From The Gardens

Containers of annuals are beautiful additions to decks, patios and porches, but can you grow vegetables in containers also?  The answer is a resounding “Yes”, if you are willing to pay close attention to a few details.  Vegetable plants in containers need as much sun as garden grown plants, and even more water and food than their counterparts.

Vegetables can be grown in any sort of container imaginable, whether it be a plastic pot, metal can, wooden box, bowl or bucket.  The least desirable container would be a clay pot, simply because it will dry out too fast.  You could, of course, line the clay pot with plastic or insert a plastic pot inside to help prevent too rapid drying.  A metal can, bucket or wooden box will need to have a few holes punched in the bottom for drainage.

Peppers, cherry tomatoes, lettuce, carrots, onions, eggplants and herbs can be grown in smaller containers, while plants with larger root systems like cucumbers and melons will need a larger pot.  Use the largest size container available, because every vegetable will benefit from as much soil as possible for its roots.  Even a six-inch pot is large enough to grow leaf lettuce, a hot pepper plant or most any herb.  Sweet corn is not impossible if the container is large enough.

Whatever the container, the soil will dry out rapidly and you will probably need to water frequently, sometimes more that once a day.  Check the soil frequently. The plants will also quickly exhaust the nutrients in the soil, so you will need to fertilize once a week with a water-soluble fertilizer.

A container standing by itself in the warm sunshine will heat up to a considerable degree.  Group several pots together so that not only will they shade each other, their foliage will provide additional relief from the heat.  If your container is wood, place blocks underneath to keep the bottom from rotting too quickly.  If the containers are going to be sitting on a wood deck, they will also need blocks to prevent rings from appearing on the deck surface.

The type of soil you use will depend somewhat of the size of the container used. Purchased soil-less mix might be appropriate for small containers, but too expensive to use in larger pots.  If you wish to mix your own medium use one part peat moss, one part garden soil and one part sand.  Add a slow release fertilizer such as Ozmacote (14-14-14).  Until a good root system is developed, you may notice that some of your soil is being washed out the bottom of the pot each time you water.  Placing a piece of screen inside the pot to cover the drain holes can eliminate this problem.

Container gardens are useful for anyone living in an apartment, but especially for seniors who need only a few vegetables and are looking for easy maintenance.   There is no heavy digging or weeding that needs to be done, and if you are vigilant about watering and feeding your container, you should be successful.