Vegetable gardening in containers provides gardeners who have limited space the chance to benefit from fresh vegetables. All you need is a sunny patio to grow your favorite veggies. When it comes to the most suitable types of vegetables for container gardening, your choice depends on the zone of your location. You can easily purchase seeds online or from your garden center and nursery in your area.
Aside from determining the best types of vegetables to grow, it is also essential to know the basics about planting vegetables in containers.
Soil. You can purchase bagged soil at your local nursery. Make sure to go for a lightweight soil mixture that can sustain mature plants and provide nutrients to your vegetables.
Sunlight. Your vegetables require full sunlight (6 or more hours everyday). There are some vegetable varieties such as radishes, lettuce and chard that require less sunlight but it is recommended to put the containers in direct sunlight.
Drainage. The containers must have holes in order to let excess water to drain. You can find a lot of lovely resin or plastic planters at your local garden center or nursery that don't have holes in them. Using a drill, just add 3 or 4 holes at the bottom of the planters. Before putting the soil mixture, it is recommended to add a level of pebbles at the base to help with the drainage.
Fertilizer. Expect the fertilizer to be drained quickly every time you water your containers. If you use lighter mixes, you need to fertilize more frequently. It is recommended to employ a thinned liquid fertilizer or liquid seaweed or liquid fish emulsion. However, it is important to note that your plants require different types of nutrients so check the descriptions on the fertilizer to ensure that they have a balanced and complete solution including trace elements.
Watering. A lot of vegetables require a lot of moisture throughout the whole growing season. In addition, if the container plants are placed in exposed areas, they tend to loose moisture rapidly so make sure to water them more often.
- Carrots
- Eggplants
- Cucumbers
- Lettuce
- Peppers
- Radishes
- Melons
- Tomatoes
- Herbs
- Green beans
- Green onions
- Broccoli
- Spinach
- Garlic
- Squash
in Gardening