Vegetable Container Gardens

  I was just outside planting onions and lettuce in my vegetable garden.  It's nice to be back in gardening mode!  I have a habit of planting vegetables in both a regular garden and container gardens.  Mostly, it's because my dog jumps over the little fence I have around my garden, and tramples over everything.  But I also like container gardens because I have more control over the dirt and less problems with pests.  It's like having a little insurance to do both.


 It's surpising how many different vegetables and fruit can be grown in containers.  Lettuce, onions, beans, carrots, strawberries, peppers, tomatoes, and even squash and watermelon do well in containers.



Here's how you grow vegetables in containers:

1.  Figure out how much sun your space gets.  Root crops and leaf crops tolerate shade, but tomatoes, green beans, and peppers need a least 6 hours of direct sunlight every day.

2.  Figure out what you can grow in the containers you have.  10 inch pots are good for herbs and green onions.  Larger 5 gallon containers are necessary for tomatoes, egg plant, and peppers.

3. Make sure your containers have drainage holes on the bottom.  It's a good idea to put gravel in your pot's saucer or elevate your pot on bricks to improve drainage.

4.  Fill your pot with good potting soil.  Then follow the directions on your seed packets regarding how deep to plant the seeds.  For larger plants, I usually just do one plant per pot.

5. Water daily.  Container gardens dry out faster than regular gardens, so you'll want to make sure they are getting enough water.

6. Install trellises or wires for climbing plants.