20 Best Container Gardening Vegetables for Beginners
You don't need a big yard for these veggies! 🥬
Making your dream vegetable garden a reality when you have a small space is anything but impossible, thanks to container gardening! It may look more like window boxes and terracotta pots filled with crops than the flourishing backyard garden of your fantasies, but the end result of crunchy, colorful veggies remains the same in both scenarios! There are so many vegetable varieties that grow well in pots and window boxes, like crunchy greens, peppers, and potatoes.
Ready to get the container gardening party started? Before you get planting, choose a sunny spot for your containers as most vegetables generally need at least six hours of direct sunlight daily to thrive. Larger plants, like tomatoes and broccoli, need containers at least 12 inches deep, while shallow-rooted veggies like lettuces are suitable for window boxes. Regardless of the plant, though, the more space you can provide, the better they'll grow! Fill your containers with well-draining potting soil rather than bagged garden soil for best results.
Because you'll be growing your veggies in portable pots, there are certain factors to look out for, that you may not otherwise need to with in-ground gardening, like the wind. As your plants grow and become top-heavy, secure your planters and shield them from direct wind by placing them in sheltered areas or securing them with ropes or cinderblocks. It's also important to ensure there's a nearby water source for convenient watering. After all, it can be tedious to carry heavy watering cans or tangled hoses to your pots daily, especially during summer when plants require frequent watering. Additionally, container plants need regular feeding because nutrients can quickly be washed out with watering. Even if your potting soil includes fertilizer, it's beneficial to supplement it with a general-purpose fertilizer after a month or two of growth.
Whether you're a beginner gardener, or you just have limited yard space, these container vegetable garden ideas are perfect for any patio, balcony, or porch.
Once you've started your container vegetable garden, check out these ideas:
Carrots
This crunchy orange root veggie is a great choice to grow in containers alongside radishes, tomatoes, onions, lettuce, and many more vegetables! Plant the cool-season vegetable anytime between mid-spring and mid-summer in a deep pot with loose, sandy soil to accommodate its root growth. Sow carrot seeds directly into the soil, keeping it consistently moist and thinning seedlings to ensure proper spacing for optimal development of sweet and crunchy carrots.
Beets
This brightly-colored root vegetable requires sunlight and cool weather for its growth! Grow beets in a deep pot with good drainage and a compost-enriched, well-draining potting mix to accommodate root development. Plant beet seeds about one inch deep and two to three inches apart, ensuring they receive full sun for at least 6 hours daily. Keep the soil consistently moist but not waterlogged, and thin seedlings once they reach a few inches in height to allow room for bulb growth.
Broccoli
Broccoli plants are on the bigger side, but you can still successfully grow them in large pots! To grow broccoli in containers, choose a deep pot with good drainage, fill it with nutrient-rich soil, and plant broccoli seedlings about 18 inches apart. Place the container in a sunny spot, water regularly, and fertilize monthly! Look for compact varieties like Sun King or Munchkin.
Lemongrass
Lemongrass can grow tall and needs room for its roots to spread, so choose a large pot with good drainage as well as a good-quality potting mix. Place the container in a sunny spot where it can receive at least six hours of sunlight daily and water regularly to keep the soil evenly moist, especially during hot weather. Fertilize every four to six weeks with a balanced fertilizer to encourage vigorous growth and flavorful stalks.
Okra
This Southern staple will grow well in a pot that's about 12 to 15 inches deep when the temperature starts to stay above 60°. Plant okra seeds in a well-draining potting mix, ensuring the container receives at least eight hours of sunlight daily. Water it regularly, keeping the soil moist but not waterlogged.
Lettuce
Ridiculously easy to grow from seed, lettuce grows well in shallow containers. Sprinkle the seeds onto the potting soil, pat down and keep seeds moist until they sprout. Then start picking baby lettuce in as little as 30 days.
Eggplant
Some eggplant plants get huge, but many newer varieties stay nice and compact so they work in containers. They'll yield plenty of eggplants from midsummer on. Look for petite varieties such as Meatball, Fairytale or Patio Baby.
Spinach
Spinach is another green that’s simple to grow from seed in containers. Like lettuce, keep the potting soil moist until the seeds sprout, then pick baby spinach, or let plants mature to full size (read the seed package to learn how many days to maturity).
Potatoes
As crazy as it sounds, potatoes are fun and easy to grow in containers. Make sure to use seed potatoes, not the ones from your kitchen, which likely have been treated to prevent sprouting.
Peppers
Both hot and sweet peppers do well in pots. Look for container-friendly varieties such as Sweet Gypsy, Sweet Snackabelle, and Shisito.
Cherry Tomatoes
Cherry tomatoes not only grow well in containers, they’re prolific producers. Look for types that have been bred for containers, such as Cherry Baby, Husky Cherry, Baby Boomer, or Patio Choice Yellow.
Beans
Pole beans need staking, but they produce for a longer period of time than bush beans. Bush beans stay more mounded and compact. Check out container-friendly varieties such as Mascotte, Contender and Big Kahuna.
Radishes
Radishes are easy to grow from seed, and many types are ready in less than a month! Plant successively every week or so for a long harvest period.
Kale
Kale is a hardy green that doesn’t mind the cold, so you can get an early start in spring or plant in mid to late summer for fall and early winter harvests.
Peas
Peas love chilly weather, so plant the seeds in early spring while it’s still cool. Plant a few large containers successively, so you’ll get peas for a few weeks. Little Snappea, Tom Thumb and Little Marvel are good container choices.
Turnips
Turnips might not be the first veggie you think of for containers, but many newer varieties are more compact and can be harvested fresh and eaten raw like radishes. The greens are edible, too. Silky Sweet is a standout variety with pretty, crunchy, white flesh.
Cucumbers
Forget about those soft, squishy cukes you buy at the store. Grow your own fresh, crisp cucumbers in containers! Most types will need a trellis to climb. Look for varieties such as Patio Snacker or Heirloom Lemon, a delicious yellow, round cucumber variety.
Swiss Chard
Swiss chard is an often overlooked leafy green, but it shouldn’t be! The stems of these plants come in a rainbow of colors, so they’re pretty enough to interplant with ornamental flowers, such as marigolds or snapdragons. Bright Lights is a rainbow-hued mix of bright yellow, white, and pink-stemmed varieties.
Herbs
No edible garden is complete without herbs. Plus, it’s so much cheaper to grow your own than to buy those packages at the supermarket. Plant mixed containers of your favorites. Perennials that will return next year include chives, oregano, sage, and thyme. Annual herbs, which you’ll need to replant every year, include basil, rosemary (though it’s perennial in warm climates), and cilantro.
Onions
Green onions, or scallions, are the easiest onions to grow, maturing in about 60 days. They’re inexpensive to grow yet they add plenty of snap and flavor to dishes.
Arricca Elin SanSone is a writer, editor, and content creator who specializes in lifestyle and gardening. With a background in health reporting, she applies these same research skills when writing about the science of growing things. She trials new plants in her expansive garden, and her houseplant collection consists of 60+ varieties. Arricca has written thousands of articles for publications such as Country Living, House Beautiful, Good Housekeeping, Prevention, VERANDA, Southern Living, and more. She’s happiest when digging in the dirt, baking, or spending time with the people and dogs she loves.
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