Top 11 Vegetable Plants To Grow in Containers

Growing vegetables in containers is ideal for those with little space or want a simple container garden. Most vegetables grow well in containers, but you do have to pick the right plants. You will be surprised at the large amount of food you can grow in a few containers. Freshly grown vegetables are in your future!

Beets

To grow beets in a container, you need something that is deep, such as a window box. The rectangle space allows you to plant several beets in one container, just like you would in the garden bed. A container is great for beets because the soil stays fluffy, allowing the root to develop properly.

Carrots

Carrots are another root crop, which means they do well in containers. The soil tends to stay fluffier in containers, so your crop will be plentiful.

Carrots are a cool weather crop, so you need to plant them in the early spring or late summer for a fall crop. The plants require regular watering, or the roots will dry out. You can grow several carrots in one container.

Most varieties do well, but a few choices do better, such as:

Little Fingers
Short n Sweet
Thumbelina

Cucumbers

If you can provide adequate support for cucumber plants, they will do well in containers. Cucumbers are heavy feeders, so you need to make sure you provide regular watering. It is best to grow these plans in a medium or large sized pot. Make sure you select an area that receives full sun, or your harvest will disappoint.

Pick a variety of cucumbers meant for pickling, because you will get a large yield of small cucumbers. That is ideal for a container garden. Install a metal or wire trellis ahead of time; your plants will need them sooner rather than later. Use twine to tie the cucumber plants to the structure.

Green Beans

Green beans come in two types: bush and pole: Pole beans require support to grow upwards, such as a fence or a trellis. Bush beans grow in compactly sized bushes.

Both varieties grow well in pots, so long as you plant the container near a trellis. Beans require full sun, so at least six hours per day. The container should be at least 12 inches deep, but the bigger, the better for the plants. Beans add nitrogen into the soil, so put some celery or kale in the same area as your beans.

Lettuce

Lettuce grows quickly, making it a great choice for containers and new gardeners. You can harvest your lettuce several times throughout the growing season.

Lettuce is a cooler season crop, so you want to plant during the early spring. The plant doesn’t like hot water, and the soil should stay moist. Lettuce needs a wider container rather than a deep one. Plant each lettuce four inches apart, but head lettuce could need a few more inches.