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Container Gardening For Food Sharon Merhalski

Some gardeners don’t have a lot of space for growing vegetables in their yards.  And many don’t know that various kinds of vegetables can be successfully grown in containers sat on the back steps, porch, balcony, or patio.  Yes, homegrown produce can be enjoyed without taking up a lot of space in the backyard.

Containers:

Anything that can hold soil can be used as a container for growing healthy, delicious vegetables.  (Don’t overlook that old wheelbarrow with a few holes in the bottom of it.  It can work great and look great in the yard.) Place rocks in the bottom of the containers to keep the containers from tipping over when it is windy, or when they are bumped.

Before planting make sure containers have adequate drainage.  Poke holes in plastic pots.  When planting in a wooden tub or box, be sure there is a drainage hole every three to four inches.

Containers should be large enough to hold a normal root system.  If the pot is too small leaves will quickly turn yellow due to lack of nutrients.  Large vegetables such as tomatoes and zucchini need plastic tubs at least twelve inches deep. Smaller vegetables such as carrots, green onions, and herbs can get by with nine inch deep containers.

Soil:

Soil is the most important item in successfully growing container vegetables.  The soil should be lightweight---yet heavy enough to give needed support to the vegetable plants.  The soil should also be able to hold a lot of water so add a lot of peat moss, perlite, vermiculite, or well-rotted compost to prevent the soil from compacting and/or drying out.

Vegetables:

With the right care almost any vegetable can be grown in containers or pots.  The following is a list of vegetables that, according to Better Homes and Garden, will stand a better than average chance of producing a good harvest:

Beans: bush and pole

Beets, Carrots, Swiss Chard, Cucumbers, Eggplants, Kale, Kohlrabi, Lettuce, Melons, Mustard, Green Onions, Peas, Peanuts, Peppers, Potatoes, Radishes, Turnips, Spinich, Squash, Sweet Potatoes, Tomatoes

Herbs:

Many herbs such as chives, basil, bay, marjoram, thyme, mint, parsley, and sage can be successfully grown in hanging baskets or containers.  They can easily be brought indoors when the weather turns colder.

Water:

All pots and planters will need to be watered often—everyday during hot and dry spells.  Clay pots and hanging baskets will dry out very quickly so check them often.

Sunlight:

Place containers in a location where they will get at least six hours of sunlight a day.

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