Best vegetables for container gardening

15 years ago

Happy First Day of Spring

Today it is -4C the snow is trying to melt and I have the gardening bug. I would like to grow vegetables in containers in my back yard this year. I get a tonne of sunshine and have grown huge crops of cucumbers, tomatoes and peppers in a small [tiny] 6 x 3 ft garden plot. It is a short growing season but I was thinking of trying some other veggies in containers - beans, beets, raddish, salad stuff. What varieties have any of you grown and how big of a container do you need?

Thanks

Fern

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Comments (3)

justaguy2
15 years ago
The variety names don't really matter as the cultural requirements are basically the same.
aliceinvirginia
15 years ago
Some varieties take a shorter time to maturity. You should probably look at those. Also consider something that is small in its final form and you could get started in containers under lights until it is warm enough outside.

You might look at the descriptions in the Fedco seeds catalog because they are also based up north. The cornell extension also has a long list of plant varieties.

I only started gardening last year, so couldn't really tell you much.

Spinach likes cold weather, so you could get those started early. Peas and lettuce a bit later.

Mache, also known as corn salad, is supposed to be very cold tolerant. So you could start those soon. Also bunching onions. Evergreen is one variety, then there is a Japanese kind that can grow to be like leeks. Look into "mounding up" the soil so they get a long white stem.

I've tried and failed on the mache. Don't know if they grow slowly, or they didn't have enough light next to the patio, or what. I was doing them indoors and right now they are bolting under lights in 75 farenheit temperatures. My spinach also bolted inside.

There is a Diamond Ukrainian eggplant which is a little harder to find. Also a siberian tomato. Again, never tried any of these, but they are supposed to be good.

Alice

Here is a link that might be useful: Cornell plant varieties.
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We had good luck last year with indeterminate, cherry-type tomatoes, sweet (cooking) bay, and onions in 18 gallon yard buckets, the kind they sell at Target for $7 each. Greens work better in something that has more planting surface and a little less depth. Maybe big rectangular plastic boxes? The thing is, it gets old watering 2+ times per day in July and August. The bigger the container, the less the watering. We're trying potatoes, onions, swiss chard, salad burnet, sweet violets, and mint in the yard buckets this year. Tomatoes, okra, and sweet potato may come later. The problem with my yard, other than the poorly draining clay soil, is the nut grass and honeysuckle we're STILL trying to kill. Wimps, that's us! Yard buckets can be hauled inside during really bad plant weather. They are not real pretty, but the lady down the street has had her front yard garden in yard buckets for at least seven years that I remember, and I don't -think- she has had to replace any buckets. It's hard to tell-- last year we lost count at over thirty buckets, and they have creeped around the side of her house to her back yard.
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kawaiineko_gardener
15 years ago
This is a link that I've found useful as when it's feasible for me to do so, I would like to do container gardening as well. It's not for Canada, however it does recommend what veggies are ideal for container gardening, what size containers to use for what veggie you're planting, as well as how many plants to put per container.

NOTES FOR ALL LINKS:It won't let you just click on the links and then they'll redirect you via opening a new website via opening a new window. You'll have to manually copy and paste these site links into your web browser then press enter after you've done this.

http://urbanext.illinois.edu/containergardening/herbveggie_vegvarieties.cfm

http://www.extension.iastate.edu/Publications/PM870B.pdf

Here are some sites with tips of how to prevent damping off:

http://gardengal.net/page80.html
http://www.yougrowgirl.com/grow/seed_starting2.php

Here is a site that tells what damping off is:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Damping_off

Here's a site that says how to sterilize your potting mix/soil, which is highly recommended that you do prior to planting whatever it is your going to plant. The reason for doing so? To prevent damping-off

http://www.momsbudget.com/containergardening/sterilizeoven.html

Here's information on creating a potting mix that somebody recommended to me:

NOTE ON USING SOIL FOR CONTAINERS:DO NOT use top soil. It's recommended you avoid using topsoil at all costs
for container gardening. IT IS recommended that you use a "soilless soil" potting mix; a potting mix like Miracle Gro is ideal and the most highly recommended.
Potting Mix (for container gardening)

mix together pine bark fines, perlite,
and Miracle Gro Potting Mix.
Use 3-5 parts bark with 1 part
perlite and 1 part Miracle Gro Potting Mix.

If you choose not to make your own "mixture" with potting soil, then you can add fertilizer to it. Here are the recommended varieties:

Recommended Fertilizer:

Miracle Gro 24-8-16 granular soluble or 12-4-8 liquid
fertilizer.

NOTES:

pine bark fines is......

Small pieces of pine bark. Majority of it will
be dime sized or smaller. Is often labeled
as "soil conditioner" or "aged pine bark".

A "part" is......

A "part" is any unit of measurement you like (eg:
a cup, a gallon, etc.)

Ex: 5 parts bark and 1 part perlite would be
the equivalent of.....

5 cups bark, 1 cup perlite; OR 5 5 gallon
buckets bark, 1 5 gallon bucket

Here is a place where you can order perlite off the internet if it's not available where you live:

http://www.greenhousemegastore.com/Coarse-Perlite-4-cubic-foot-bag/productinfo/SO-PER/

If you don't need such a huge quantity, here is a site that offers it in smaller portions:

http://www.lowes.com/lowes/lkn?action=productDetail&productId=156581-446-74278300

Best vegetables for container gardening

Comments (3)

justaguy2

aliceinvirginia

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