Growing your own veggies isn’t just a delicious hobby, it’s also a more sustainable way to feed yourself. But, for so many of us living in tight quarters, growing our own food just isn’t possible.
Or is it?
Container gardening is a great way to enjoy fresh produce without a trip to the market. And you don’t need a ton of space or experience to do it.
With the right plants and the right tools, just about anyone can grow their own vegetables in pots on a modestly sized patio, doorstep, or balcony.
The 7 best vegetables to grow in pots
Tomatoes
Tomatoes somehow manage to rank high among everyone’s favorite container vegetables, even though they’re actually fruits. Plant taxonomy aside, potted tomatoes are beautiful, delicious and easy to grow – but they do need a lot of sunlight and they love big containers. Most varieties produce heavy yield and will require some staking or a cage to make sure the vines don’t break, but it is also possible to avoid this by opting for smaller, determinate types of tomato.
Peppers
We love both hot and sweet peppers for their culinary versatility, but they also make for great decoration with their pretty coloring and curious shapes when they set fruit. They’re typically easy to grow too, so long as you can put them in a large pot and provide them with abundant sunlight and consistent watering.
Potatoes
While they do require a lot of soil and consistent watering, home-grown potatoes will reward the extra effort with a taste that’s quite unlike when you buy potatoes in a store. Freshly picked potatoes have higher water content and come with a slightly bitter, earthy flavor.
Lettuce
A sprinter among potted vegetables, lettuce grows much quicker than most plants and also requires much less sunlight. Depending on the season and your location, lettuce can be quite expensive and so growing it on your own makes perfect sense – especially that it’s also delicious and nutritious!
Peas
Peas can be planted in early spring and then again when it gets cool in the fall. There are three types of peas: English peas, snow peas, and sugar snap peas. They are perfect for succession planting because they enrich the soil with nitrogen. Depending on the variety grown, most peas will require some type of support. Plant them in early spring. Once it gets warm and they finish producing, pull them out and plant something else in that container. Nitrogen is a vital nutrient fertilizing the soil for the next batch of plants. Peas are also one of the best vegetables to grow with your children; they grow quickly and easily.
Beets
You might be surprised to see a root crop on this list, but surprisingly, root crops do exceedingly well in containers because you can ensure the soil stays fluffy rather than compacted. Beets are perfect for growing in small spaces, so you can see why they’re great for container gardening. The container you select needs to be 12-18 inches in depth. The depth of your container is the most important consideration because they need to be able to grow and develop freely. A minimum of 12 inches deep is ideal for adequate root growth.
Keep your containers in full sunlight, which is considered 6 hours of sunlight each day.
Radishes
Radishes are one of the quickest growing vegetables and suitable for container vegetable gardening as you can also grow them in small and wide pots. A planter that is just 6 inches deep is enough but if you want to grow larger varieties use 8-10 inches deep pot. Allow 3 inches of space between each plant.