One of the best things about container gardening is that you have complete control of your garden’s growing conditions. By planting your vegetables in containers, you take on the ability to move your plants away from bad conditions, and into conditions that are more conducive to their safetly and improved growing.

What Vegetables Can be Grown in Containers?

No matter where you live in the United States (and probably the world), you can grow just about any vegetable in a container. In fact, I can’t think of a vegetable that you can’t grow in a container. It is necessary to plant and grow vegetables in containers that will accomodate the full-grown plant. Radishes, for instance, require far less growing room than a tomato plant.

What Kinds of Things Can be Used to Grow Vegetables in Containers?

In my experience, you can use any kind of container imaginable to grow vegetables in containers. Vegetables that require very little room for roots–such as radishes, lettuce, and herbs–can be grown in window box containers or shallow dishpan containers. Carrots can be grown in flower pots. Tomatoes grow easily in 5-gallon buckets (available at any home improvement store). Heck, you can even grow tomatoes directly in a bag of potting soil!

Where Can Vegetables Grow in Containers?

People who live in apartments can grow vegetables in containers on their balcony or porch. If there isn’t a balcony, just group the vegetable containers near the winow that gets the most day time sun. Alternately, use an overhead shop light suspended above the seedlings to encourage proper growth.

People with yards can grow vegetables in containers anywhere they want to in their yards. In northern states, containers should be arranged in sunny areas of the yard. In the south, summer vegetable gardens should be placed where they receive filtered light–too much sun in the south can lead to wilted plants.

Growing Vegetables in Containers in the Winter

During the winter, people in the south can usually still grow vegetables in containers outdoors. Let the weather dictate where you place the containers. During most days, you can leave them in a sunny place in the yard. When the night time temperatures start dipping below 40° F, bring them into a covered patio or garage at night. If there is a freeze or heavy rain forcasted, put them in the house or garage until the cold snap has passed.

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Bottom line: no matter where you live, no matter what your climate, you can grow any vegetable in a container as long as you 1) use a properly-sized container, and 2) give it enough light and water to grow.

Here’s some examples of things that I use to grow vegetables in containers at my house.

Originally posted 2009-09-28 12:11:18. Republished by Blog Post Promoter