How to Grow a Container Vegetable Garden

by janet ashby
Would you like to grow vegetables but do not have a suitable area in your garden or do not have a garden at all? Why not make a make a container vegetable garden? You can successfully grow vegetables in containers on the balcony, patio, windowsill or anywhere that you can place a small container to make a mini garden. As you have complete control over the container you will not have any problems with diseases from the soil or with soil that is unsuitable for growing vegetables. It is also a good way to introduce children to gardening as they will love to have their own container to look after.

There are a range of vegetables suitable for growing in a container, in fact most of the vegetables that you could grow in the garden can also be grown in this way. Popular vegetables to grow in containers include tomatoes, beans, peppers and eggplant. Some vegetables that are also suitable but require more space include cucumbers and beans. However not all varieties of these vegetables are suitable so it is important that you pick the variety of your chosen vegetable that will grow well in a small space.

Many different varieties of vegetables have been developed for high yield with a compact manner of growth to make them suitable to grow in containers. One of the most popular vegetables to grow in this way is the tomato and some suitable varieties include Saladette, Spring Giant, Small Fry, Toy Boy, Early Girl, and Tiny Tim. Varieties of peppers that are suitable include Jalapeno, Canape, Keystone Resistant Giant, Yolo Wonder and Long Red Cayenne. Look carefully at the seed packet which will have instructions and recommendations for how to grow a particular vegetable to tell you if it is suitable to grow in a container. Suitable varieties may have the words compact, space saver or bush in their descriptions.

Many different containers can be used to grow your vegetables but all should have plenty of holes in the bottom to allow quick drainage after watering. It is a good idea to place your container on blocks to raise it a couple of inches off the floor to ensure that drainage is adequate. Vegetable container gardens can be made from flowerpots, wooden boxes, strawberry pots, half barrels, wooden tubs, window planters, buckets etc. but try not to use dark colored containers as they can absorb heat which may damage the roots of your plants. A dark colored container could be painted to make it lighter.

Your container should be at least 5 gallons for larger vegetables such as tomatoes with just one plant per pot. If you use a smaller container you will have to spend considerably more time looking after it. Vegetables with shallow roots like herbs, peppers, radishes etc. should be grown in a container that is at least 8 inches deep and 6 inches in diameter. It is important not to crowd your container so look on the packet to find out the space requirements of your chosen vegetable.

The planting medium is very important and a ’soilless’ potting mix seems to work best. This type of potting mix is lightweight and drains quickly. You should never use soil from the garden as it may contain the seeds of weeds and soil borne diseases. Soil potting mixes however do not contain many nutrients so you will need to regularly fertilize your plants. A timed release fertilizer is ideal for container gardening. Containers can also dry out very quickly, especially if outside in the sun, so it is important to water regularly and not to allow the soil to dry out completely between watering.

Growing vegetables in containers is very popular and allows anyone to be able to grow nutritious vegetables wherever they have a small space. It is a very satisfying hobby and one that you can involve the children in by giving them their own small container to look after.

For more information on vegetable gardening visit Lawns and Gardens or read How to Make a Container Garden

Article Source: Article Junction Network