Not everyone has a Back 40. Many urban gardeners are working with aggressive space constraints (“Patio 4?” anyone?) but still want the joy of planting, harvesting and cooking homegrown veg. For these gardeners, container growing is sometimes the best or only option.
Nearly every crop that can be grown in ground can also be grown in containers. I grow a container demo garden every year at the front of my house to show passers-by what can be done and have successfully harvested broccoli, kale, summer squash, beans, herbs, strawberries and greens of all kinds from a few pots at the front of the driveway.
In my cool-summer, maritime climate I find that real heat lovers like eggplant often do better – a lot better – in containers than in-ground, and so even though I have a large (by urban standards) garden, I still choose to grow some crops in containers.
The trick to container gardening is in knowing which varieties of each crop are going to thrive in that environment, and setting up your containers well. This means using appropriate size pots and potting mixes, and providing the right water and nutrition for your plants. Container growing also means taking responsibility for more of the plants needs as compared to in-ground growing – that little seedling is counting on you for food and water because it can’t seek out deeper, moisture-retentive soil.
With those considerations in mind, growing a whole garden worth of food from containers isn’t hard – it just requires a little know-how.
Giveaway!
High Mowing Organic Seeds (my favorite seed house and a sponsor of this blog) is offering one NW Edible reader the book The Bountiful Container plus the High Mowing Organic Seeds Container Garden Collection.
The Bountiful Container is a real classic in the How To category of garden books. It covers soil and potting mixes, sizes of pots needed for various edibles, best varieties, how to combine edibles in containers and talks about the full range of fruit and veg you can grow in a pot and a lot more. It’s an information rich book.
High Mowing’s Container Garden Collection combines ten of the best varieties of vegetables for container culture into one pack. It includes one packet each of:
- Nasturtium Mix
- Genovese Basil
- Santo Cilantro
- Matt’s Wild Cherry Tomato
- Ring-o-Fire Pepper
- Sugar Ann Snap Pea
- High Mowing Mesclun Mix
- Dinosaur Lacinato Kale
- H-19 Little Leaf Cucumber
- Yaya Carrot
And because these are High Mowing Seeds, everything is certified organic. These varieties make a nice collection for a warm-weather container garden, but several (the cilantro, peas, mesclun, kale and carrots) will continue to thrive deep into fall or even overwinter in mild climates like the Pacific Northwest.
Together, these two items have a retail value of $45 and will give you the knowledge and varieties you need to grow hundreds of dollars worth of organic vegetables in a small space. High Mowing will be giving both of them to one lucky container-gardening winner.
To enter to win, sign up for the monthly High Mowing Newsletter, The Seed Bin, then come back here and leave a comment below letting me know what fruit or veggies you grow in containers.
About the High Mowing Newsletter: this is not some schlocky spam email thing, guys, I promise. Every month High Mowing sends out one newsletter with great, truly useful garden information. I learn a ton from the newsletter.
In the past they’ve sent along tips for doing at-home seed germination tests, information and great stories on specific varieties of vegetables, how to care for garden tools, how to jump-start the potato growing season and even tips for container gardening. They also run periodic giveaways for stuff you’d actually want – like gardening books and gift certificates for organic seeds.
High Mowing follows best practices for emailing, so you don’t need to worry about them selling or trading your info, and of course you can unsubscribe at any time. But honestly, I don’t think you’ll want to. I look forward to the helpful tips in The Seed Bin every month and I bet you’ll feel the same.
This contest is sponsored by High Mowing Organic Seeds and is open to U.S. and Canadian residents only. Contest open until Wednesday, April 16th, 8 PM PST. Winner will be notified by email. If the winner fails to respond within 24 hours, a new winner shall be drawn. Good luck everyone!
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Basil! Because my house is a gigantic shade hole surrounded by ravenous deer, I grow a couple different kinds of basil at work (and this year I’m considering adding some more ornamental edibles). Down on the fuel dock and other places in the boatyard/marina get LOTS of sun all day long and nearly zero pests, plus plants liven up the place. At home I attempted growing a few herbs and peas, but deer/rabbits nipped everything in the bud but cilantro
Herbs are all I’ve grown so far. All the other stuff has been in the ground.
I currently grow snow peas, potatoes, mint, and oregano in containers. We’re just in the process of putting together a greenhouse which is on a concrete slab, so I’ll be growing veggies in containers in there including: tomatoes, cucumber, basil, and eggplant.
Usually it’s just herbs in my pots. Last year I tried peas with a tripod in the pot but I think I shocked them and they never took off :(. I would love to win this giveaway!
I’m very much a beginner gardener – and I live in an apartment, so I’d love to give container gardening a shot! This would be a great way for me to get started. 🙂
I love growing my herbs in my pot (especially that naughty mint!), but would love to expand my container gardening! 🙂
I have Chives, Onions, Garlic, Mint, Sorrel, and Strawberries growing in my containers garden right now. Overwintering veggies are awesome!
I haven’t done much container gardening outside, but I have had success growing Meyer Lemons in my kitchen. This year I will put the bush out for the Summer. Last fall I also replanted two of my favorite sweet pepper plants in containers, took them in and enjoyed a good continuing yield through the whole Winter. Now I am attempting to propagate these two pepper plants by rooting some cuttings.
I grow mint, hyssop, cilantro and other herbs in containers by the pathway where people walk their dogs next to my house – everyone can see how productive containers can be! I find it’s a great idea to grow invasives like mint in containers so that they never have the chance to take over the weaker species I grow in beds.
i grow everything in pots;tomatoes,peas, potatoes, herbs of all types, carrots, radishes, want to try the new corn short season but can’t find the seeds. only thing i have planted permanently now are my blueberries, currants, raspberries and rhubarb. but, they too were raised in pots.
We have tried various crops in containers– one year, it was blue sweet corn! But we always have a potted Meyer lemon going, since it needs to come indoors to survive the winter.
Oh, I had that book for years, I LOVED it, and then I loaned it out to a friend (can’t remember which now) and haven’t seen it since. I grow some herbs (basil, mint, oregano) in pots , 2 blueberry bushes, and I have a cherry and an apple tree in some giant pots, but they are not super happy there so I may donate them to a neighbor with room. Container gardening is perfect for those of us in the city with postage-stamp yards. I am still trying to figure out if I could have chickens back there….
Hey there!
I currently grow tomatoes, beans, peas, all kinds of hers, kale, lettuces, nasturtiums, sweet peas and a lovely collection of dwarf sunflowers.
I grow salad greens and herb in containers on my deck so that they are easily accessible.
Herbs and tomatoes. It is easy to have herbs close to the kitchen. I do tomatoes both in ground and in pots, I had 15 plants last year.
I really enjoy your blog, we are eating out of the larder, thanks for the challenge.
I signed up!
Very excited that Canadian residents are eligible for this giveaway!!
I grow herbs (rosemary, mint, parsley, and basil) in containers, and potatoes. I grew alpine strawberries one year and they did very well! I need to do that again.
I have had mixed success. I’ve grown lettuce, kale, and herbs, the rest of what I planted either got funky or didn’t grow 🙁
I’ve got a quite a few things that I do in containers. Blueberries, gooseberries and currants. Tomatoes, peppers and herbs. I’m dramatically expanding my container garden this year, using homemade self-watering containers made from those ubiquitous rectangular plastic storage bins (I found the plans in The Vegetable Gardener’s Container Bible). They’re not exactly pretty, but I’m excited to see how they produce! I’ve got leeks going in one, snap peas in another, and turnips and beets in a third. I’ve got four containers worth of seed potatoes waiting for a containers (I have the stuff, I just need to put it together), and plans to do tomatoes, a couple of kinds of mini-melons, some scalloped squash, cucumbers… Maybe some bush beans. I have the materials for 15 containers, I just need to get them all assembled!
I signed up for the newsletter 🙂
Tomatoes, chillies and herbs.
I grow peppermint, strawberries and a lemon tree in containers in Portland. The lemon tree has not been too successful, although it looked great when I bought it at the local nursery. I want to try more plants in containers because our neighbor to the south has evergreen trees which have been gradually taking away our backyard sun.
My name is Veronica, I have a small garden area in my back yard but have had much better luck growing the extra hot peppers : Thai Hots, Volcano, Habanero, etc. in smaller containers and thus have stuck with using my garden space for other items and keeping the peppers in pots from the get go.
I have not grown veggies in containers before. We just moved into a city lot and do not have a big garden space this year. Going to try peppers, tomatoes, beans and salad greens.
We’re still nurturing a little mini lemon tree in a pot that goes out a few months in the heat of summer but stays indoors the rest of the time.
Currently growing horseradish in a container on my patio, everything else at my 100sf P-Patch here in Seattle.
I mostly grow herbs, I’ve tried a lot of other things but not very successfully 🙂
Right now I have some onions and strawberries going.
/blyger
Last year was my first try at container gardening – I had 5 banana peppers growing in pots on the sidewalk leading up to my apartment. This year, I have my tomatoes and hot peppers going already – and plan to give some herbs a try! Fennel, here I come!!
At the moment I have blueberries, strawberries, chives, oregano, thyme, sunchokes and kale in containers. I have also grown tomatoes, peppers, basil, mini zucchini, beans, chard, lettuce and nasturtiums, and plan to add carrots, peas & eggplant this year. My garden/patio area is quite small, so I supplement with pots & containers.
This is so great! I live in a small apartment in the city but have my living room windows full of plants in containers. I just bought a pineapple plant on a whim and grew a few peppers last year, but mostly it’s just herbs for now but I would love to expand to more vegetables that I can actually eat.
I’ve tried herbs in containers w/ success. Would be interested in learning and trying more varieties!!!
Always just done herbs and flowers…but i’m planning Sungolds this year – first year in the new place and we have very limited deer-proof space until we fence!
Igrow tomatoes in containers and have for over fifteen years. I began it in the upper midwest (Mpls, MN) because I had no sun except on the parking pad. Over the years, that success has led me on to growing many other things edible in containers, including blueberries, cucumbers, peas, potatoes, lettuce, melons, onions and a variety of herbs. I have begun including eye-catching veggies in my mixed floral pots too – purple-leaved mustards and lettuces, onions for the upright accent, peas for drape and herbs for green fillers.
I just signed up for the High mowing newsletter and look forward to learning more about container gardening. I have just started a raised bed and have Rhubarb, asparagus, strawberries and garlic.
I have grown all herbs, tomatoes of all kinds, peppers, eggplants, and lettuce in containers. My favorite thing to grow is mesclun lettuce in a whiskey barrel. I love to eat the thinnings or to cut the leaves and leave the plant. I get a lot of lettuce this way. This year, we are going to put water troughs on our deck which will greatly expand our growing space.
Someone early in the comments asked about growing in the black fabric containers that appeared in the last few years. I tried one, but was disappointed in the results. The seedlings just never grew sturdy.
The only edibles I’ve container-grown are tomatoes and herbs. Reading so many success stories has me wanting to try others this year!
Right now, I just have a couple strawberries in a hanging basket, which I put some nasturtium seeds in. I also have rosemary, thyme and bay in a container, and am starting some of those mini belle pepper seeds inside that I’ll put in a pot in the sunniest spot I can find. Maybe I’ll interplant it with basil!
I have tried lettuces and spinach without success. I am handicapped and need to grow in very raised containers. This year I’d like to try bell peppers and beets. I am also going to plant asparagus crowns. These seeds and books would help me immensely, as I am a novice.
I grow primarily herbs in containers, sage, thyme, marjoram, chives, lemon verbena. They are right on our deck and so are handy on a rainy winter evening.
This is the first year I’ve had actual ground plantings, and in the past I’ve tried tomato, beans, herbs, and carrots. This year, I’m doing my pho toppings trifecta in succession plantings – green onion, cilantro, and Thai basil. Unfortunately the green onion sproutings got baked in a recent warm day, so they’ve been moved to the shade in the hopes of saving them!
I grow all kinds of mint and herbs. I tried a lettuce garden in a pot and that didn’t work for me. I ordered a bunch of seeds from this company after you posted about getting their seeds 🙂
I subscribe to your newsletter and I grow tomatoes in containers.
I have to grow everything in containers. Poor soil and large gophers you know. I have some jalapeno peppers in a barrel with bell peppers. The largest plants are 3 years old. I trim them down after it gets cold and first thing in the spring they start growing again. I LOVE bread and butter jalapeno rings on my grilled cheese sammies.
Never thought to do bread and butter jalapeno rings. Sounds so good!
Some wacky lady from somewhere up in the northwest put me onto High Mowing seeds awhile back and I am already subscribed and have purchased from them. They are great people. I plant tomatoes and peppers in containers, and this year I am going to expand container planting to use WalMart reusable grocery bags ($.50 each) and set in a kiddy pool to make them self watering.
Most of our plants are out in the garden proper because we have enough space and it’s easier for me to keep things watered, but we grow peppermint in a big pot so that it doesn’t turn invasive. This year I’m going to try tomatoes in pots near the house to see if we might actually ripen some in our cool NW summer. Maybe peppers or eggplant too?
I grow tomatoes in containers every year due to the issues with blight in our yard. 🙁 But this year I’m trying something new and growing potatoes in burlap sacks! 🙂
All signed up.
I’ve tried to grow cherry tomatoes and pumpkins with no luck. I am trying again this year and could probably benefit from the good advice in this book. I am also expanding to lettuce and would like to create a permanent herb garden in containers (right now they just fit wherever they fit in the big garden beds).
I signed up for the newsletter, so exited to be pointed in the right direction for container gardening edibles! I live in a subsidized apartment complex and we can’t plant in the ground so.I hope to have a good container garden growing 1/3 of our fresh food needs 🙂 that is the hope! I think what I am most exited about growing is an array of heritage tomatoes for canning and salsa mmmm yum
Marah
This year, peas and tomatoes!
Signed up! I just received an Improved Meyer Lemon tree in the mail, and I have been anxiously monitoring the moisture sensor I added to the soil in hopes of keeping it healthy and happy. We just moved into a house and have some remodeling plans that will require digging up around the perimeter, so we’ll be doing most of our food gardening in containers until that’s all finished.
I’ve got a rectangular box that’s part of my deck design that I plant with herbs (chives, basil, cilantro, rosemary, thyme) and I’ve done cherry and grape tomatoes before; I plan to do more container gardening, as I have a very small urban garden and the raspberries have taken over one garden bed (and we love fresh raspberries on summer mornings) and I’m still growing flowers in the other bed. So beans, peas and more tomatoes in containers this year!
mostly herbs but also some tomatos