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Growing Vegetables In Pots – Container Planting

Growing Vegetables in Pots

Hello gardeners, we are here with a different topic called growing vegetables in pots. Are you interested in growing vegetables in pots? Then, follow this complete article to know about how to grow vegetables in pots. In this article, we also let you know all the requirements for growing vegetables in pots.

Introduction to Growing Vegetables in Pots

Growing your vegetables is not just healthy and economic but it is also fun. You can grow vegetables very easily if you don’t have a backyard then also you can grow these awesome veggies in a pot by supplying all the growing requirements for them.

A Step By Step Guide for Growing Vegetables in Pots

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Growing Vegetables in Pots (Image credit: pixabay)

Choosing a pot for growing vegetables can be very confusing and overwhelming. The choice can have a very big impact on how productive your vegetable plants are and if they will survive. The main and important thing to keep in mind is to make sure that your vegetable plant has enough room or space for the roots to expand out. If you are growing large plants like tomatoes, make sure that the pot will be big and have heavy enough so the plant will not tip over in a stiff wind. For most of the vegetables, bigger pots are very better.

Types of Pots to Grow Vegetables

  • Wooden pots

Wooden pots look lovely when growing vegetables and you can typically find ideal and optimal-size pots that are not too expensive. Or you can make your wooden planter box or pot very easily. Just remember that after a few seasons, the wooden pot may begin to rot out.

  • Self-watering pots

Growing vegetables in self-watering pots work well, too. They are very large, very easy to use, and even incredibly durable. And they make watering plants a cinch because all you have to do is to keep the water reservoir full.

  • Ceramic pots

You also can use food-grade plastic or glazed ceramic pots for growing vegetables. You can even use terra cotta pots, but it is very harder to keep your plants moist in them because the clay in the pot allows the water to evaporate out of the soil more easily. To help or solve this problem, you can line a terra cotta pot with plastic, by using a plastic pot as a liner, or you can seal the pot with a stone sealing product. Remember, though, that because ceramic and terra cotta pots draw out the moisture into their materials, they can even shatter if left outside in freezing weather. Be sure to store them inside during the winter season.

  • DIY pots

For an inexpensive pot, you can use a 5-gallon plastic bucket from the hardware store and then drill holes in the bottom. Another alternative is to make an unusual pot from something you have around your house, such as an old laundry basket or any toy bin. As long as it is big enough and has good drainage, you can use anything to grow vegetables.

Advantages or Benefits of Growing Vegetables in Pots

There are many advantages or benefits to growing vegetable plants in pots. They are listed below:

  • Less risk of soil-borne disease
  • Virtually eliminate weed problems
  • Mobile plants give more control over moisture, sunlight & temperature

Easy and Fast Growing Vegetables in Pots

  • Chilli / Peppers
Peppers in Pots
Peppers in Pots (pic source: pixabay)

Take two or three ripe green peppers and then slit them open and dry them in sun until.

It takes about a week for the seeds to sprout or germinate. After you see nearly about 10 leaves, then transplant them into a bigger pot like one plant per one pot.

  • Tomatoes

Seeds: Tomatoes come in many different varieties from heirloom to exotic. The size varies, too. If you are getting started and but don’t have seeds, cut a tomato you like into four equal pieces. Then, bury it nearly about 1/2 inches into the soil. Then wait for 3-4 weeks for the seeds to start sprouting into a plant.

In case if you miss this: Hydroponic Questions and Answers.

Tomato in Pots.
Tomato in Pots

Thin the seedlings by keeping one seedling per pot. The plant grows taller and it needs support to hold it together. Feed your tomato plant with organic compost once a week.

  • Beans

Seeds: buy the bean seeds. Then sow the seeds directly in pots a few inches apart.

How many to grow: The plant grows into a big vine so train them on the grill or a tall pole. You will almost need at least seven pots to grow seven plants to feed a family of three. If you grow just one plant, the harvest will not be enough for a small family.

Nitrate manure is easily available in most nurseries. Then feed each pot with 25-30 gms of organic manure once a month.

  • Potatoes

Have you ever cooked freshly picked potatoes growing in your pot? Believe me; it tastes very different from the potatoes you purchase from vendors or any supermarket. So better try it once. Growing potatoes in pots are again very easy as it needs a fair amount of soil and water – the rewards are just fantastic. Potatoes are highly added to almost all vegetables in India and even kids also enjoy eating them.

  • Radish

Radishes will grow very quickly and some of their varieties are too awesome.  They can be easily grown in full sunlight to part shade. However, it is very much better to maintain a balance in the temperature that means neither too hot nor too cold. Radishes are not only tasty but they are very healthy for us hence growing radish in pots is a good idea. 

  • Peas

Peas are a great and good winter vegetable. It stops producing when the weather or climate gets too warm. Peas need to be planted in early spring and then again when it gets cool in the fall. This green vegetable is perfect for succession planting so, you need to sow them in early spring, and then when it gets warm and even when they are finished producing, just pull them out of the pot and put something else in that same pot. They will improve the soil, by adding nitrogen to it, which will be very helpful for your next batch of plants also. Peas are usually considered to be one of the best vegetables to grow with kids. They are very fast growers and they are super easy.

  • Eggplant or Brinjal

Eggplant is another very great vegetable, loved by many of us. Some small varieties are really pretty and they are easy to grow. The flowers are very beautiful as are its plants. Keep the pot in a spot that has very good air circulation and gets direct sunlight and even some wind. This is just because the plant requires a lot of warmth and sun exposure at the growing stage. The West or south-facing direction is perfectly suitable.

  • Coriander / Dhaniya / Cilantro

This without a doubt, coriander is an excellent herb to grow. It has very little maintenance and quite easy to grow. But many beginners find it very hard. The trick is that use soil that is not too dense.

Seeds: the seeds of coriander come from the kitchen.

How to plant coriander or cilantro:  recycle used pots or cans and fill them up with soil. If you are not able to make a drain hole at the bottom of the can, fill it up with gravel for about 2 inches and then put the soil on top of it. Once you have the pot ready, take a handful of coriander seeds and then rub them with the help of your footwear. Pour the crushed seeds into the can, then cover a layer of soil, water it, and forget it.  Be sure that it gets enough sunlight.

When to harvest coriander: You need to have a bunch of coriander leaves within a month.

  • Mint / Pudina

Mint always needs a very small container like coriander/cilantro. Alternatively, you can even grow the herbs together in a very big container. Mint will grow like a weed.

How to plant mint: To get started, you need to buy stalks of mint from the market. Remove the lower leaves of it. Then place the stalk in a pot in a sunny spot and then observe it grow like a weed.

Purchasing a Pot for Growing Vegetables in Pots

Purchase your pots for vegetables. You can purchase pots at any nursery or even in any home improvement store. You can choose or select plastic or other sorts of pots, Choose or select the pot according to the size of the plant’s root. You should not buy very large pots unless you are going to plant something large.

Preparing Pots for Growing Vegetables

Line the pot with clay pebbles to aid a very perfect source of drainage. If the type of potting mix you are using is not vulnerable to drainage, you will get to the line rock bottom of your pot. You need to line the bag with the help of clay pebbles or chunky perlite. Put enough of the pebbles or perlite at the rock bottom of the pot to hide it completely.

You need to use at least 1 inch or 2.5 cm of pebbles or perlite in the pot.

Adding Soil to the Pots for Growing Vegetables

Adding Soil to Pots
Adding soil to Pots (pic source: pixabay)

You need to add soil to the pot. You can even add a compost-like gardening soil, compost that is made specifically for pots, or you can even make your mix. A mix that is very ideal for pots is 1/2 of moss, 1/2 of compost mixtures such as chicken manure or even mushroom compost, and 1/2 of vermiculite like a moisture-retentive mineral. Fill the pot up almost all the way, just by leaving a couple of inches or 5 cm of space at the top of the pot.

Once the soil is in the pot, you need to shake it a touch and knead it as if it were a pillow to loosen it up.

Adding Vegetable Plants to the Pots

You need to choose plants with very shallow roots for the simplest results. Shallow-rooted plants are very ideal within the pot because they are going to not be stunted by the rock bottom of the pot. Good choices include tomatoes, peppers or capsicum, eggplants, cucumbers, French beans, lettuce, and even potatoes.

Suitable Location for Placing Vegetable Pots

Place the pot where you will grow your plants. Pots are very easy to move and are often placed in a sort of location. They can be easily placed on a balcony, outside in a garden, or a greenhouse. Consider the required amount of sunlight and heat your plants will need when choosing or selecting the location.

How to Plant Vegetables in Pots

Scoop or remove out some amount of soil to make room for the vegetable plants. Scoop out the soil with the help of your hands or with a help of a trowel. Be sure that you have scooped or removed out enough soil so that the entire root of the vegetable plant can be easily covered once it has been planted.

Install the root ball of the plant in the soil. You need to insert the root ball of the plant into the place where the soil has been scooped out. After, that you need to make sure that the entire root ball is covered in the soil and then cover the top of the root ball with some amount of the soil that you have dugout.

Water for Vegetables Growing in Pots

Water the vegetables are grown in a pot often. Vegetables growing in pots typically require more amount of water than other plants. Check the pot daily for water requirements. Water the soil anytime but when you see that it’s drying out watering them is important. The plastic pot heats the peat mix considerably, so keeping the soil always moist is very important for the growing plants to succeed.

Suitable Fertilizers for Vegetables Growing in Pots

Heavy feeder plants are plants like tomatoes, potatoes, and cabbage family crops. You will need to buy fertilizer or make your natural fertilizer. You can make your fertilizer out of Epsom salt and eggshells, worm castings, and even compost tea. Spread a skinny layer of fertilizer on top of the soil in the pot. There should be room if you left a few inches or 5 cm at the highest of your pot. Fertilize your plants with a minimum amount of once every week.

Providing Support for Vegetables Growing in Pots

You need to prop up tall plants as required. You will likely get to add support to tall or top-heavy plants. You can use cane sticks to try to do this. You need to insert a cane stick into the soil next to the plant. Then, tie the plant to the cane stick, and then fasten the cane stick with a frame.

Disadvantages or Drawbacks of Growing Vegetables in Pots

There are few drawbacks to growing vegetables in pots. They are listed below:

  • It limits the size of your growing space to the size of your pots
  • You need to water a lot
  • Limits the height of the plant

Harvesting of Vegetables Growing in Pots

Harvest when the vegetables are ripe, by using clean scissors or garden shears to remove them to reduce harming the plant.

Commonly Asked Questions about Growing Vegetables in Pots

Questions about Growing Vegetables in Pots
Questions about Growing Vegetables in Pots (pic source: pixabay)
How do I prepare the soil for planting vegetables in pots?

For preparing the perfect potting mix, you need to add cocopeat/peat moss, vermiculite or perlite, and even neem cake to the potting soil.

Which type of vegetables grows well in pots?

Select the vegetables to grow in pots.

Almost any vegetable that can grow in a typical backyard garden will also do well as a container-grown plant. Vegetables that are ideally suited for growing in pots include tomatoes, peppers, eggplant, green onions, beans, lettuce, squash, radishes, and even parsley.

How deep do pots need to be to grow vegetables?

When it comes to size, the bigger the pot is very better, especially for beginners. The reason for this is that large or big pots hold more soil and will even hold moisture longer so you don’t have to water as much. Look for pots that are at least 10 inches wide and 12 inches deep inside.

Is it good to grow vegetables in plastic pots?

Plastic pots do release chemicals into the soil and some are absorbed by plants. Most of these chemicals are at very low levels and even considered as perfectly safe to grow. Growing vegetables in plastic pots seem to be quite safe provided you use plastic that is stamped as being food safe.

Is it good to grow vegetables in ceramic pots?

Like terra cotta pots, glazed ceramic pots are very heavy, but they are a very good and better choice for growing vegetables in pots because they will not wick out the moisture from the potting mix.

Are fabric pots good for growing vegetables?

They are very lightweight, durable, and even reusable year-after-year. Best of all, they will promote massive root growth, by creating healthy plants and extraordinary vegetable yields.

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