Container
Vegetable Gardening

From the avid gardener and apartment dweller, to the "not-so-sure-I-can-garden-type, a patio, balcony, or a plain-old back porch, is all you need.

With a little basic-vegetable-gardening and patience , the right container and location, water and fertilizer, you'll soon have a vegetable container garden that you can be proud of.

There are several different types of vegetables that are good ideas for container gardening. We provide a list later on this page. That list can be a great vegetable-gardening-guide for containers and a super way to start the process.

Here's a few things to watch out for and consider before and during your Container Vegetable Garden stint.

Container

Some vegetables chosen for container vegetable gardening will vary greatly in their size. Therefore the size of pot will vary greatly as well. For smaller vegetables, try to find a container around 8" in diameter and 10"-12" deep.

For medium size vegetables, try to find a container around 18" in diameter and 16" deep.

For large vegetables, such as corn, you're going to have to find something much larger...approx. 24"-28" in diameter and 20"-24" deep. That's a big container, but the root systems on larger plants will need a massive amount of room.

If you're the innovative type, you can always make your own container using 5-gallon buckets or old wash tubs.

Always remember though, it must have drainage holes! If it doesn't have holes, use a drill to make your own. Use a 1/2 inch bit and drill 5-6 holes around the bottom. If the water doesn't have a place to drain out, root-rot will occur!

Water

Especially Terra-Cotta pots, all containers dry out very quickly. Since the root systems have only a small amount of soil from which to draw water, the supply can run out in just a day.

In extremely hot days, I've had the container dry out in just a few hours. Watch your pots very closely and don't allow them to dry out. Vegetables have a hard time bouncing back from dried-out soil.

My trick in judging the need for water, is the old thumb trick. If you stick your thumb all the way into the soil and can't feel damp dirt, it's time to water. If the soil is damp, leave alone, the water level is fine.

Soil

Not much to say here. Most vegetables in pots do well with a commercial grade blend of soil. However, my favorite for container vegetable gardening has always been Miracle Grow Potting Mix.

It contains Miracle-Grow Shake'N Feed Slow Release Plant Food. The Slow Release Plant Food will feed the vegetables for up to 3 months. If you use this product, don't fertilize until the 3 months has passed. The Slow Release Plant Food will be sufficient.

Fertilizer For Container Vegetable Gardening

If you prefer a different route than Miracle Grow Potting Mix, check the bags directions concerning fertilizing and when to do so.

If you prefer an organic fertilizer , that's a great choice as well. An organic fertilizer will release the nutrients over a slow period. That's a good thing.

If you prefer a traditional chemical fertilizer, , you'll have to fertilize more often. Do to the fact that chemical fertilizers release the nutrients all at once.

There are however, slow release chemical fertilizers on the market. They're more expensive, though.

Lastly and my favorite, is the water soluble fertilizer .

Once again, I highly recommend Miracle Grow Water Soluble All Purpose Plant Food. If you keep this stuff around, you can use it on vegetables and other ornamental flowers.

There are a multitude of other water soluble fertilizers on the market that will do great as well.

Just take note of how often the dosage is supposed to be applied.

Sun Exposure

The aspect of most vegetables in containers will be about the same. Around six hours of direct sun will do them best.

Most will do better if that amount is closer to eight hours.

Please know however, certain vegetables need some shade during the day. Before positioning that planter, make sure you know the sun and shade requirements!

Recommended Vegetables

As stated before, here is a small list of vegetables that have proven successful in planter gardening.

• Tomatoes: "Patio", "Small Fry"
• Peppers: "Sweet Banana"
• Potatoes
• Cucumbers: "Salad Bush"
• Green Beans: "Kentucky Wonder"
• Eggplant: "Bambino"
• Carrots: "Short & Sweet", "Tiny Sweet"
• Cabbage: "Red Ace", "Red Head Hybrid"
• Lettuce: "Buttercrunch"
• Radish: " Easter Egg", "Cherry Belle"

Use caution in selecting the size of container. Potatoes for example, would need an extremely large container in order for the required growth to be achieved.

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You see, it's not just vegetable gardening for dummies. Vegetable gardening in containers can be just as great as traditional backyard vegetable gardening. Just another superb way to broaden our horizons!

As always, GOOD LUCK and don't be afraid to "step out of the box" and experiment a little!