HelpfulGardener.com

Hello I just registered with this forum today, so I'm a newbie.

I have some questions about container gardening. I found a very helpful link that gives information about the basics of container gardening.
Gives a description about what vegetables are suitable for container
gardening, and what varieties of these vegetables are most suitable
for container gardening.


However with some of the information given, it's very vague.

For some for some of the vegetables and the size containers suggested that you use to plant these vegetables in, it doesn't specify or give a recommendation at all of what the minimum depth for these containers should be (this excludes carrots).


Container Gardening:

Beans, Snap

5 gallon window box
Recommended Varieties:Bush romano, bush blue lake,
Tender Crop

Beans, Lima:

5 gallon window box
Recommended Varieties:Henderson Bush,
Jackson, Wonder Bush

Beets:

5 gallon window box
Recommended Varieties:Little Egypt,
Early Red Ball

Broccoli:
1 plant/5 gallon pot; 2 plants,
15 gallon tub

Recommended Varieties: Green
Comet, DeCicco

Brussels Sprouts:
1 plant/5 gallon pot; 2 plants, 15
gallon tub

Cabbage:1 plant/5 gallon pot; 3 plants/
15 gallon tub

Recommended Varieties:Dwarf Modern,
Red Ace, Early Jersey Wakefield

Chinese Cabbage:
1 plant/5 gallon pot; 3 plants, 15 gallon
tub

Recommended Varieties:
Michihili, Burpee Hybrid

Carrot:
5 gallon pot at least 12 inches deep

Recommended varieties:Short and sweet,
Danvers half long, tiny sweet

Cucumber:
1 plant/gallon pot
Patio Pik, Spacemaster,
Pot luck

Eggplant:
5 gallon pot

Recommended Varieties:
Slim Jim, Ichiban, Black Beauty

Lettuce:
5 gallon window box

Recommended Varieties:
Salad bowl, Ruby

Onion:
5 gallon window box
White sweet spanish, yellow sweet
spanish

Pepper:
1 plant/2 gallon pot; 5 plants
15 gallon tub

Recommended Varieties:
Sweet Banana, Yolo Wonder,
Long Red Cayenne

Radish:
5 gallon window box
Cherry belle, Icicle

Spinach:5 gallon window box

Recommended Varieties:
Dark Green Bloomsdale

Squash:
2 gallon pot

Recommended Varieties:
Scallopini, Dixie, Gold Neck, Early Prolific Straightneck, (Green) Zucco, Diplomat, Senator

Tomatoes:
Bushel baskets; 5 gallon pot

Recommended Varieties:
Tiny Tim, Small Fry, Sweet 100 Patio,
Burpee's Pixie, Toy Boy, Early Girl,
Better Boy VFN

In regards to what varieties of vegetables can be planted, I have
a few questions. With squash, it doesn't specify what type of squash can be grown. I am assuming that summer squash and zucchini can be grown in containers, provided the container is big enough?

Also for tomatoes, it looks to me like the only varieties that can
successfully be grown in containers are those that produce smaller fruit.
Is it feasible to grow medium-size tomato plants that bear medium size fruit? I realize that the container will probably need to be bigger, so what size container should be used for medium size tomato plant varieties as opposed to the smaller varieties?

In regards to cabbage, I would prefer to grow savoy as opposed to the regular green variety. The reason for the preference is because I've noticed a bitterness with green cabbage that I don't care for. Is it feasible to grow savoy cabbage in containers?

I feel bad referring you to a book after you went to the trouble of posting so much detail, but...

The Bountiful Container, by Rose Marie Nichols McGee and Maggie Stuckey, provides minimum soil depths for all the plants described.

(Must "ring off"; DH is being an IT man at this moment--printer trouble! and I work from home.)

Cynthia H.
Sunset Zone 17, USDA Zone 9

It would be impossible to give you a full container gardening course in this format but I will try to answer a few of your questions.

Fist, the book recommended above is great. Second, surely you aren't planning to try all of the things on your list the first time around. That would guarantee failure. So pick 3, 4 at most, and use this as a learning year.

Depth of container isn't usually given because the gallon size given will often determine that. But beans (bush varieties, not pole varieties) are generally shallow rooted thus the recommendation for a windowbox which as a rule is 6" deep. 6-8" is usually fair for most things as that is the depth of most gardens. BUT, and this important, deeper and larger is highly recommended so try for at least 8" deep or more for several reasons:

1) less watering is required and when it really hot you may be watering several times a day with shallow containers.
2) nutrients don't leach out of the soil as quickly so less feeding is required.
3) roots stay cooler in larger containers and since they are what feed and water the plant, the plants are less prone to pests, disease, and low production problems.

So go with the largest containers you can afford (keep in mind the cost of container soil mix too) and have space for. Also keep in mind the need to move them some to insure proper sun exposure.

Then go with self-watering containers if you can afford to. Much less work for you and MUCH healthier plants in the long run.

Then fill them with a good quality soil-less container mix (never with dirt or garden soil as it compacts and doesn't drain well) and mix in some slow-release fertilizer if the mix doesn't already have them.

You can grow almost anything in a container including savoy cabbage, You can even do large tomatoes, squash, and peppers - IF the container is big enough. 10 gallons <u>minimum</u> for tomato plants (you'll see 5 gal. recommended but it is problematic), 5 gallon minimum for peppers, unless you are using one of the dwarf or bush varieties, and 5 gallon for squash if you use a bush variety or 8 gallons for a vining variety. You can also then include small herb plants or low growing annual flowers in around the main plant for more attractive and productive containers.

Hope this is of help and I recommend you also check out:

https://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/extension/container/container.html - TAMU - Vegetable Container Gardening

Granny