Container Gardening: Growing Vegetables with Limited Space

I was chatting with a friend the other day about the blog, explaining the vision I have for the site and how the primary focus is on gardening and developing the homestead; she was intrigued--she loved it. She said that she really wants to try growing a few things herself this year...the only issue, though, is that she lives in the middle of town nowadays and doesn't really have the space for a garden.

As kids, we both lived out in the country; we were neighbors even though we lived at least two miles from each other, and we either knew or were related to households between us. Our parents and our grandparents raised gardens each year, everyone canned, we raised chickens and ducks, they raised cattle. Life happened, though. We each moved away from our childhood homes. She had a couple of kids. I changed careers a few times and bounced around a bit...eventually we each found ourselves 30-something with a mortgage, bills to pay, groceries to buy, something tearing up, something to fix, just shuffling about in the hustle and bustle of our own lives.

Having the chance to catch up with her a bit and hear that she wanted to grow some things this year, but didn't really have the space, inspired me to write this blog post all about gardening in containers.

Zucchini plant growing in a plastic container

A good rule of thumb is that just about any vegetable that transplants well, should be able to be grown in a container--all those vegetable plants at the garden center: pretty much all of them can be grown in a container. There are exceptions, though: you want to steer clear of indeterminate varieties of vegetables (check out this blog where I talk about the difference between determinate and indeterminate tomatoes).

Vegetables That Do Well in Containers:

• Bush Beans

• Cabbage

• Cauliflower

• Cucumbers (determinate types)

• Eggplant

• Lettuce

• Onions

• Peppers

• Radishes

• Squash, Summer

• Tomatoes (determinate types)

• Zucchini

Vegetables Not Recommended for Containers:

• Canteloups

• Cucumbers (indeterminate types)

• Pumpkins

• Tomatoes (determinate types)

• Squash, Winter

Your container should be large enough that the plant(s) won't get rootbound--leave room for the roots to grow. In addition to having a container that's big enough for what you intend to plant in it, you need to make sure that there's adequate drainage--make sure that your container is not going to end up sitting full of water. Fabric containers are often recommended because they allow for ample drainage and better air circulation; personally, I've never used a fabric container to grow anything in, but if I did, I would probably use something along the lines of a burlap sack.

Having the right growing medium is another major element for successful container gardening. You shouldn't use just plain, old dirt from the backyard--use a potting mix with a slow-release fertilizer. Potting mix will help with drainage, aeration, supply nutrients to the roots, and keep your containers light-weight if/when you need to move them.

Frequent, regular watering is required when using containers; because of this, the potting mix can lose valuable nutrients. You will want to fertilize on a regular basis.

Tomato plant in a container

Summary:

1. Choose a variety of vegetable you want to grow that stays on the small side (may be described as "bush", "container", "determinate", "dwarf", "patio", etc.)

2. Use the appropriate size container and ensure adequate drainage

3. Use a potting mix as a growing medium to ensure prime growing conditions

4. Water regularly

5. Fertilize regularly