Vegetable Container Gardening for Beginners (2024)

If you don't have the space for a full garden, you can grow just about any vegetable in a container. The secret to successful container gardening is knowing what type of vessel to choose for each vegetable, selecting a nourishing soil, and providing the correct amount of light, water, and fertilization.

Follow our tips for growing vegetables in containers to help you and your plants get off to a good start.

Select the Perfect Container

You can use almost anything as a planting container as long as it's the appropriate size for your plant, has good drainage, and is made of food-safe material. The larger your container is, the easier it will be to maintain: the more soil a container holds, the more moisture it will retain.

Container Sizes

Tomatoes, eggplant, pepper, cucumbers, cabbage, and beans should be planted in at least a five-gallon container. Beets, carrots, lettuce, and green onions can be planted in three-gallon containers. Most herbs and radishes grow well in containers of one gallon or less.

Vegetables that require support like a tomato or squash plant will need a deeper container to avoid tipping over from imbalance or by offering too much wind resistance.Root vegetables like carrots and potatoes need a deeper container than shallow-rooted leafy greens.

Wooden Containers

Wooden containers are attractive and you can usually find optimal-size containers that aren’t too expensive. Or you can make a wooden planter box. Just remember that after a few seasons, wooden containers may begin to rot.

Plastic Self-Watering Containers

Growing vegetables in self-watering containers works well. They are large, easy to use, and incredibly durable plastic. They make watering plants a cinch because all you have to do is keep the water reservoir full.

Ceramic Containers

You can use glazed ceramic or terracotta pots, but it's harder to keep your plants moist in terra cotta because the clay allows the water to evaporate out of the soil more easily.

To help solve this problem, you can line a terra cotta pot with plastic, use a plastic pot as a liner, or seal the pot with a stone sealing product.

DIY Containers

For an inexpensive container, use a 5-gallon plastic bucket from the hardware store and drill holes in the bottom. Another alternative is to make an unusual container from something you have around the house, such as an old laundry basket or toy bin. As long as it’s big enough and has good drainage, you can use anything.

Create Optimal Drainage

Drainage is key to keeping plants from drowning in a container. There should be one large hole or several smaller holes located at the base of your container to let excess water out of the bottom, so your plants won't sit in overly soggy soil and succumb to root rot.

You can usually drill holes in the pot if the drainage is insufficient, and you can cover a large hole before adding soil with a coffee filter or plastic screening to keep the dirt from coming out the bottom.

If your container sits on a hard surface, the hole might plug up. Elevate your container with pot feet or a pot cart to help your plants drain with ease.

Use the Best Potting Soil

High-quality potting soil is important for vegetables. Don't use soil from your garden, because it will compact in the containers and won't drain water properly.

One of the reasons to garden in containers is to avoid the hassle of weeds and soil-borne diseases. If you use garden soil, you may import problems into your containers.

Provide the Right Light and Temperature

Most fruiting vegetables, like tomatoes and peppers, need full sun, meaning at least six hours of direct sunlight each day. But some gardeners might overestimate how much sun an area gets.

For your veggies to thrive, you'll need an accurate assessment. Check the location every 30 minutes to confirm how long the sun hits where you want to put your vegetable container garden. You can also use a sun calculator to get an accurate assessment.

If you live in a hot climate, you might need to shade your plants during the heat of the afternoon, so they don't overheat. Also, it's best not to use metal or dark-colored containers because they can become very hot and cook your plant's roots.

Many vegetables don’t like cold soil. If you live in a cool climate, avoid putting your containers outside full-time until you know the temperature will be reliably warm. For many plants, the soil needs to be at least 60 degrees Fahrenheit.

You can use a thermometer to find out the temperature of your soil. In addition, always make sure to harden off your seedlings (gradually acclimate them to the outdoor conditions) before you put them outside permanently.

Water Correctly

Most vegetable plants need lots of water to produce fruit However, you don't want to drown your plants. The goal is to keep the soil evenly moist but not soaking wet.

To figure out whether your plants need water, stick your finger down into the soil about an inch. If the soil feels dry, add water; if you're not sure, wait and check later in the day. At the height of summer, you'll probably need to water at least once or sometimes twice a day. This is often the most high-maintenance and critical aspect of vegetable container gardening.

Feed the Plants

Plants need nutrition to thrive, and their food is fertilizer. If your potting mix doesn’t have fertilizer already mixed in, add some several times throughout the growing season, according to the directions on the label.

Many gardeners mix organic, granular fertilizer into the containers before planting. Then, every couple of weeks, add diluted liquid fish emulsion or liquid seaweed to give the plants the nutrition they need. Another way to add nutrients is to make or buy compost to add to the soil, which helps feed the plants.

Choose Seeds or Seedlings

You can start your veggies from seed or buy seedlings. There are some significant advantages and disadvantages to each. Planting seeds is much less expensive than buying seedlings and you can organically grow hard-to-find varieties. In addition, always make sure to harden off your seedlings (gradually acclimate them to the outdoor conditions) before you put them outside permanently.

However, starting seeds isn't for everyone. They need 12 to 16 hours of light per day and good air circulation to grow strong. Plus, you absolutely cannot let the seeds dry out, or they're toast. Conversely, if you give them too much water, they’ll fail to thrive.

Whether you start plants from seed or purchase seedlings from a greenhouse you must harden off seedlings (gradually acclimate them to the outdoor conditions) before you put them outside permanently.

Best Vegetables for Container Gardens

When choosing vegetables to plant in containers, look for bush or small varieties (often referred to as dwarf or compact), and be sure that your climate has enough growing days for the vegetables to mature.

Vegetables that typically grow well in containers include:

• Peas: Put tall supports in the container when planting seedlings. Water frequently, and keep them fertilized.
• Potatoes: Some potatoes need a 120-day growing season, so look for varieties that mature early.
• Tomatoes: Like peas, tomatoes need a support system. Use a rod or tomato cage to keep your plants upright.
• Carrots: Use a container that's double the depth your variety will grow.
• Radishes: The container doesn't have to be that large for this spring and fall vegetable and you can grow them indoors.
• Eggplant: When choosing a variety to plant, know that many eggplants are fairly sensitive to cool temperatures (lower than 50 degrees Fahrenheit).
• Summer or zucchini squash and cucumbers: Choose bush varieties rather than sprawling vine varieties. One plant can fill a 24-inch pot quickly, so don't crowd your seeds or seedlings. A trellis in the pot will supply support for the fruit and allow air to flow around the plant.
• Leafy greens: Spinach and leaf lettuce are among the many greens that you can snip to eat one day and then snip again a few days later. Grow the cool-season crops in spring or fall. They also tolerate partial shade.
• Peppers: Try traditional bell peppers, or spice it up with hot peppers that are perfect for homemade salsa.

These vegetables don't usually work well in containers:

• Large melons
• Corn
• Large pumpkins or squash