What's the smallest container you tried growing a plant in?

14 years ago

I am thinking of designing my own hydro system this summer, but in the mean time, I have decided to experiment with growing plants in smaller than normal size containers. I understand that you have to be careful when growing plants otherwise you won't get as beautiful as flowers or a fruitful plant, but I thought it'd be fun to try.

Right now I am experimenting with pea and bean plants. I still have decided on the containers but I will be trying various sizes for each type of pea & bean I want to grow so I can compare them.

My main purpose in this is that I want to grow veggies indoors in the winter so I can have fresh veggies all year round, but with having a little house, I don't have a lot of room for pots everywhere, so I figure if I experiment all year long, then by next winter, I will know just how small I can go on the containers and can then plan what to grow and where to grow it in the house.

Have any of you grown certain plants in smaller than normal containers? What did you grow and what did you grow it in? And how did it turn out?

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Comments (7)

tapla (mid-Michigan, USDA z5b-6a)
14 years ago
{{gwi:3266}}

Al
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tn_veggie_gardner
14 years ago
Hahahaha...I think Al won this with the first reply. ;) Good one...I think the smallest container i've grown a plant in as its permanent home is probably a 1 gallon container for a pepper plant & it didn't do too bad at all. =)
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safaribabe
14 years ago
I am interested in this as well. I just got about 30 FOUR gallon buckets for making my own Earth Buckets with. Most people are using 5 gallon. I like the idea of 4 because it requires less soil mix. But I am wondering how much of a difference 1 gallon will make. And if I should raise my top bucket up higher to get a bigger reservoir. Earth Boxes have a 3 gallon reservoir.... that's nearly the size of my bucket. Of course, the grow area is bigger too, so more plants = more need for water.

Think I could do at least 2 bean plants in one 4 gallon Earth Bucket?
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rkgibbs
Original Author
14 years ago
bush beans or pole? I would think you could do that just fine but I'd be worried that if the bucket was very wide, you'd have a tangled mess of the plants above the soil.
While I do not consider myself an experienced gardener, I will say that I have noticed the bush beans I grow do not produce massive roots. For the most part they stay all in the area I planted them in within the garden.
All of my containers I will be growing in will be one plant per container, but I am aiming for narrow containers so they take up less room. For example, I have a few sparking cider bottles. I filled the bottom 1/4 with fish tank gravel so there is a place for water to "run off" in with out leaving the plant roots soaking in water and the rest is soil. I sprouted the beans outside the container on a tray with gravel, water and coffee filter, and once they sprouted a stem and began producing a leaf, I slipped them each in a bottle. They are pole beans and I will grow them inside in designated areas. It'll take some work to train them where to go as they grow, but it'll be fun to see how they do.
I am also thinking of taking some Gatorade bottles I have washed out and growing bush beans in them. Then wrapping fabric around the bottle and turn it into a centerpiece on my kitchen table and coffee table.
My peas are the ones that I am really pushing the limits with. Since the varieties I am growing are shorter (2-3 ft) and I've noticed from past experiences, their roots do not grow out vary far, and they also can be harvested within about 2 months, I am thinking I can squeeze them into something super small as long as I make sure they have all the nutrients they need. Kind of like a hydroponics system in the sense that you grow something with less room, but they'll still be growing in soil, I'll just water them through out the day (or as needed) with nutrient packed water that I will make (and don't ask how I'm going to make it because I don't know yet, lol. I eventually want a worm composter that I can "water" for nutrient packed water but since I do not have that system set up yet, I'll figure something else out).
I am going to try pill bottles of various sizes for the peas. I have some large and some small and can drill a hole in the bottom of them for drainage.
So that's what I've schemed up so far, but I still have a few days to figure out what to do with the peas because they are just beginning to sprout and will be ready for a container in the next few days.
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sprtsguy76
14 years ago
Lol, it dont get any smaller than that A1! I grew and ind. tomato last year in a 2 gallon pot. It did really well and yeilded some good fruit. However the water and nutrient demand got so high after awhile that I just couldn't keep up with it. So it eventually died but before I got a decent yeild from it.

Damon
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dickiefickle
14 years ago
Remember the smaller the container and taller the plant the easier tipping over
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rkgibbs
Original Author
14 years ago
Yeah, when it comes time to water, it gets interesting as I maneuver around each one. But my peas are doing great so far!
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