Growing Vegetables in Containers

Growing plants in containers can be very helpful. Containers work well if you have very little space, cannot plant in the soil, if you’re a renter and want to be able to take your plants with you when you leave, live in a townhouse with only a balcony or even on a rooftop or if you only have a tiny space that gets sun.

Containers are also good if you have mobility issues and benefit from having them sitting at a different level than on the ground.

All in all, many herbs and vegetables don’t need a lot of space. What they do need is 6-8 hours of sun, enough water and some basic care. If you can fit even a couple 5 gallon buckets into a space, you can grow tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, basil, chives and nasturtiums!

CONTAINERS

What can you use for containers? Well, obviously, you can use flower pots or large nursery pots. Recycled pots are my personal favorite since it keeps more plastic out of the landfill. Five- gallon buckets work well but make sure you put drainage holes in the bottom. I have fond memories from my childhood in Seattle, back in the day when Beacon Hill was still covered in gardens that were proudly tended by the families and communities. People grew vegetables, flowers and herbs in just about every square inch they could and in all sorts of containers. I can remember buckets, utility sinks, red flyer wagons, wheelbarrows, wood, plastic and metal barrels whole or cut in half, bathtubs, tires, olive oil tins and more. If you can name it and it can hold soil, it probably had something growing in it. You can do the same. Just use your creativity and look around you. Just make sure that whatever you choose is food-safe, has drainage holes and retains the soils as well as moisture.

VARIETIES
Dwarf, compact and bush varieties tend to grow in containers better than others. Raspberries can be found in bush varieties rather than the normal cane type. These do well in containers. Compact blueberry bushes do well too. While pole beans do well if they have a support for the vines, bush beans also do well. As for tomatoes, determinate tomatoes are a good choice as they grow to a predetermined and are better suited to containers than indeterminate varieties. Some dwarf fruit trees also do well. Dwarf apple, fig, peach and Meyer lemons are all good examples.

 

PLANTING IDEAS

Here are some ideas for what can be planted in a standard five-gallon bucket. You can mix and match whatever but I am sharing some ideas here to help you get started.

Bucket One- Tomato, basil and chives

Bucket Two- Lemon cucumber, peppers, nasturtiums

Bucket Three- Bush beans

Bucket Four- Summer squash

Bucket Five- Jerusalem artichoke

Bucket Six- Eggplant

Bucket Seven- Dahlias

Of course, you can plant with one tomato, chili or whatever per bucket and choose different varieties for each.

PRO TIP

Make sure you use well drained soil. Commercial potting mixes usually have vermiculite added to help with drainage. Heavy clay soil will not allow good drainage and sandy soil will have too much drainage. Add 4” of good compost to the top layer of each bucket so that it helps to hold moisture and adds nutrients for the plants. It can also be helpful to add a bit of liquid fertilizer to your buckets, according to the directions on the container if you use a commercial one. I recommend adding it every four weeks or so.

Post photos of your container gardens in the comments. Help inspire others. I am sure they will appreciate seeing your examples!