Container Vegetable Gardening: Buy These Awesome Products

Containers are great for growing vegetables too!

This short guide will teach you the basics of how to grow vegetables in containers. If you have bad soil at your house, or you live in a condo, or you just like the convenience of growing in pots, container gardening is a great solution.

Next, at the bottom, I have a long list of types of containers that are great for growing vegetables. Of course, you can always use a container that you already have at home if you don’t want to buy anything, as long as it’s large enough for the type of vegetable you are growing.

But once you use a self watering planter, I’m guessing that you won’t want to go back!

Choosing the Right Location for your Vegetable Container Garden

One of the main benefits to container gardening is being able to easily pick your gardening location, especially through the seasons. Your winter container gardening location may not be the same as your summer garden. Leaves may leaf out on the trees and block your summer sun.

With container gardening, you move your plants to the location where they can thrive. Make sure they will receive 6-8 hours of sunlight, and move them accordingly. Vegetable container plants that do well in partial shade are radishes, lettuces, and onions.

Don’t forget about garden pests, too. A tip for getting rid of garden pests is to continuously move your pest deterrents. For example, if birds are in your garden, hang shiny pie plates or Mylar tape around your garden. But, here’s the important part, make sure you move them around so the birds do not get use to them.

You can use the same concept with your gardening containers. If the squirrels find your container tomatoes, move them to another location. If your tomatoes are in the ground, you can lose a whole summer tomato crop to squirrels.

Choosing the Right Garden Container

When it comes to the right container, you have a ton of choices. You can even recycle and use something you find in the shed or an old sink after you remodel the bathroom. But, some garden planters make more sense than others.

Terracotta planters are eye candy and the porous material distributes moisture through the soil medium. Large wooden barrels can hold quite a few plants. But really, think about your location and the vegetable you are growing to choose the right pot. If you live in a dry climate and you cannot keep the soil moist in tomato pots, then a self watering planter might be the right choice for you.

And, what size pot will you need? Most vegetables will need a 5 gallon pot for ample space to grow. But, beans, radishes, onions, and lettuces have a shallow root system and can be grown in a medium sized pot. Save larger pots for your cucumbers, potatoes, squash, and tomatoes.

Using the Right Soil Mix in Garden Planters

What is the right soil mix for growing vegetables in containers? The main concern is to keep the soil lightweight. Lightweight soil won’t get compacted in the container and allows the soil to drain.

Do not use soil from your yard or garden. Soils with clay are going to retain too much water and drown your roots. Look for a high quality potting soil, or make your own with compost, vermiculite, and peat moss or coconut fiber.

Planting and Watering the Vegetable Container Garden

Planting is going to be relatively the same as planting a garden in the ground. You can start seeds early inside, direct sow seeds in the garden containers, or plant starter plants from the nursery. Be aware you need to keep proper soil moisture levels for seeds, seedlings, and transplants without overwatering.

Overwatering is one of the biggest gardening challenges, especially in pots. If you tend to be heavy handed with the gardening hose or watering can, consider a self watering planter and make sure you have the quality, lightweight soil for proper drainage.

Fertilizing the Vegetable Container Garden

Keep in mind this is a closed gardening system. Soil amendments and fertilizers are must haves when it comes to vegetable container gardening. Ideally, start with compost in your soil mix. This will add nutrients to your soil. Follow the back of the fertilizer bag. Most have directions for container plants. Just make sure the fertilizer is for vegetables, too, and not just flowers.

So what do you need to get started on your container vegetable garden? Here are some awesome products for container gardens, including great containers for growing vegetables.

Self Watering Planters

Self watering planters are great because they are designed especially for growing vegetables, and even have cages for taller plants like tomatoes. Some of the larger planters can hold a few vegetable plants, and hold four gallons of water in the reservoir. That’s enough water for several days or up to a month, depending on the climate. So, you can leave town for a few days, and not have to bribe a neighbor to water or deal with timers and hoses. Here are a couple of good ones that I like, that we sell where I work.

Deluxe Grow Box for Patio Gardens

The Deluxe Grow Box is cool because it comes with a wire trellis to support taller plants or climbing vines. It features a four gallon water reservoir and holds 18.5 gallons of soil. The grow box holds a lot of soil and water, but don’t worry about not being able to move it. Castors are included. Plus, it’s made in Italy, where they still care about good design.

Patio Gardening Self Watering Planter

The Patio Garden Success kit makes vegetable gardening easy. This is a great planter for busy gardeners or for those that travel a lot during growing season. The reservoir waters while the included nutrient patch fertilizes and prevents weeds. No weeding, self watering, and automatic fertilizing. Vegetable gardening doesn’t get easier than this!

Vegetable Grow Bags

Grow bags are awesome because they are cheap, and also really effective at growing vegetables. Air pruning is one of the main reasons grow bags are awesome. Why is air pruning cool for vegetables? Have you ever repotted a plant, turning it out and it’s pretty much a tangled heap of roots? The roots have been growing around in circles in the pot and it has become root bound.

Not with grow bags! As the roots grow towards the edge of the bag, the air prunes them. It keeps a healthy root system, making a healthier plant. Another reason I like using a grow bag, is the bag shrinks around the soil as the soil medium dries out and protects the roots. They rock, and it’s an affordable way to grow a complete vegetable container garden.

Assortment of Grow Bags

Check out the variety of styles of grow bags available. Don’t worry about overwatering with these grow bags. The porous fabric is awesome at distributing proper soil moisture levels while, at the same time, allowing for great drainage.

Vegetable Grow Bags

This grow bag is the right size for most vegetable plants. It has an 18 inch diameter and holds 15 gallons of soil, so it’s a great size. But, the best thing about this grow bag (other than grow bags rock) is that it’s only $12.99.

3 Foot Garden Tube Grow Bag

These garden tubes are a grow bag worth checking out and make great windowsill vegetable gardens. Each grow tube is eight inches in diameter and three feet long. Air pruning works on these grow tubes just like with grow bags. Super cool concept and I’ve found it really works for healthier plants.

Upside Down Planters

It’s the craze on TV! You’ve seen them, right? Beyond being able to grow juicy tomatoes right on your porch these upside down planters actually make sense. The theory is because the plant isn’t competing with gravity, it can put more energy towards fruit. The reason they work great for me is because of garden pests. By raising the vegetable or fruit up off the ground, you eliminate your harvest competition.

Upside Down Planter for Tomatoes and Vegetables

Grab a couple of these upside down planters for the porch or balcony. You can even hang them from a tree. These planters are easy to plant and easy to water. No bending over to water, just water standing up. They’re versatile planters for herbs, tomatoes, and vegetables.

Upside Down Patio Garden

This is a cool planter, and makes the most out of limited space for a patio garden. Herbs grow on top and vegetables grow upside down from underneath. It’s a sturdy planter, holding eighty pounds of soil. Basically, it’s just over a two foot by two foot garden plot. With the added room for crops to grow underneath, you double your garden.

Hydroponic Planters

A lot of commercial greenhouses are growing hydroponically these days. Hydroponic crops are better controlled, and it’s not as messy as gardening with dirt. Using hydroponic planters are not limiting. You can still grow anything from lettuce to Brussels sprouts. If you are looking to try hydroponic gardening, make sure you start with a kit. If you are trying to build your own hydroponic system, there’s a lot to learn and a lot of testing that goes into nutrient balances and proper growing solutions. Here are some kits that come with everything you’ll need, and they can hold over 15 plants. That’s a whole kitchen garden in one planter!

Hydroponic Garden Planter

The Hydroponic Garden Planter is awesome because it’s a quality planter. It can hold 20 plants, and the Quad pots are stain resistant and UV protected. It’s made in the USA, and is a great choice because it’s durable.

Hydroponic Indoor or Outdoor Container Garden

Grow a container vegetable garden inside or outside with this hydroponic gardening kit. Not a bad idea! And, it’s super easy to use. Fill the water and nutrient reservoir about every two weeks. It features an automatic timer that pumps the solution to the plants.

Strawberry Planters

Strawberry planters can fit a ton on strawberry plants in one planter, so you can actually have a strawberry harvest with just one pot of strawberries. Who wants just three strawberries at a time? Strawberry plants have shallow roots, and grow nicely in containers especially layered as in the design of a strawberry planter. If slugs have found your strawberry plants in the past, try the upside down planter.

Strawberry Topsy Turvy Planter

Here’s the choice if slugs like your strawberries as much as you do. This planter allows for 15 strawberry plants. Imagine how much space that would take up in your yard!

Strawberry Jar Planter

I dig this strawberry planter because of its classic look, and fits with any porch or patio decor. It even makes a great gardening project for kids. This isn’t a huge planter. It’s just over 10 inches tall, but it can hold about 12 plants.

Planter Boxes

Planter boxes are great for patios and balcony, or small yards. Plus, you don’t have to bend over to garden, so it’s accessible! Also, you can fit enough vegetables in them for a small kitchen garden. What else do you really need? It’s a container garden in one container!

Rectangular Cedar Raised Bed for Container Gardening

This is a great planter box that’s small enough for a back porch. But, it’s also big enough to hold a great salad garden and deep rooting vegetables. And, you know cedar gardening products are awesome, right? The oils in the cedar wood naturally deter bugs from your garden.

Large Cedar Garden Planter Box

If you like the previous planter, you’ll love this one if you have a bit more space. It can hold a whole vegetable garden. It even has a storage shelf and potting tray, so it serves as your garden work station too. Repot plants or clean your vegetables right at this planter without bending over.

Square Cedar Container Garden Planter Box

These planters rock because you can choose the height of the planter. If rabbits are eating your lettuces, choose one of the higher planters. With the varying heights, they also look great as a grouping on a patio or deck.

Square Foot Garden Planter Kit

Looking to try square foot gardening? It’s not in one container, but it’s the easy way to get started with square foot gardening!

Fertilizers and Soil Mediums for Vegetable Container Gardens

Healthy plants start with healthy soil. Don’t forget to begin with the right soil mix, and then continuously nourish container gardens with fertilizers, like compost. Below are some other great products I use to create the right soil mix and awesome fertilizers that are great for growing vegetables in containers.

Vermiculite

Vermiculite is a soil additive that loosens compact soil, and helps it retain soil moisture and nutrients. I like to use it in my soil mixture because it makes it lightweight and porous, allowing the soil to drain which allows oxygen to roots.

Container Soil Drainage Material

Yes, rocks can work at the bottom of the planter, but this material means more gardening success. It allows for better soil drainage and allows oxygen to the roots. Plus, if you are moving containers around, it sure beats moving a pot of rocks around.

Coconut Fiber Growing Medium

Some equate coco fiber, or coir, to peat moss in soil as an additive. It does allow for lighter soil and great drainage, but retains adequate moisture in the soil. Coco fiber, unlike peat moss, is ecofriendly.

Coconut Fiber Pucks

Some gardeners use coconut fiber solely as a container potting medium. These coconut fiber pucks are perfect if planting one container at a time or mixing a smaller amount of potting soil.

Tumbling Composter

Compost is hands down the best organic fertilizer and soil amendment from my experience. Here’s an awesome tumbling composter that’s easy to use and turns on a frame to aerate and mix the compost. This composter is designed to produce compost quickly.

Lady Bug Organic All Purpose Fertilizer

Lady Bug brand fertilizers are a great choice for organic gardeners. And, they have detailed application instructions for container gardening. The all purpose fertilizer is a versatile choice and has a NPK ratio of 8-2-4.

John’s Recipe Organic Concentrate Fertilizer

This organic fertilizer comes in a liquid concentrate form. Mix it as you need it. The cool part about mixing this fertilizer is it can be used as a foliar spray and soil drench. Container plants respond well to the ingredients: seaweed, Medina Soil Activator, humic acid, molasses, emulsified fish, and hydrolyzed fish. Its NPK is 3-1.5-2 and is a gentle fertilizer for container plants.

Fish Meal Fertilizer

This fish emulsion fertilizer is a treat for container gardeners. It kind of smells when mixing it, but vegetable plants love it. The NPK is 10-5-0, and is a great organic fertilizer. This 3 pound bucket of fish fertilizer will last you awhile.

Flower Power Organic Fertilizer

For flowering vegetables, the Lady Bug Flower Power fertilizer works great. The NPK is 4-6-4. The higher level of phosphorous focuses on the root system, not just plant growth. Due to root air pruning of grow bags, this fertilizer would be a good choice if using grow bags as growing containers.