How to -- A Guide to Grow a Successful Vegetable Container Garden

Pot young seedlings to give them warmer starts in fall or winter.

When spring arrives, new and experienced gardeners flock to their gardens to till and amend soil, lay out individual plots and get their vegetable gardens started. People who want to grow during winter, though, or have limited outdoor space, find themselves restricted in terms of vegetable selection and growing. If you find yourself in this situation, get around the problem with potted vegetables and a container garden. Start a container garden at any time of the year with the right pots, soil and location.

Things You'll Need

• Pots/containers
• Potting mix
• Organic compost
• Peat moss
• Vermiculite
• Fertilizer
• Stakes
• Ties

Instructions

1. Prepare 5- to 10-gallon pots for growing, or use long, narrow containers for row plantings. Use pots that measure at least 6 to 10 inches deep to give the plants space for root growing, and plant in pots with drainage holes to ensure drainage.

2. Mix your own potting soil for nutrition and moisture. Combine peat moss, potting soil, organic compost and perlite in equal parts, or mix potting soil with wood chips or organic compost. Potted vegetables dry more quickly than garden vegetables, so potting soil must hold plenty of nutrition and moisture. Mix slow-release 10-10-10 or 12-12-12 fertilizer into the soil for a quick start.

3. Plant small vegetables for successful container garden growth. Radishes, carrots, beets, lettuce, cabbage, dwarf and container tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers and other small bush-type vegetables thrive in container gardens. Avoid large plants, like okra and corn, which take up too much space.

4. Put the garden in a site with full natural or artificial light every day. Keep the vegetables in good air circulation to encourage pollination and healthy growing. If you keep them inside, keep them away from fireplaces and heating vents. If you keep them outside, move them indoors ahead of any frost.

5. Water the garden with 2 inches of water every four to five days, and monitor the soil for drying. Vegetable gardens do best with consistently moist soil and may dry more quickly in potted environments.

6. Feed the garden with water-soluble fertilizer for immediate nutrient availability. Use 20-20-20 or 15-30-15 fertilizer once a month, starting at mid-season. Judge a plant's season based on its maturity dates, as some plants grow to maturity faster than others.

7. Stake plants like tomatoes and cucumbers, which need support for growth. Push stakes into the pots 3 to 4 inches from the bases of the plants, and use pieces of twine or cord to tie plant stems to the stakes.

Tips & Warnings

• Maintain healthy growing conditions for plants to keep the container garden beyond a single season.

References

• Oregon State University Extension Service: Growing Your Own: Container Gardens
• North Carolina State University; Container Vegetable Gardening; Larry Bass
• Ohio State University Extension Fact Sheet; Growing Cucumbers, Peppers, Squash and Tomatoes in Containers; Pamela J. Bennett