Want to know which vegetables grow best in pots and containers? Enjoy these 6 vegetable varieties that are easy to grow on your patio or porch.
The only requirement to plant vegetables in containers is plenty of sunshine and water. With these, you can plant almost any vegetable you love, ranging from tomatoes, basil, cabbages, and even carrots. However, some vegetables do much better in containers than others.
Larger plants such as cabbages or melons need a bigger container to grow. Some plants need deeper containers, while others do best when grown in shallower rows.
Outlined below are some of the best vegetables that are best suited for container growing.
1. Onions
Onions particularly grow very well in containers. Most people grow onions in buckets and pots in their backyards to get a fresh supply of onions when they need it.
The best thing about growing green onions in containers is that you can start harvesting its green leaves in less than two weeks. These leaves come in handy in salads and especially, guacamole. Onions do not take up much space, as all they need is about 4-5 inches of soil.
2. Beets
Just like onions, beets can be grown almost anywhere for as long as there’s enough soil, water, and sunlight. Beets, however, need at least 12 inches of soil in depth.
Beets are a healthy addition to your nutrition as they are rich in vital minerals and vitamins among other nutrients.
The good thing with growing beets is that you can grow other plants such as carrots, beans, or even basil in the same pot.
Since these root crops only produce a single vegetable per seed, growing a second crop in between the vegetables will help maximize the space available. Lettuce, spinach, dill, or other fresh herbs are all good options.
3. Cabbage, Broccoli, and Cauliflower
These are considered the easiest and the best vegetables for containers. These do not require much space and can be grown in one pot.
It’s however advisable to be careful not to plant too many of the cole crops together. This is because they may have limited growth due to the competition for nutrients and sunlight.
Aromatic herbs grow especially well with broccoli. Plant dill, chamomile, or sage near the edges of your pot. See our article on companion planting for more compatible combinations of plants, flowers, and herbs.
4. Spinach
Spinach is one of the healthiest vegetables as it is rich in vitamins, minerals, dietary fiber, and essential oils.
Growing spinach is relatively easy. You can plant several spinach stems in one pot and be able to pick several leaves every three days for a period of 3 months.
Ensure the stems and leaves get enough sunlight and water for healthy growth. Simple gardening exercises such as weeding and mulching may be required once in a while to improve growth.
5. Peppers
If you are a spice fanatic, you can then grow different kinds of pepper in a pot or container.
The best thing with growing pepper is that you will never need a pesticide to keep pests at bay. This is because peppers repel pests automatically. You, however, should make sure there’s plenty of soil. At least 12 inches of soil in depth.
6. Tomatoes
Nothing fascinates more than having your own supply of tomatoes from a few containers in the backyard. Instead of depending on canned tomatoes, you can grow tomatoes to supply your need for healthy, fresh, and juicy tomatoes whenever you need them.
While tomatoes are easy to grow, they need to be attended to appropriately, to boost their yielding capacity. Aside from ensuring the container has at least 12 inches of soil in-depth, it’s advisable to add support for the twigs and stem to increase yields.
Tomato cages work fine, but smaller cages may limit the production. Use larger supports whenever possible to maximize your harvest. If you have an open-style fence, you can even place the containers along the edge to let your tomatoes grow up the side.
Many people consider tomatoes to be the best vegetables for containers as one stem can produce plenty of tomatoes at a go.
These are not the only vegetables you can grow in a container. Others include carrots, potatoes, melons, peas, eggplant, and cucumber among others.
Summary
If you love preparing fresh food and especially vegetables, you should then consider container gardening. Container gardening comes in handy in areas with limited space (say apartments), where all you have is the little balcony next to your kitchen.
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