Best containers for vegetable garden
Choosing Containers for Container Gardening
| in a Clay Pot © Steve Masley Click IMAGE to Enlarge |
Choosing the right containers for container gardening is just as important as selecting the potting soil and picking the right vegetable varieties.
Personal style often dictates the types of containers you choose, but there are other considerations as well.
The size, shape, color, and material affect how water moves in the pot and how hot the pot gets.
The temperature of the pot, in turn, affects how often you have to water, and how fast nutrients cycle in the container garden soil.
Space and weight considerations are also important in choosing containers for container vegetable gardens.
Size of Container
Choose containers for container gardening that are large enough to accommodate the vegetables you’re planning to grow in them. Container Gardening Vegetables helps with matching vegetable root depth to container size, and includes recommended vegetable varieties that perform well in each container depth.
| in a Salad Table © Steve Masley Click IMAGE to Enlarge |
Leafy greens can grow in a very shallow root zone—as little as 3-4” (7-10cm). See salad tables for ways to grow salads in shallow trays.
Spinach and leafy Asian greens can be grown in shallow trays as well, but you’ll get a better yield planting them in a container with a 6-8” (15-20cm) root zone. Herbs, broccoli raab, and larger Asian greens need 10-12” (25-30cm) of potting soil.
Fruiting plants like tomatoes and peppers need an even larger root zone.
Usually a 5-gallon (27cm) pot is the minimum size for fruiting plants like these, and that’s with a great potting mix.
7-gallon (35cm) pots are ideal for peppers, chiles, eggplants, and bush tomatoes, but indeterminate (vining) tomatoes and squash do better in 10-15-gallon (47-75cm) pots.
For larger varieties of vegetables, cantaloupe, or winter squash, 18-24” (45-60cm) of potting soil is best.
Large containers hold more soil. The larger the soil volume, the stronger and more resilient your plants will be, and the less frequently you’ll have to water them.
Yes, you can grow Genovese basil in an 8” (20cm) pot, but it won’t grow as large or luxuriously as it would in a larger container, and it will dry out much more quickly.
Herbs in little pots may look cute, but I’m not a fan of small containers. Herbs and vegetables grown in small containers are just too vulnerable. A moment’s inattention or a delay in getting home to water can kill them.
Top of Page | Size | Shape | Color | Material
Shape of Container
| © Steve Masley.  ..Click IMAGE to Enlarge |
A rule of thumb for choosing containers for container gardening: Square, rectangular, or cylindrical containers need less frequent watering than tapered pots.
Tapered pots have more soil at the top of the pot, where it dries out quickly. Square, rectangular, or cylindrical containers have more soil volume in the lower half of the container, where it retains moisture better. In essence, the top 6” (15cm) of soil acts as a mulch for the soil below, holding in moisture.
Vegetables grown in straight-sided containers also tend to have healthier, more vigorous root systems. Plant roots generally follow water downward, instead of running laterally along the surface—especially when the surface dries out frequently, as it does in container vegetable gardens.
In selecting containers for container gardening, bear in mind that the top 2” (5cm) of potting soil is often wasted.
The main plant roots usually start 2-3” (5-8cm) down into the soil. This “wasted” soil volume is higher in pots that fan outward toward the top than it is in straight-sided pots or window boxes.
Top of Page | Size | Shape | Color | Material
Color and Pattern
| © Steve Masley…Click IMAGE to Enlarge |
Apartment balconies and decks are living spaces, so when growing vegetables in containers, choose planters whose size, shape, and color fits the space you’re trying to create.
Color affects heat and moisture in container vegetable gardens. In general, lighter colors reflect light, and keep things cooler and moister. Darker colors absorb and hold heat, so plants dry out more quickly.
In the spring and fall when the light is slanting, darker pots will be warmer, and more hospitable to heat-loving plants.
As a general rule, solid container colors are better than patterned containers. The foliage, stalks, flowers, and fruit of your container garden provide plenty of variation in form and color, and it’s better anchored in a solid color base.
That said, your taste dictates the color and form of your container garden, so if you find a pot with a busy pattern that speaks to you, buy it—you can always find a plant that will fit, and balance it out.
Do you want a calm, serene place, to sit and contemplate the foliage? Choose wooden or terra-cotta containers with neutral colors. Want a bright, cheerful place? Choose glazed pots in vibrant colors that delight the eye.
Top of Page | Size | Shape | Color | Material
Container Materials
Containers for container gardening can be made from wood, clay, glass, plastic, concrete, or metal.
Any vessel that allows excess water to drain through and doesn’t leach toxins into the soil will work, but each material has advantages and disadvantages.
Wooden Planters, Window Boxes
and Half Barrels
Wooden planter boxes are among the best choices for growing vegetables in containers. They’re attractive, they come in all sizes, and they’re durable, widely available, and relatively cheap.
| © Steve Masley…Click IMAGE to Enlarge |
Wood doesn’t heat up as much as plastic or ceramic pots, so wooden planters work well on hot balconies or decks. They’re heavier than plastic, but lighter than ceramics. Their rectangular or square shape also helps retain soil moisture.
Vegetables grown in wooden planters are often healthier than vegetables grown in pots of the same depth.
Their roots stay cooler and have room to spread through the whole box, even if they’re competing with other plants.
The biggest advantage of wooden planter boxes and half-barrels—their large soil volume—is also their biggest disadvantage.
Wooden planter boxes range from 4” (10cm) deep to a whopping 24” (60cm) deep. Four-inch (10cm)-deep boxes aren’t much better than shallow pots—they dry out way too quickly. Don’t buy a window box that’s shallower than 6” (15cm).
Salads and green leafy vegetables thrive in an 8-12” (20-30cm) deep planter box, but 12” (30cm) is the minimum size for bush varieties of tomatoes, green beans, peppers, chilies, and cucumbers, and for large herbs like basil and oregano.
Wooden Half Barrels
Half Barrels from wine or whiskey production are often available from garden centers. These large vessels are an excellent choice for growing vegetables in containers. Tomatoes, green beans, peppers, squash, cantaloupe, and cucumbers grow well in the ample root zone of a half barrel.
The downside of wooden planter boxes and half barrels is their bulk and weight. They take up a lot of space on balconies and decks, and can weigh upwards of 250 lbs (113kg) when filled with potting soil and plants.
Place them exactly where you want them—before you fill them with potting soil and plant. Once they’re full, you won’t want to move them.
Plastic Pots
Plastic pots are cheap, lightweight, and widely available in myriad shapes, colors, and sizes.
The main disadvantage of most plastic pots is that the sides heat up too much, and the potting mix dries and pulls away from the sides of the pot. Instead of filtering through the potting mix when you water, the water rushes down through the gap between the potting mix and the pot, and immediately drains out the holes in the bottom of the pot.
The roots of the plant are barely moistened. Double-walled plastic pots can reduce this problem.
See Troubleshooting for additional fixes.
Terra Cotta Pots
| © Steve Masley…Click IMAGE to Enlarge |
Terra Cotta Pots are classic containers for container gardening. They have a wonderful soft glow in the late afternoon, and radiate warmth at the end of the day when evenings are cool. They’re available in many shapes and sizes, at good prices.
Gardeners feel a kinship to these baked earth beauties.
But terra cotta pots also have several disadvantages. First, they’re heavy. A 5-gallon (27cm) ceramic pot can weigh 30 lbs (14kg), without potting mix or plants. Add wet potting mix and plants, and they can weigh 70-80 lbs (30-36kg).
Terra cotta also tends to draw moisture from the potting mix, so more frequent watering is required.
Finally, salts may leach through the pots, giving them a white discoloration. In spite of all these issues, I still love them and use them.
| © Steve Masley…Click IMAGE to Enlarge |
Glazed Ceramic Pots
Like terra cotta pots, glazed ceramic pots are heavy, but they’re a better choice for growing vegetables in containers because they don’t wick moisture from the potting mix or become stained by leached salts.
Glazed ceramic pots have a much wider color pallet and more visual interest.
Smart Pots
| in a 5-gallon Smart Pot © Steve Masley Click IMAGE to Enlarge |
Smart Pots are light-weight fabric pots that are great for balcony farmers.
They’re cylindrical pots that come in multiple sizes, and have many advantages:
- Cylindrical shape maximizes moist soil volume, minimizes watering.
- Smart Pots dissipate heat, instead of collecting it. Roots never “cook”.
- Porous fiber “air-prunes” roots, creating a fibrous root structure that leads to healthier plants than the coiled root structure often found in other pots.
- Smart Pots don’t need drain rocks in the bottom.
- They’re lightweight and collapsible—the perfect container for renters and nomadic gardeners.
Found and Scrounged Containers
Found and scrounged containers are a good target for urban foragers interested in repurposing urban and suburban waste, as well as growing vegetables in containers.
Old wheelbarrows, re-purposed aquariums, wooden wine boxes…almost anything can be made into a container for growing vegetables. Just make sure nothing toxic was stored in it and there’s no peeling paint.
Rust is okay. Be sure to drill holes in the bottom for drainage.
Container Gardening Drainage | Choosing Container Vegetables
Temperature | Salad Tables | SaladScapes
Top of Containers for Container Gardening
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Six Great Containers for Growing Vegetables
By
Kerry Michaels
Kerry Michaels
Kerry Michaels is a container gardening expert with over 20 years of experience maintaining container gardens in Maine. She specializes in writing and capturing photography for gardening and landscape design for print and broadcast media, including the Discovery Channel, Small Gardens, and Disney, among others.
Learn more about The Spruce's Editorial Process
Updated on 06/15/22
Reviewed by
Debra LaGattuta
Reviewed by Debra LaGattuta
Debra LaGattuta is a gardening expert with three decades of experience in perennial and flowering plants, container gardening, and raised bed vegetable gardening. She is a Master Gardener and lead gardener in a Plant-A-Row, which is a program that offers thousands of pounds of organically-grown vegetables to local food banks. Debra is a member of The Spruce Gardening and Plant Care Review Board.
Learn more about The Spruce's Review Board
The Spruce / Jayme Burrows
Growing vegetables in container gardens is an efficient way to produce fresh food if you have a limited space. Or perhaps you might want to soften and beautify a hardscape such as a patio, porch, balcony, or even a driveway with edible vegetables.
The choice of container can have a big impact on how productive your plants are and if they will survive.
The primary factor to keep in mind is to make sure your vegetable plant has enough room for a deep root system to develop. If you are growing large plants (like tomatoes), make sure that the pot will be large and heavy enough so it won't tip over in a stiff wind.
To grow vegetables in a container, the bigger the pot the better: a minimum of 18 inches in diameter and 18 inches deep or five gallons in volume is required for larger plants like cucumbers, eggplants, squash, or broccoli. Large pots hold more soil thus can provides plants with sufficient moisture and nutrients. A 10-inch diameter pot is too small to provide enough soil for root systems to develop, and the soil in smaller pots dries more quickly than in larger pots.
Some varieties of popular vegetables are better suited for growing in containers than others. Typically, varieties that are labeled as compact, miniature, or bush types are best suited for growing in containers.
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01 of 06
Try Your Hand at Earthboxes
The Spruce / Jayme Burrows
If you had to pick one container for growing vegetables, it would be an Earthbox®.
These large, self-watering boxes are extremely water-efficient, fertilizer-efficient, and easy to use. The manufacturer's claim is that the Earthbox can provide double the harvest compared to growing vegetables conventionally. Growing vegetables in Earthboxes increases the yield, but the size of the vegetables tends to be larger than those grown in other containers. Earthboxes are somewhat pricey to buy, but they are very durable and are worth the cost. The manufacturer states that some of their Earthboxes are 25 years old and that they are still functioning like new.
The best news about the Earthbox is that if you keep the water reservoir filled with water, your plants receive the right amount of water they need to thrive and this is perhaps (along with the right amount of sun) the most important resource for vegetables—particularly tomatoes.
Other types of grow boxes are available from other manufacturers.
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02 of 06
Smart Pot Fabric Planters
The Spruce / Jayme Burrows
Smart Pot® fabric planters are fantastic for growing all kinds of vegetables and herbs.
Because they are made of breathable fabric, Smart Pots promote plant health by preventing roots from circling around the container and becoming root-bound. Smart Pots are lightweight, economical, and are particularly great for growing potatoes and tomatoes. They also work well for growing lettuce, herbs, blueberries, tomatillos, and eggplant. These fabric pots come in a wide variety of sizes, including a "Big Bag Bed," which is equivalent to a good-sized raised bed. Smart Pots are also great for urban gardeners and those homes that are storage space challenged—at the end of the season, you just wash them, fold them up, and store them. You can also cut Xs into the sides of the fabric for side planting, which not only maximizes your growing space, it looks cool, too.
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03 of 06
Consider Reusable Grocery Bag Gardens
The Spruce / Jayme Burrows
Herbs and vegetable plants seem to love growing in reusable grocery bags. Use the type of bags that are soft-sided and have smooth plastic outside and flannel or fabric on the inside.
The all-fabric bags don't usually last for the whole summer and can quickly disintegrate. You can grow tomatoes in them; from giant indeterminate sprawlers to the more petite and well-behaved patio-sized plants. Try growing herbs, lettuce, peas, and potatoes as well as flowering plants. One cautionary note: Some grocery bags are made of plastic that releases chemicals as it disintegrates.
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04 of 06
Grow Great Vegetables in Straw Bale Gardens
The Spruce / Kerry Michaels
One of the many advantages of growing a straw bale garden is that it allows you to grow a vegetable garden on any surface. Do you have a sunny driveway? Plant your garden right on top of it. Building a straw bale garden is also one of the easiest and least expensive ways to get a fairly big growing space without digging. At the end of the season, as the bales disintegrate, the garden looks more than a little casual.
You will need some time to get your straw bales prepped before you plant them.
By adding fertilizer and water over about ten days, the bales start to compost internally and after the heat of this process has diminished, the bales are ready to plant. -
05 of 06
Plant Greens in Large Baskets
The Spruce / Jayme Burrows
You can use large baskets for outdoor containers, particularly for growing herbs and salad greens. If you search second-hand stores and yard sales, you can purchase large baskets at a reasonable price. Most baskets weather well, even those that are painted—some becoming even more interesting as they age. There are several ways you can prepare baskets—either line them with moss to help retain water or with a lightweight landscape fabric—making large holes in the bottom for drainage.
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06 of 06
Use Hanging Baskets
The Spruce / Kerry Michaels
Try planting hanging baskets with lettuce, salad greens, or herbs. It is unusual, fun, and tasty. The only downside is that once you harvesting the greens, the basket can look bare.
One way around this is to reseed to replace what you've eaten. Also, hanging baskets can dry out incredibly quickly—on a windy day, a warm breeze can suck the moisture right out of the soil. To combat this, line coir baskets with landscape fabric or moss and check them once a day, sometimes twice to see if they need watering. It's also a good idea to give a basket made of cocoa coir some mid-day shade if you are gardening in a hot climate.
Article Sources
The Spruce uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read our editorial process to learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
Marsden, Christy. “Growing Vegetables in Containers.” Wisconsin Horticulture, https://hort.extension.wisc.edu/articles/growing-vegetables-containers/
Dampier, Jay. “Vegetable Varieties for Containers.” Wisconsin Horticulture, https://hort.
extension.wisc.edu/articles/vegetable-varieties-for-containers/“EarthBox Original Gardening System.” EarthBox®, https://earthbox.com/gardening-systems/earthbox-original?dfw_tracker=130636-80205&gclid=CjwKCAjwjZmTBhB4EiwAynRmD5u_TQsJkDpEiIp2N0XYWApJzT7liJuuw9azsHQ3Zaalk6opxTw9XBoCfWUQAvD_BwE
“Smart Pot® Fabric Planter.” Smart Pot®, 17 May 2021, https://smartpots.com/product/smart-pot-fabric-planter/
“Growing Vegetables In Containers [Fact Sheet].” Extension, 9 Jan. 2018, https://extension.unh.edu/resource/growing-vegetables-containers-fact-sheet
Best shrubs for containers and flowerpots
Plants in containers will help create an original design in your yard. Depending on the location of your site and your personal preferences, you can choose a variety of shrubs. Some will take their place on the south side, others will decorate the north. Some will not only decorate, but also benefit.
Not all shrubs will do well in containers, but we still have a large selection. We have divided suitable plants into several conditional groups so that you can quickly navigate. Explore and choose! nine0003
Fragrant shrubs
Buddleya will be a wonderful decoration of your yard. This plant will envelop the space with its aromas, and purple flowers will delight the eye. Buddleya blooms in the second half of summer. She is afraid of severe frosts, so for the winter the containers need to be removed to the cellar.
Shrubs that love the sun
Hibiscus
In a sunny area, spirea will perfectly complement your composition. For the container, choose low-growing varieties. Birch-leaved spirea is a small spherical bush with white-pink flowers, its height will barely reach 60 cm. Japanese spirea is also suitable for growing in a container. The bush is beautiful due to its semicircular shape and bright color of the leaves.
Spirea blooms in July-September. With the advent of frost, the spirea should be insulated or sent to the basement. nine0003
From ancient Greek "speira" is translated as "bend", "squirming".
You need lots of sun and no drafts to grow hibiscus in a container. The plant will need additional care in the form of fertilizing and regular watering. But its beauty will pay off all the costs: bright and large flowers will delight until October. Some varieties of hibiscus can grow up to 2.5m tall, so it's best to purchase a container on wheels ahead of time. With the onset of cold weather, hibiscus must be removed to a room where the air temperature will not drop below 10 ºС. nine0003
Shrubs that prefer shade
Large-leaved hydrangea
Hydrangea adds brightness to a shaded area. In the sun, its flowers fade, but in the shade they bloom luxuriantly and for a long time - sometimes more than two months. Large-leaved hydrangea is better to shelter from the rain: the flowers become too heavy.
With a plant in a container, this will not pose any difficulties. Hydrangea hibernates at a temperature of 0 ... 5 ° C.
Fuchsia
Another bright shade-loving plant is fuchsia. Already in May, it will make your yard or terrace a very attractive place. Its large flowers-bells of different colors will catch the eye until October. This plant also needs to be protected from the cold. With the end of flowering, fuchsia is transferred to a warm room. Both fuchsia bushes and standard trees are suitable for containers and pots. nine0003
All-season shrubs
Hydrangea Pinky Winky
A very interesting composition is obtained by close proximity of Viburnum Brandywine, Hydrangea and shrub decorative St. John's wort. Kalina will bloom with white flowers in spring, and in autumn it will surprise with blue and pink berries on one branch. The berries will remain on the branch even after the leaves have fallen. Weigela The blooming weigela bush looks more like a cloud. Moreover, the color of this cloud can be pink, red, white, purple. Flowers in spring and early summer also attract the attention of pollinators. You will put containers with weigela in the most prominent places of your yard so that an amazing sight is available from all sides. Heather Many successful compositions can be created with heather. Different varieties differ in color and shape, which will give scope to your imagination. Heather is also known as a wonderful honey plant. nine0003 Red Baron vesicle Thuja globularis and vesicle Red Baron will fit perfectly even in a small space. Junipers and cypresses look good in small containers . Another advantage in this case is that they grow slowly. Stylish pots and containers with original plants will transform your garden beyond recognition. Perhaps you yourself do not yet suspect how many ideas you can implement even if you are limited in space. Prepared according to the site www.bhg.com 11/20/2020 hanging compositions. And we will name and show most of them. nine0003 Flowers for containers in the country - this is a separate direction in our time in professional and amateur gardening - container gardening. Containers - cascades - have their own advantage over other mobile flower beds. If the latter are more reminiscent of a finished stable composition - the flowers in them are ground cover, undersized annuals or with decorative large leaves, then the cascading compositions have some kind of incompleteness, continuation, thereby creating an unusual touch of airiness of hanging gardens! Although, of course, both of them can be moved, giving the garden a new unique look each time. nine0003 Today flower gardens with cascade containers represent one of the most popular trends in landscape design. Due to their mobility, plants in containers are indispensable in landscaping not only plots, but also balconies, loggias, and other premises. Containers with cascades of plants look especially impressive on windows.
Hydrangea leaves turn bright purple in autumn. The composition will be completed by yellow St. John's wort, which, moreover, will set off with slightly silvery green foliage. nine0003 Pollinator friendly shrubs
Shrubs for small flower beds
These shrubs may be small in size, but they have a strong personality, especially when grouped together. The greenish-yellow crown of the thuja attracts attention all year round, and the bronze foliage of the vesicle beautifully sets off the constellations of delicate spring flowers. The best flowers for containers-cascades on the balcony and summer cottage
In container gardening, I would highlight cascading compositions. Flowers for containers in the country are selected liana-shaped, curly, and for the central part of the pot - with bright accents of flowers. 
