Here are some tips for growing popular vegetables in a container garden. Harvest frequently to keep the beans coming. Even the pretty flowers are edible. You can start seeds in late spring and start a second batch in midsummer to extend the harvest well into fall. Bush beans aren’t as productive as pole beans, but they start producing earlier and you can succession plant throughout the summer. Either type will need regular water, perhaps daily in hot weather. They will drop their flowers if the soil remains dry.
Minimum container size: 8 inches deepSpacing: Bush: 3 to 6 inches, pole: 5 to 6 inchesApproximate yield: Bush: 20 to 50 beans, pole: more than 50 beansRecommended varieties: Bush: ‘Contender’, pole: ‘Triumph de Farcy’
Carrots grow best and sweetest in the cool temperatures of spring and fall. The seedlings will need to be thinned to 1 to 3 inches apart once they are about 1 inch tall. But other than that, the only requirement is regular weekly watering. The roots will toughen and crack if allowed to dry out.
Minimum container size: 8 to 12 inches deepSpacing: 2 to 3 inchesApproximate yield: One carrot per plantRecommended varieties: ‘Babette’, ‘Paris Market’, ‘Thumbelina’, ‘Scarlet Nantes’
The leaves of all cucumbers can be very susceptible to fungus disease. So whichever type you choose, make sure the plants have good air circulation.
Minimum container size: 10 inches deep; bush variety: 1 gallon, vine variety: 3 gallonsSpacing: 12 to 15 inchesApproximate yield: Bush: 10 fruits per plant, vine: 12 to 15 fruits per plantRecommended varieties: Bush: ‘Bush Pickle’, ‘Salad Bush Hybrid’, ‘Spacemaster’; vine: ‘Crystal Apple’, ‘Lemon’, Kirby varieties
Once the plants start bearing fruits, they will get top-heavy. Some staking might be required to prevent the branches from drooping. They can also tip over if the diameter of the container is not large enough to balance them. The slender varieties tend to produce more fruits and can be picked while young, short, and tender. Some of the newer varieties, such as ‘Hanzel’ and ‘Little Fingers’, are ready to harvest at 3 inches, and they grow in clusters so they produce more fruits.
Minimum container size: 8 inches deep, 4 to 5 gallonsSpacing: One plant per containerApproximate yield: Slender varieties: 10 to 12 fruits per plant, classic varieties: 4 to 8 fruits per plantRecommended varieties: Slender: ‘Bambino’, ‘Hanzel’, ‘Little Fingers’, ‘Ping Tung’; classic: ‘Black Beauty’, ‘Rosa Bianca’
To grow green or bunching onions to full size, you will need to thin the plants to 2 to 3 inches apart, but you can eat all the plants you thin out. even though they are not forming large bulbs, they still need plenty of water. The soil should be kept consistently moist but not dripping wet. Start your first plants in early spring, and keep succession planting into summer.
Minimum container size: 6 inches deepSpacing: 2 to 3 inchesApproximate yield: Snip leaves as needed for chives or pull the entire plant when the bulb has matured. Recommended varieties: ‘Beltsville Bunching’, ‘Crystal Wax’, ‘Evergreen Bunching’
Lettuce does best in cool weather, but containers can be moved to a shady location and grown all summer or moved to a protected location and grown into late fall and winter. Water is essential to keep lettuce happy. Lack of water will cause lettuce plants to bolt.
Minimum container size: 6 inches deepSpacing: Leaf lettuce seed can be seeded closely and thinned—and eaten—as you like. If you would like your plants to form heads, thin to 8 inches between plants.Approximate yield: 20-plus leaves or one headRecommended varieties: ‘Buttercrunch’, red or green ‘Salad Bowl’, any bibb variety
Both sweet and hot peppers are good candidates for containers. Hot peppers tend to be smaller and more prolific. But both types will enjoy the extra heat a container can provide and both make nice ornamental plants if you choose to keep them on a patio. Large peppers will require staking.
Minimum container size: 8 inches deep, 2 to 4 gallons per plantSpacing: One plant per containerApproximate yield: Differs by variety. Leaving the peppers on the plant until they reach their mature color will also result in a lower yield than if you pick them while green.Recommended varieties: Sweet peppers: ‘Cubanelle’, ‘Jimmy Nardello’, ‘Marconi’, ‘Sweet Banana’; hot peppers: ‘Cayenne’, ‘Fatalli’, ‘Hot Cherry’, ‘Jalapeño’, ‘Robustini’
Radishes prefer cool weather and moist soil. Move your containers to a shady spot, and keep them well watered if you want to continue growing radishes throughout the summer.
Minimum container size: 4 to 6 inches deepSpacing: 1 to 3 inches, depending on the mature size of the radish varietyApproximate yield: One radish per plantRecommended varieties: ‘Cherry Belle’, ‘Cincinnati Market’, ‘Scarlet Globe’, ‘White Icicle’
One problem with growing squash in containers is that you need male and female flowers for pollination. One plant will produce both male and female flowers, however, your chances for a healthy harvest will increase if you are able to grow 2 or more squash plants. Be sure to harvest while the squash is small, so the plants will keep producing.
Minimum container size: 10 inches deepSpacing: One plant per containerApproximate yield: Differs by variety, but at peak times there can be 4 or more squash per weekRecommended varieties: ‘Gold Rush’, ‘Peter Pan’, ‘Ronde de Nice’, ‘Sundance’
If you just want a handy snack, patio variety cherry tomatoes are perfect, and there are dozens to choose from. They can be staked and grown upright or grown in hanging baskets.
Minimum container size: 12 inches deepSpacing: One plant per containerApproximate yield: Differs by varietyRecommended varieties: ‘Small Fry’, ‘Tiny Tim’, ‘Tumbling Tom’
