions for fertilizing vegetables in your container garden.
