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Growing vegetables container


Vegetable Container Gardens for Beginners

Container gardening is a fantastic way to grow vegetables, especially when you lack yard space! If you have a small gardening area or only have access to a patio, balcony, driveway, or rooftop, see our guide on guide on vegetable container gardening for beginners!

What is Container Gardening?

Container gardening is growing in pots; this allows those of us who don’t have room for raised beds or a huge garden plot to grow our own food, too.

Benefits of Container Gardening

The great thing about growing in containers is being able to pick up pots and move them where you know they’ll thrive. Even if it’s only one or two pots on the side of your driveway or in the corner of your balcony, gardening in containers allows you to maximize all of your available space. 

Container gardening also gives you much more control over your growing. You can have ideal growing medium with the right amount of nutrients. You’ll certainly have less weeds or even no weeding and can streamline your gardening tasks. Harvesting is much cleaner and easier, too.

A Beginner’s Guide to Container Gardening

Just as with a standard garden bed, consider things such as sunlight exposure, water accessibility, and protection from wind when deciding where to put your containers.

Finally, think about the microclimates that exist on your property. Microclimates are small pockets of space in which the climate of the immediate area doesn’t match the greater climate of your location. For example, an asphalt driveway will hold onto warmth longer than a patch of grass will, so any pots placed on the driveway will be exposed to that extra warmth. On one hand, this could mean that the pots dry out more quickly, but on the other hand, the plants may grow better thanks to the warmer soil.

What Size Pot for Container Gardening

The most fundamental part of container gardening is—surprise—picking the right container!  In general, the more space you can offer your plants’ roots, the better they will grow. Most vegetables need at least 12 inches of soil to grow well, but larger vegetables will require more space. A 5-gallon container is a good size for growing something like a tomato or squash plant, while a smaller container would be perfectly fine for shallow-rooted plants such as lettuce or other greens.

Bear in mind that larger containers will be heavier and harder to move, and may be too heavy for somewhere like a balcony. Small containers, on the other hand, are more mobile and versatile, but also tend to dry out faster, requiring more attention on hot days. 

How Large Should Drainage Holes Be?

A container should have a drainage hole or some other way to allow water to pass through it. Water-logged soil promotes bacterial and fungal growth, which will stunt plants’ productivity or kill them outright. Your climate factors into this as well; gardeners in drier areas may want to choose containers that retain more moisture, while those in more humid environments way want containers that allow for more air flow.

If you have a container which is 4 to 6 inches in diameter, then you just need 3 to 6 drainage holes where each is 1/4th inch in size. Larger containers need 6 to 8 drainage holes and the size would be 1/4th. Holes larger than 1/4 inch in diameter will allow too much soil to escape. 

What Type of Pot? 

From plastic pots and cinderblocks to whiskey barrels and wheelbarrows, almost anything that holds soil can be gardened in. The final important factor to consider is what the container is made out of. These days, containers come in all sorts of types, each with its upsides and downsides. Here are a few of the most popular container materials:

Again, almost anything can be used as a container, so get creative! Hanging baskets make good use of extra space, and herbs, cherry tomatoes, and strawberries grown at eye level can be easily tended and harvested. Use whiskey barrels (a wooden half-barrel can yield an amazing amount of food), buckets, baskets, boxes, bath- and other tubs, window boxes, and troughs—anything that holds soil. Just be sure that it has drainage holes in the bottom and is a size that you can manage.

Watch the video below for more information on choosing the right container:

The Best Soil for Container Gardening

In order to grow healthy plants, you need healthy soil. Plants in containers need the best possible nutrients, aeration, and drainage in order to encourage healthy root growth and to produce a good harvest.

Do not use soil from the garden! Most garden soils are too heavy, can become easily waterlogged and compacted, and harbor disease and insects. Instead, use a “soilless” potting mix that’s specifically formulated for use in containers. It will be quick-draining and lightweight, and shouldn’t contain any diseases or pests. 

Soilless potting mixes tend to consist of some combination of peat (or coconut coir), perlite, and vermiculite, as well as other additives such as ground limestone and granulated fertilizers to provide nutrients. Here’s how to make your own soilless mix at home.

Got compost? Humus is a fantastic material to add to your container mix, as it contains plenty of nutrients and loosens the media. Read all about making compost!

How to Water Containers

Because they are more exposed to sun and wind, containers tend to dry out more quickly than traditional gardens or raised beds. Especially during the hottest days of summer, many plants grown in pots must be watered as often as twice a day!

Containers can be watered in a number of ways—hoses, watering cans, drip irrigation. Choose a method that makes the most sense for you and the size of your garden.

A few watering pointers:

Other key things to keep in mind are the size of the pot and the weather. Smaller pots will dry out a lot more quickly than larger pots, and will require more frequent waterings. Hot, sunny days are naturally more drying than cool, cloudy ones, so expect to water more during heat waves. Overall, pay attention to the speed at which your container soil dries out as well as how your plants react; you will soon get a sense for how often you need to water!

One way to keep container plants adequately cool and moist during hot summer days is to double-pot them: Place a small pot inside a larger one and fill the space between them with sphagnum moss or crumpled newspaper. When watering the plant, also soak the filler between the pots. Caution: be sure to check your double-potted plants often, as the extra layer can also be a nice spot for pests to hide!

Fertilizing Containers

Water flows through containers quickly, flushing nutrients out with it. This can be a good thing, as it will flush out any buildup of salts in the soil. However, this also means that it’s necessary to replenish those nutrients by feeding container plants more regularly than those grown in the ground.

In general, we recommend adding a slow-release fertilizer to your potting mix at the start of the gardening season. This can be done by either mixing it into your potting mix at planting, or by sprinkling fertilizer on top of the potting mix (i.e., “top-dressing”) right after planting. This will give your plants a good head start on growth. 

While they’re actively growing, flowering, and fruiting, use a liquid fertilizer to feed container plants at least twice a month, following the instructions on the label. It’s always a good idea to test your soil first, if possible, to gauge whether or not additional fertilizer is necessary. An occasional application of fish emulsion or compost will add trace elements to container soil as well.

To keep vegetable plants growing, feed them organic soil amendments, like liquid seaweed, fish emulsion, or manure tea. Read more about fertilizing container plants here!

Supporting Container Plants

While we won’t discourage you from chatting with your plants every now and then, in this case, we mean physical support. Support tall or climbing vegetables with trellises, stakes, netting, twine, or cages. Here’s how to build your own trellis or wooden supports. 

A teepee of bamboo stakes will hold pole beans or snap peas well. Cucumbers trained to climb up a nylon mesh fence will develop fruit that hang down and grow straight. To avoid damaging the plants or their roots, put supports in place at the time of planting. 

Which Vegetables Are Good for Containers Gardening?

When it comes to being grown in containers, some veggies do actually do better than others. Vegetables that can be easily transplanted are typically great candidates, as they will adjust easily to the potted environment. Transplants can be purchased from local nurseries or started at home.

In general, gravitate toward vegetable varieties that are considered “dwarf” or “container,” as they tend to stay smaller and are better suited to the container lifestyle. Check in your favorite seed catalogs; many list varieties of vegetables bred specifically for growing in containers. Among tomatoes, for example, choose “bush” or “determinate” varieties, as they will grow to a set height and won’t get unwieldy in a container.

Attractive in window boxes, edible flowers such as nasturtiums, calendula, and signet marigolds also add color to the plate!

To maximize space and thus your harvest, try planting low-growers and tall climbers together in the same container. The climbers will eagerly scramble up a trellis, while the small plants spread around their base. You’ll hardly need to weed because there won’t be any room for weeds to gain a foothold, and during the height of summer, some low-growers (leafy greens, for example) will thrive in the shade provided by the taller plants.

Mix quick-maturing plants, such as lettuce or radishes, with longer-growing ones, like tomatoes or broccoli. Learn more about growing salad greens in containers here!

Group plants with similar needs for sun and water, such as pole beans, radishes, and lettuce; cucumber, bush beans, and beets; tomatoes, basil, and onions; and peas and carrots. 

Check out our video for more information on which plants will thrive in your container garden:

Finally, here are some suggested vegetables for containers, along with recommended container sizes and varieties:

Beans, snap
Container: 5-gallon window box
Varieties: Bush ‘Blue Lake’, Bush ‘Romano’, ‘Tender Crop’

Broccoli
Container: 1 plant per 5 gallon pot, 3 plants per 15-gallon tub
Varieties: ‘DeCicco’, ‘Green Comet’

Carrots
Container: 5-gallon window box at least 12 inches deep
Varieties: ‘Danvers Half Long’, ‘Short ‘n Sweet’, ‘Tiny Sweet’

Cucumbers
Container: 1 plant per 1-gallon pot
Varieties: ‘Patio Pik’, ‘Pot Luck’, ‘Spacemaster’

Eggplant
Container: 1 plant per 5-gallon pot
Varieties: ‘Black Beauty’, ‘Ichiban’, ‘Slim Jim’

Lettuce
Container: 5-gallon window box
Varieties: ‘Ruby’, ‘Salad Bowl’

Onions
Container: 5-gallon window box
Varieties: ‘White Sweet Spanish’, ‘Yellow Sweet Spanish’

Peppers
Container: 1 plant per 3-gallon pot, 5 plants per 15-gallon tub
Varieties: ‘Cayenne’, ‘Long Red’, ‘Sweet Banana’, ‘Wonder’, ‘Yolo’

Radishes
Container: 5-gallon window box
Varieties: ‘Cherry Belle’, ‘Icicle’

Tomatoes
Container: 1 plant per 5-gallon pot
Varieties: ‘Early Girl’, ‘Patio’, ‘Small Fry’, ‘Sweet 100’, ‘Tiny Tim’

See our individual Vegetable Growing Guides for advice on growing other common vegetables.

Container Vegetable Gardening for Beginners

Container vegetable gardening is a great solution for people who have limited yard space. It’s also a way to bypass poor soil conditions. AND it’s one of the best ways to embrace vegetable gardening for beginners. Here’s what you need to know to choose the right containers for your urban garden — and what to put in them! 

No matter what kind of garden you grow, planting some of your veggies in hanging baskets has some surprising benefits! (Spoiler: Fewer pests!)

Growing food in the backyard is really one the biggest efforts you can make toward a more self-reliant lifestyle. And it’s hard to deny the flavor that comes from freshly grown produce. 

Whether you’re a beginning gardener or one with lots of experience but short on space to grow a garden (hello, downsizing!), container gardening is a wonderful way to make the most of your area and get growing. It’s the perfect way to start small and gain experience before you dive into larger gardens, too.

I’ll cover choosing inexpensive garden containers for your urban garden as well as the best size and some of the best vegetables for container gardening below. 

There is actually a container under all that growth!

If you’re starting a container garden on a limited budget, you’re probably searching for ideas for cheap containers in which to grow your vegetables. Good news! There are plenty of options that will cost little or nothing to get started with container gardens.  

Let’s talk first about what a container needs in order to be used as a planter for growing vegetables (or flowers!). 

When choosing a container, the first step is determining what you’d like to grow.

Different types of vegetables require different sized containers.

A large tomato plant requires a much bigger area for its roots to grow than a small lettuce plant. Even for small plants, your container should be no less than 4” deep in order to give the roots enough space.

Inexpensive containers

When it comes to containers in which to grow vegetables there are plenty of options to consider, some purely utilitarian and some pretty enough to share space on your patio.

Free is about as inexpensive as you can get, and there are plenty of options for garden pots in this category, as well as a few that are relatively inexpensive and long lasting. 

From smaller containers that are suited to growing salad greens to large ones that can host a tomato plant or summer squash, think creatively about how to source garden containers that fit your budget. 

Garage sales and thrift stores are a great resource for finding potential planters — both those that are meant to be used for planting and clever containers to upcycle.

Upcycled food containers

Large coffee cans, milk jugs, and other large food and drink containers are suitable for growing small, leafy crops like lettuce, bok choy, or arugula.

While you can utilize a lot of different upcycled containers, try not to go smaller than gallon-sized containers for the best results. Even small plants need a sufficient amount of soil for their roots!

Baskets

Baskets come in a wide variety of shapes, sizes, and materials. These won’t last as long as other options, but they’re cute and will get you growing quickly. No need to worry about creating drainage holes with this option, either.

Kitchenware

Old colanders are sized right for salad greens and they come complete with plenty of drainage! Colanders with handles work well as hanging baskets, too.

Large metal pots become unusable for cooking when they crack or spring a leak, but they’re perfect for planting in.

Boxes

Wooden boxes in various sizes work well. Hit up a local winery or liquor store to see if they receive any of their wine in wooden boxes. Or try Costco! They may be happy to pass some along.

Drill a few holes in the bottom for drainage and you can start planting. Even old dresser drawers are can be salvaged for planting some vegetables.

Buckets

Five gallon buckets are a nice size for planting, providing a good amount of root space for crops like peppers, peas, tomatoes, and carrots. Both plastic and metal buckets will work for growing vegetables, just be sure that they didn’t previously contain anything toxic.

Good sources for free or inexpensive plastic buckets include bakeries and delis that often get ingredients delivered this way, as well as friends who buy cat litter in large plastic buckets.

You can even use buckets for a DIY upside-down tomato planter. 

Natural materials

Scour the natural areas around your home for possibilities! Hollowed out logs can be turned into a garden container by adding soil. They’ll slowly decompose over the years, but they’re an inexpensive garden container to get you growing. 

Wheelbarrows

When an old wheelbarrow rusts through and is no longer functional for moving materials, give it a little extra life by filling it with vegetable plants.

Pallets

Pallets are readily available for free and can be used individually as either an upright or flat planter. You’ll need to use some landscape fabric to create planting spaces to retain the soil. Multiple pallets can be used to create a four-sided raised bed planter.

Nursery pots

Plastic nursery pots come in a wide range of sizes and are often easy to find for free. Once a landscaper has planted a shrub or tree, that container is of little use to them. They’re often happy to find someone who will take them off their hands.

These containers may not be as pretty as fancier garden pots, but they’re completely functional and do exactly what they’re meant to do: grow plants!

Containers that require a bit of investment

In addition to the plentiful cheap garden containers listed above, there are also some more expensive options that can make a container garden pretty enough for the front yard.

Fabric pots

An option that’s fairly new to the gardening scene and relatively inexpensive are fabric grow bags. I find that vegetables do well in them. Again, these come in many sizes, from a 2-gallon size up to a 100-gallon size for a quite large container garden. These pots are made of a sturdy, breathable fabric that feels somewhat like felt.

This is beneficial because when planted in containers, plant roots grow toward the sides of the pot. In a hard-sided container, roots begin to circle when they reach the edge going around and around the perimeter and becoming root bound. With fabric pots, when the roots reach the outer edge, they dry out and die off.

It may sound like a bad thing, but it’s not! When those roots die off, it causes the plant to send out lateral roots that are efficient at absorbing nutrients for a healthy, sturdy plant. The porosity of the fabric also allows the roots access to oxygen.

These containers will last in the garden for years. I’ve had several large 50-gallon fabric pots for close to a decade now.

Glazed ceramic containers

These are made from clay and finished with a non-porous glaze. This glaze helps with moisture retention, meaning they don’t dry out quite as quickly as unfinished terra cotta pots.

These containers are often used as a focal point in landscapes, filled with blooming flowers or a single small tree. There’s no reason, though, that you can’t fill yours with food! Planted with an assortment of pretty vegetables and flowers, glazed pots like these can absolutely hold their own as a beautiful addition to a patio or front yard garden.

Feed troughs and tubs

Galvanized containers are all the rage right now in the gardening world and they’re certainly very functional. Not quite as good looking are sturdy plastic stock tanks. Both materials come in a variety of sizes, from oversized buckets to big containers that will hold an entire pickup truck load of soil. The larger options really could be considered a raised garden bed.

Make sure the pot has proper drainage

No matter what type of container you opt to use, drainage is critical. Without a drainage hole — or several — water can sit inside the bottom of a pot. This causes plant roots to rot. Most ready-made planters come with a drainage hole, but be sure to check. I’ve been surprised sometimes to pick up a glazed planter only to find that it didn’t have that all important drainage hole.

If the vessel you use doesn’t have a drainage hole, which is often the case with upcycled containers, you’ll need to create one. For thin metal containers, use a large nail and a hammer to pound several holes in the bottom. For sturdy plastic containers or heavier duty metal, use a drill to create a drainage hole. If you use a smaller bit, make several holes; if you have a larger bit, like a 1/2” size, one or two holes should suffice.

 

If you’re a beginning gardener stumped about how to get started, be sure to check out my course, The 5-Gallon Garden!

 

 

Now let’s talk about the size of the garden containers you choose and what types of vegetables grow well in each.

Growing Vegetables in Pots for Beginners

Large vegetable container – 18″  to 22″

Large planters are best for single vegetables that need a lot of root space. These garden containers allow space for cages or a trellis, too.

Best vegetables (and fruit!) for big containers:

Big containers are also great for planting multiple varieties of smaller vegetables that don’t need the entire pot to grow. You can often plant 2-3 “medium” plants and 4-6 “small” plants together in a large container. (See “medium containers” and small containers” below for specific plant recommendations.)

 

Medium Garden Containers – 10″  to 18″

Medium-sized garden pots are perfect for compact vegetables or those of the bush variety. If you’re growing root crops like carrots or beets, make sure that in addition to width you’re providing plenty of depth. With carrots, you can opt for varieties that grow just a couple inches long.

Best vegetables to grow in medium sized containers:

Small Containers – 6″  to 10″

Small garden containers are ideal for vegetables that don’t require much space, as well as some herbs. That said, 

Best crops for small containers:

A hanging container garden

When you can’t plant at ground level, consider planting above! Some plants actually do better when they’re not lying on the ground and with vertical gardening you can utilize the space, freeing up the ground surface for plants that need it. A hanging vegetable container garden helps combat pests, too.

Tip: Hanging doesn’t have to mean high. Use long ropes or chains so the plants are within easy reach.

Best Plants for Hanging Containers:

Window boxes

Despite the name, window boxes don’t have to sit just by a window and they can hold more than just flowers.

Some boxes fit over railings or can be hung on the side of a fence, turning those lost areas into a little container garden to grow vegetables. Plants that tend to keep to themselves, don’t need much root space, and/or grow up are best for window boxes.

Best vegetables for window boxes:

Raised garden beds

 

The biggest “container” of the bunch, raised beds are an easy way to work around the limitation that are problematic for many renters: no-permanent structures. You can build a raised bed for under $15 and it’s perfect for plants that like to roam.

Best Plants for Garden Beds:

This post was originally contributed by Tiffany at Don’t Waste the Crumbs back in 2015. It was been completely and updated to include more information about container vegetable gardening, choosing vegetables, and more. 

Exemplary Estate » Site Archive » Growing vegetables in containers


Growing your own food can bring you joy, but what if you don't have a plot of land for a vegetable garden or it's too small to accommodate all the crops you want to grow? You can grow almost any vegetable in a convenient container, saving you both money and space.
However, vegetable container gardening can be a frustrating experience if your plants don't grow well and don't produce fruit. These basic tips apply to most vegetables and will help you and your plants.

Choosing the perfect container
Choosing a container can lead you into a dead end. You can use almost any container for this purpose, as long as it is large enough, has good drainage, and is made of non-toxic material. Keep in mind, however, that the larger your container, the easier it will be to serve. The more soil a container can hold, the more moisture it will hold.
Wooden containers look great when growing vegetables and you can get really optimal sized containers that are not too expensive. You can make your own wooden garden.

Plastic or glazed ceramic containers also work well. You can use clay pots, but the plants will need to be watered more often because the clay draws water out of the soil.
For an inexpensive container, use a 10 liter plastic bucket from the hardware store. Another alternative is to make a fancy container out of something you already have, like an old laundry basket or toy box. As long as the container is large enough and has good drainage, you can really use anything.

Seeds or seedlings
You can start growing your vegetables from seeds or buy seedlings. Each option has its own significant advantages and disadvantages. Starting your own seeds is much cheaper than buying seedlings after the initial start up costs. You can grow hard-to-find varieties organically. However, growing from seed involves more hassle. You cannot let the soil dry out, otherwise the seedlings will die. Conversely, if you give them too much water, they may rot. Seedlings also need 12 to 16 hours of light and regular ventilation to grow strong.

Vegetables for container gardens
When choosing vegetable varieties to plant in containers, look for shrubs or small varieties that are dwarf and compact and make sure your climate zone has enough days for the growing season to mature, otherwise your plants will need in illumination.

Vegetables you can grow in containers:
Peas : This plant is quite easy to grow. Water frequently and keep the soil fertilized, and take care of small trellises.
Potato: Some potatoes require a 120-day growing season, so look for varieties that ripen early.
Tomatoes : Like peas, tomatoes need a support system. Use planks or a tomato cage to keep the plants upright.
Carrots: Be sure to use a container that is twice the length it will grow to.
Radishes: Containers do not need to be large or deep for this spring vegetable.
Eggplant: When planning which variety to buy, be aware that eggplant is more sensitive to cool temperatures than peppers and tomatoes.
Summer Courgettes and Cucumbers: Choose shrub varieties over spreading varieties. One plant can quickly fill a large pot.
Leafy greens: grow these crops in partial shade.
Peppers: try growing traditional bell peppers or hot peppers, but remember not to grow them in the same pot.

Vegetables not suitable for growing in pots:
Large melons
Corn
Large pumpkins

Sun and temperature
Most vegetables need adequate sunlight, which means they need at least six hours of direct sunlight per day. Most people overestimate how much sun a container of plants actually gets. In order for your vegetables to grow well, you need an accurate estimate. To ensure the perfect growing spot, check the spot every 30 minutes during the day to see how long the sun is directly at the spot where you want to plant the vegetable garden.
If you live in a very hot area, you may need to shade your plants in the middle of the day to keep them from overheating. Also, it's best not to use metal, dark plastic, or ceramic containers because they can get very hot and steam your plant's roots.

On the other hand, many vegetables don't like cold soil, so if you live in a cooler climate, don't leave your vegetable containers completely outdoors until the temperatures are right. For many plants, the soil should be at least 15-20 degrees.

Watering
Vegetable plants need water, and some, like tomatoes, need a lot. However, you don't want to flood your plants. The goal is to keep the soil moist but not overwatered. To find out if your plants need water, touch the ground with your finger. If the soil seems dry, add water; if you are unsure, please wait and check back later in the day. During the height of summer, you probably need to water at least once, and sometimes twice a day. Proper watering can be the most important and difficult part of vegetable container gardening.

Soil
The quality of potting soil is really important for vegetables. Don't use soil from your garden because it will compact in your container and won't be water and breathable enough. Also, one of the reasons for gardening in containers is that you don't have to deal with weeds. Chances are if you're using garden soil, you'll be carrying weeds into your container. It is recommended to use purchased universal primer for these purposes.

Plant nutrition
Plants need food to grow well and bear fruit, and their food is fertilizer. If your soil lacks or lacks nutrients, add them several times throughout the growing season.
Optimum drainage
Drainage is key to preventing plant rot. Your pot or container needs to drain excess water through the bottom so that your plants don't sit in too wet soil and get attacked by root rot. You need one large hole or several smaller ones located at the bottom of your container. You can usually drill holes if drainage isn't good enough, and you can cover a large hole with coffee filters or plastic screens to keep the soil from washing out.


Growing vegetables in containers - GrowHobby.ru

Relatively recently, we learned how to grow flowers in containers. Previously, these were only flower beds, rabatka, etc. It turned out that it is very convenient to grow in containers: a container of one or another species of interest to us can be placed in any convenient place, it is easier to create a microclimate for the plant that it likes better. Plants are easier to care for, because perennial weeds do not climb into the plantings, and irrigation water and fertilizers always get where they need to be. Why not grow vegetables in containers too?

First, let's take into account that it is impossible to grow as many vegetables in containers as in garden beds. But, firstly, not all vegetables are needed in large quantities. And secondly, even if you have a large family, and you need, for example, a ton of potatoes or cabbage to stock up for the winter, then you can use the container and grow some potatoes in it, but some outlandish variety, or to get a super early harvest. The same goes for cabbage and other vegetables. In general, it is clear that the container is suitable for growing small quantities of vegetables.

When grown in a container, all the same advantages over growing in beds remain as in the flower version, in particular, there is no need to fight creeping perennial rhizomatous weeds. After all, the container can be placed anywhere in the garden. Even in the midst of dreams. Let her rampage around as much as she likes, but she won't be able to get into the container.

In a container, it is easier to create the soil mixtures the plant needs than in the garden. Here, fertilizers and all sorts of useful soil additives are spent more economically. It is more convenient to water without worrying that water, or water with fertilizers, will leak outside the root zone.

The container takes up little space, and therefore it is easier to place it in a scarce sunny or slightly shaded, windless place. Landings are easier to cover from frost. The root system of plants is in a limited volume, but the aerial part can scatter its leaves and lashes in all directions, where they like, so there is always enough light for plants. Another advantage of container growing is that in the spring the soil warms up earlier in the container, which means that you can start sowing earlier, and during the summer the soil there is always warmer than in the beds. Therefore, heat-loving plants get sick less and grow better. It is clear that only annual crops can be grown in containers.

All in all, there are many benefits to growing vegetables in a container. But there are also some downsides. So, in a container, the roots do not have the opportunity to scour the soil space in search of food, because they inevitably stumble on the walls, and the plants can starve. We will compensate for this inconvenience with more frequent feeding. Willy-nilly, you will have to quickly study the literature, which describes the signs of starvation of plants, in order to feed them with the necessary fertilizer. Knowledge will be useful in the future for all plants that grow on your site.

The root system of most vegetable crops is much larger than that of flower crops. Therefore, the volume of containers for vegetables is something different than for flowers. What is it - a container for growing vegetables?

My first container was an ordinary iron 200-liter barrel with holes in it - we will also delicately call it a container. I started growing cucumbers in it. The whips fell down the walls of the barrel, closing the holes. It turned out very nice. The yields have always been so good that this cask has served me to this day - that's about 20 years. The barrel is high - 1.2 m, which is very convenient, because you do not have to bend over when caring for plantings.

Barrels with a height of 60-80 cm were also used. Long climbing plants should not be grown in such barrels, because the lashes slide down the outer wall of the container and spread over the grass, where snails show interest in cucumbers or melons.

If there are no barrels, then containers can be bought (ready-made BagPot containers made of geotextiles) or built with your own hands from improvised material. For example, from roofing material and stakes. Or instead of roofing felt, use a dense plastic film. The container can be made round or square, rectangular. A durable container can be built from boards, plastic, thick plywood, even old furniture. My neighbor used the body of an old gas stove. In general, there is a lot of room for imagination here.

The height of the walls must be at least 50 cm to be away from the cold spring ground. The remaining dimensions, as experience has shown, are such that the volume would be approximately 100 liters. The resulting buildings can be painted. Some savvy gardeners cover them with a mesh of wire or beautiful plastic.

Barrels are convenient because they are easy to roll every year to a new place. Homemade designs are made for a permanent place.

In the spring, you will have to work to fill the containers (we will delicately call them containers) with soil. As soon as the snow melts, work can begin. At the bottom of the container, at the very bottom, I put branches, dry leaves to isolate from the cold from the ground. Then I lay everything that I rake in the early spring in the garden: old grass, plant stems, cardboard, newspapers - I stuff about 3/4 of the height. I layer all this with small amounts of under-ripened compost - as a starter - and ash, compact it tightly and water it with warm water with urea dissolved in it. Above I put, if I get it, a layer of manure, on it - good garden soil with mineral fertilizer. This will be the top layer about 30 cm thick. If there is no manure, I fill everything above the grass with a mixture of garden soil with compost and mineral fertilizers.

Usually, after a week or two, the contents of the container shrink, you have to add earth to the very top. By the middle of summer, the soil will shrink more, and it will be possible to add compost so that additional roots form in already grown plants.

What crops can be grown in containers? Almost any. I successfully grow cucumbers, zucchini, sometimes squash, street tomatoes, cauliflower and broccoli every year. Neighbors grow annual herbs, chard. In recent years, I have been getting melons and watermelons in barrels!

I now constantly grow zucchini in a barrel. The harvest from the bush is much more than from the bush in the garden. Usually it is 20-22 fruits weighing about 1 kg. Or 10-15 fruits of 1. 5-2 kg, depending on the variety. Bushes grow lush, sprawling. Varieties I choose bush or with a short lash. I sow dry seeds in the first decade of May, and if it is very cold, then in mid-May. Tried to grow through seedlings. But there was practically no gain in harvesting time, and there was more fuss.

Squash gave especially large yields compared to the garden bed. This culture is more thermophilic than zucchini, so she especially liked it in a barrel.

About top dressing

Cucumbers, zucchini, squash take so many nutrients out of the soil that they have to be fed starting 5-10 days after the first harvest. I feed about once a week when watering, I dissolve small doses in water (10 grams (tablespoon) per 10 liters) of Valagro Master 18-18-18 complex fertilizer. Sometimes I treat them with ashes or herbal infusion. I also feed cabbages with whatever comes to hand. The rest of the crops, judging by their appearance, do not starve without top dressing.

Watermelons and melons surprised me. They felt clearly better than in the greenhouse. They bloomed earlier and fruited faster. True, the fruits grew less weight than in the greenhouse, but were no less sweet. When I grew melons in low containers, the whips crawled along the grass far from the barrel. In the autumn, when I pulled them out of the ground, it was very pleasant to pull out a lash with a ripe melon from the grass, which, when it grew, was not visible in the grass. I chose early and medium-sized varieties for sowing, such as "Skorika". If the seeds were sown immediately in a container, the crop did not always have time to ripen, especially in the cold summer. Therefore, for reliability, watermelons and melons were planted in a container with seedlings of a month old.

Cauliflower and broccoli grow wonderfully in containers. Fast and beautiful. For example, in a box with an area of ​​​​70x80 cm with a wall height of 40 cm, 3 broccoli bushes with heads weighing 600-800 g each and an April cucumber bush grew, the lash of which crawled into the grass, and which until autumn gave cucumber after cucumber.

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