How to Plant a Spring Vegetable Garden in Containers

Use your planters to create a spring container garden.

A lack of garden space shouldn’t keep you from growing vegetables each spring, because many vegetables can be grown in containers right on a balcony or patio. It is difficult to grow large vegetables, such as corn, but lettuce, tomatoes, squash, beans, carrots, strawberries and even watermelon and other baby or dwarf vegetables grow very well in containers. With a little work, you can start a very productive container garden with herbs, vegetables, and even small fruits each spring.

Things You'll Need

• Containers
• Seeds
• Potting soil
• Gravel
• Drill and drill bit
• Fetilizer
• Bricks (optional)
• Plant saucers (optional)

Instructions

1. Determine the characteristics of your location. Do you have full sun or partial shade? Root crops and leaf crops will tolerate light shade, but tomatoes, green beans and peppers need at least six hours of direct sunlight per day. Determine the amount of space you can use: you can use 10-inch pots for herbs and green onions, but 5-gallon containers are required for tomatoes, eggplant, and peppers. Use the Colorado State University document listed in the resources for specific container requirements for each type of vegetable.

2. Gather your containers and drill drainage holes in the bottom. Drain holes should be ½ inch from the bottom along the sides of the pot to ensure proper drainage. Start with smaller containers, except with root crops, which should be started in 5-gallon pots.

3. Prepare your location. Pots should be elevated off of the ground on bricks on the ground or gravel in a pot saucer to improve drainage. Make sure your location is level so the water saturates the plant roots properly and the plant grows properly.

4. Prepare your pots. Add 1 inch of gravel to the bottom of the pots. Fill the pots with potting soil purchased from a garden center and plant the seeds as directed on the seed packets. Use commercial potting soil to improve weed control and to ensure you have the appropriate nutrients. These soils are also sterile, lightweight, and drain well. Topsoil and planting mix should not be used because they do not drain well.

5. Add a soluble, all-purpose fertilizer that mixes well with water. Container gardens need fertilizer every 3three to four days, but use the fertilizer at half-strength. You can also use compost, manure and rock phosphate mixed into the potting soil for fertilizer.

6. Water daily. Containers dry out much quicker than traditional gardens, so they require much more water. Water each container thoroughly, but do not let the soil remain soggy or have standing water. Water the container until water runs out of the drain holes every time the soil feels dry.

7. Install trellises or wires for all climbing plants. Some plants, especially tomatoes, require support, and can be supported by cages or stakes.

Tips & Warnings

• You can use the same containers for later summer and fall vegetables after you have harvested your spring vegetables. Start small on your first container garden so you can experiment and learn about the different vegetables and herbs you are planting. Choose hanging baskets for small fruits and vine vegetables. You can start seeding indoors in the spring for most of your plants, but not root crops. Remove weeds immediately.

• Watch for disease and pests, and treat them immediately.

References

• Texas A&M University AgriLife Extension: Vegetable Gardening in Containers
• Colorado State University Extension: Vegetable Gardening in Containers
• North Carolina State University Cooperative Extension: Preparing the Spring Vegetable Garden
• Oregon State University Extension Service: Garden Hints - No Yard Space? Here's How to Grow a Container Vegetable Garden