Best vegetables for small pots?

[Chris_in_Wine_Country]

Hey all, first off, hello to everyone (just joined the forum).

Second, a quick question for all you veteran gardeners...which vegetables are best for growing in smaller containers? I'm working on building a vegetable garden this spring for the very first time, and I've got the majority of my plans sketched out, but I've got some plastic pots laying around with a ~12 inch diameter. I'd like to make use of these pots if I could. Can anyone tell me what might be able to do okay in there? I can place them in full or part sun.

Thanks in advance.

[Ozark Lady]

Welcome to the forum.

There are many varieties developed just for small pot growing.

I haven't tried container growing of vegetables, but I had some banana peppers last year, that would have done great, they were always loaded with fruits, and only about 8" tall.

I bet you will be amazed at what all you can grow in these containers!

[rainbowgardener]

Peppers are a good choice; basil would would work -- they make some dwarf basil just for containers (Balcony Blend is one), but even regular basil would do ok in your container, just maybe not get as big as if in the ground. Other herbs, like the classic song "parsley, sage, rosemary, and thyme" Any of those or lavender would would work. Leaf lettuce works well in containers, or green onion, or one cucumber plant, especially if you can put the container next to a trellis for the cucumber to grow up.

[saku]

I had great luck with bush type of cucumbers, and cherry and grape tomatoes in containers. Because I live in the south where it can get very hot I had to make sure to water enough, but I was able to adjust the amount of sun they got if necessary.

[tn_veggie_gardner]

Yea, like the others say, some pepeprs will work. Most herbs would be fine in a pot that size. Heck, you could even grow a cherry tomato plant in one of them! =) It might not be 100% of it's possible size, but you'd still get a good yield off it.

- Steve

[Chris_in_Wine_Country]

Thanks for all the suggestions...I'm definitely going to be doing most stuff in containers, though I'm constructing a small raised bed with adjoining trellis at the moment (pictures on that forthcomign). I've already got five tomato pots going, 1 each of the following:

Ace
Better Boy
Sunsugar Red
Sweet 100
Grape

The sweet 100 and grape varieties are in smaller 12 inch pots, while the top the varieties are in a bigger 18 incher.

I'd look into doing peppers, but honestly, I don't like to eat them so I am worried they would go to waste. I may just do a couple more tomato plants but I'd like to mix it up a little bit.

[applestar]

I know you said vegetables, but something that hasn't been mentioned is strawberries.

You can also grow round-type carrots (Parmex or Tonda di Parigi/Paris Market) or probably even short, 4 inch carrots. Bush beans.

[gixxerific]

I read a book a while back about container gardening. I was surprised to see the amount of stuff that can be grown. Though some of it will take a, slightly bigger pot than you have. The thing being that most veggies will have a dwarf version somewhere in it's family and those can be used. Really there was just about any veggie you could think of (almost) in this book. Sorry I don't have it anymore for reference but if there is a will there is a way.

But as most said lettuce, herbs, dwarf determinate tomatoes peppers are all good candidates.

Good luck.

if interested here is a link to the thread I wrote a little book report on the book I was talking about "Crops in Pots". https://www.helpfulgardener.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=20174&highlight=book

[Binkalette]

I did potatoes in a container one year. They did really well, and the harvest was a lot easier! Just dump out the dirt and take out the potatoes! I had a rather large pot though.

[Chris_in_Wine_Country]

Well, I went with more tomatoes.

So that makes eight tomato pots going right now, eight different varieties. I'm whooped, and I think I'm done planting for the year. Just a couple more lettuces to add and some carrot seeds to plant.

[Annemieke]

Nice topic. I have a veggie garden on a roof and everything grows in containers or bags. It's nice and warm on our roof / balcony, so with water and some (liquid) manure grows everything well. Something that doesn't mentioned here is radish. Radish grows very good on containers as well as onions and garlic. I use the longer balcony containers. (see weblink)

[url]https://verkopen.marktplaats.nl/photopopup/328730673/2[/url]

I have some letuce in bigger containers to. The rhubarb, himalaya cucumber (know as sikkim) and zucchini are growing in large containers as well. A friend of my has a pumpkin in a large container. The pumkin needs however a lots of water and (liquid) manure, but grows very well.

You can grow your potatoes in a more solid kind of dirt bag as well. In harvest you just cut off the bag and the potatoes roll out. There are special bags for this purpose, but every other solid large bag made of plastic does the job as well.

Annemieke