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Container
Intro
Container Rules and Overview
Color and Design
Potting and Repotting
Hanging Baskets
Planting Hanging Bags
Vegetables in Containers
Layering Bulbs and Plants
Vines and Roses in Containers |
 Many
vegetables can be grown successfully in containers. Select a
container large enough to hold the plants and accommodate their root
systems.
 Plastic
or clay pots, old pails, bushel baskets, old washtubs or sinks, wooden
planters or hanging baskets will hold vegetable plants. Large
hanging baskets are great for cherry tomatoes and strawberries.
 Treated wood is NOT recommended for growing food
crops in containers as the chemicals leech into the soil and then into
the plants.
Ensure there is good drainage from the container -
drill four or more 1/4 holes evenly spaced around the bottom of the
container. A one-half inch of coarse gravel at the bottom
will help with drainage too.
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Container Sizing
Six to ten inch diameter pots are
satisfactory for chives, parsley, herbs or miniature tomato
plants. Most tomatoes, peppers, eggplants, etc. will require a 3-5
gallon container. Here are some container sizes for vegetables.
|
Crop |
Minimum
Container
Size |
#
of Plants |
| Beets |
2 gallon |
Thinned to 2-3" apart |
| Cabbage |
1
gallon |
1 plant |
| Carrots |
2 gallon |
Thinned to 2-3" apart |
| Cucumber |
1
gallon |
2 plants |
| Eggplant |
1 gallon |
1 plant |
| Green
Beans |
1
gallon |
2-3
plants |
| Leaf Lettuce |
1 gallon |
4-6 plants |
| Parsley |
1/2
gallon |
1 plant |
| Pepper |
2 gallon |
2 plants |
| Radishes |
2
gallon |
Thinned
to 1-2" apart |
| Spinach |
1 gallon |
Thinned to 3 inches apart |
| Swiss
Chard |
1
gallon |
1 plant |
Tomatoes
Cherry
Standard |
1
gallon
1 gallon |
1 plant
1 plant |
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Conversion
Table - pot
size and soil amount |
Inside
Pot
Diameter
Inches |
Amount
of Soil
to Fill |
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3 |
1
cup |
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4 |
2.5
cups |
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5 |
1
quart |
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6 |
2.5
quarts |
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7 |
3
quarts |
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8 |
1
gallon |
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9 |
1.5
gallons |
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10 |
2.25
gallons |
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12 |
3.5
gallons |
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14 |
6
gallons |
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Varieties to Grow
Here are some of the best
varieties of popular vegetables for growing in containers.
|
Crop |
Best
Home Garden Varieties to Grow |
| Beets |
Ruby Queen |
| Cabbage |
Any
are fine |
| Carrots |
Little Finger, Danver's
Half Long, Nantes Half Long |
| Cucumber |
Salad
Bush, Bush Champion, Spacemaster |
| Eggplant |
Dusky |
| Green
Beans |
Topcrop,
Tendercrop, Derby |
| Lettuce |
Green Ice, Salad Bowl,
Red Sails, Black Seeded Simpson, Buttercrunch, Oakleaf |
| Parsley |
Dar
Moss Curled, Paramount, Italian Flat Leaf |
| Pepper |
Lady Bell, Gypsy,
Crispy, New Ace, Bell Boy, Red Chili |
| Radishes |
Champion,
Comet, Sparkler, White Icicle, Early Scarlet Globe |
| Spinach |
American Viking, Long
Standing Bloomsdale, Melody |
| Summer
Squash |
Pic-N-Pic
(yellow crookneck) |
| Swiss
Chard |
Fordhook
Giant (white ribbed), Lucullus (green ribbed) |
Tomatoes
Cherry
Patio
Standard |
Pixie
Patio
Jetstar, Celebrity, Super Bush |
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