20 Best Fruits, Veggies & Herbs To Grow In Containers For An Endless Supply Of Free Food
If you have a fondness for the vibrant world of fresh produce and herbs but prefer not to frequent the grocery store constantly, contemplate engaging in the art of container gardening. This burgeoning movement is gaining momentum alongside the escalating cost of food and an increasing awareness of dietary choices. Now, witness apartment balconies adorned with an array of containers, and even within the most modest spaces, you can cultivate an ample harvest for your family.
Container gardening extends beyond the joy of having readily available fruits, vegetables, and herbs. Within these confined spaces, you can nurture exotic edibles, elongate the growing season, overcome geographical limitations, and defy spatial constraints. With container gardening, you gain the knowledge of your food’s origin, ensuring a more conscious approach to consumption and often an abundance to share with others.
Containerized plants enjoy enhanced protection from pests and diseases. You wield greater control over their nutrient intake, manipulating their environment by repositioning them and administering targeted treatments when necessary. While it’s arguable that any tree, shrub, or herbaceous plant can thrive in containers, not all of them flourish in the limited space, yielding satisfactory results.
Delve into a curated selection of top-tier fruits, vegetables, and herbs for container cultivation. These choices are made based on ease of growth, consistent yield, and nutritional benefits.
Best Fruits For Container Culture
Embarking on a journey with fruit trees in containers requires a long-term commitment. Given their extended stay in the same pot, opt for sizable containers providing adequate drainage, air circulation, and a potting mix that sustains long-term nutrition.
Craft your potting mix using the following components:
- 4 parts peat moss
- 6 oz dolomite per gallon of peat moss
- 2 parts compost
- 2 parts perlite
- 2 parts sand
- 1 part garden soil
Incorporate 1 lb bone meal and osmocote per 100 gallons of prepared potting mix.
Fill one-third of the containers with potting soil, place the plant inside, and complete the filling process to reach two-thirds of the container. This leaves room for top-ups in the subsequent years.
Meyer Lemon Tree
This aesthetically pleasing tree stands as the premier choice for pot culture among fruit trees, consistently delivering satisfaction. Hardy up to USDA Zone 8, it captivates with year-round allure—shiny, evergreen leaves, fragrant flowers, and an abundance of large, bright yellow fruits. Beyond Zone 8, overwintering indoors becomes necessary, a task facilitated by placing the pot on rollers for convenient relocation.
In spacious containers, Meyer lemons can soar to over 6 feet, requiring occasional pruning to maintain the desired height. Grafted trees commence fruit-bearing in the second or third year, demanding regular watering and feeding through spring and summer. For larger fruits, thin out fruit clusters and bring them indoors before the initial frost, minimizing feeding and watering during fall and winter.
Blueberries
Thriving on shrubs that seamlessly adapt to container culture, blueberries bestow copious berries renowned for their antioxidant potency. These ericaceous plants, thriving in acidic soil, find their ideal environment within containers.
Blueberry plants crave ample sunlight and water but prefer infrequent feeding. One or two applications of organic fertilizer during summer suffice for their nutritional needs throughout the year. To ensure fruit set, incorporate two or more blueberry plants in the garden.
Strawberries
No need for a sprawling strawberry patch to indulge in these naturally spreading plants. Container cultivation curtails their sprawling tendencies, enhancing fruit production. Opt for tall containers, allowing the plant to cascade over the sides, yielding a remarkable yield per square foot.
Position them indoors near a sunlit window or under artificial lighting for continued growth and fruit production. Regular harvesting and the removal of unwanted offshoots sustain ongoing growth, ensuring a perpetually filled fruit bowl with a handful of ever-bearing strawberry plants.
Columnar apple
While apples inundate the market during the season, the joy of plucking a fully ripe apple from your very own tree adds a touch of delight. While regular or dwarf apple varieties can be container-grown, columnar apple trees stand out for their hassle-free nature, requiring minimal pruning.
Nurture columnar apple trees in spacious containers with a 5-10-gallon capacity, opting for multiple trees and selecting varieties aligned with your climate’s chill hours. Adequate sunlight, regular watering, and feeding form the trifecta for successful growth.
Mulberry
Whether manifesting as a tree or bush, the mulberry’s growth is influenced by cultivation choices. As a patio tree, the mulberry might not be the homeowner’s darling due to potential stains from ripe fruits. Nevertheless, its sweet and tart flavor, coupled with a robust nutritional profile, makes it a worthwhile addition.
Cultivate a dwarf variety in a capacious container, positioning it strategically to prevent floor stains while maintaining easy access to the delectable fruits. As an added bonus, these trees attract a diverse array of birds.
Passion Fruit
The strikingly beautiful passion fruit plant, a tropical perennial vine, finds its home as an annual in large containers within subtropical regions. Alternatively, pruning it close to the roots and storing it in the garage until the next spring initiates a new growth cycle.
This fast-paced vine thrives with sturdy trellises or other forms of support. Ample water and intermittent feeding contribute to its happiness, ensuring a bountiful harvest for personal enjoyment and generous sharing.
Best Vegetables To Grow In Containers
In the realm of potted plant cultivation, specific vegetables stand out, offering a diverse and bountiful harvest. It’s a well-established principle that, with the exception of leafy vegetables, most veggies demand abundant sunlight, nutrient-rich soil, and a steady supply of nourishment. As annuals, these vegetables necessitate a fresh start each year, either from seeds or seedlings.
Tomatoes
While traditional garden cultivation yields abundant seasonal crops, growing tomatoes in containers unveils the potential for a year-round supply of fresh, succulent tomatoes. Robust containers can accommodate multiple plants, with the provision of sturdy stakes or wire cages for essential support.
Potting tomato plants in a blend of rich soil and compost, enriched with slow-release fertilizers like kelp meal, blood meal, or fish emulsion, ensures optimal growth. Sun-soaked exposure and regular watering contribute to a thriving tomato harvest.
Bell Peppers
Bell peppers, with their array of colors and sizes, flourish in pots throughout the year. Optimal results come from cultivating small varieties in 2-gallon pots. While basking in maximum sunlight during the day, these peppers can be sheltered indoors when nighttime temperatures plummet.
Enhancing the yield of potted peppers is achievable through hand pollination—either delicately using a paintbrush on each open flower or encouraging pollen distribution by gently shaking the plant during flowering.
Cucumbers
Embarking on the journey of growing cucumbers in containers proves to be a rewarding experience, even for novice gardeners. Bolster their rapid growth with nutrient-rich compost and ample water. Vines can be trained along a string stretched between two poles or along roof trims. Frequent harvesting prevents the vines from being weighed down.
Opting for bush-type hybrids ensures prolific cucumber yields, catering not only to salad bowls but also providing an abundance for pickling and sharing.
Potatoes
Potatoes, renowned for their early spuds, find a conducive environment for growth in containers. Flexible containers, such as potato sacks or plastic grow bags, offer the advantage of easy drainage, eliminating the need for extensive digging during harvest.
Loose, well-draining potting mix fills the container, not exceeding halfway. As small potatoes form near the surface, topping up becomes necessary. Plant one spud per gallon, resulting in a 5-gallon pot hosting five plants. Harvesting involves a simple shake of the plant or overturning the container on a plastic sheet.
Carrots
Carrots find a cozy home in a large rectangular tub, allowing for multiple rows, or in smaller pots with 2-3 plants. These plants prefer minimal disturbance, prompting direct sowing of seeds. Depressions ½ inch deep and 3-4 inches apart host 2 seeds each. After the emergence of true leaves, snipping off the weaker seedlings close to the soil surface ensures undisturbed growth.
Top up with soil when carrot tops become visible to prevent green tops from developing. In approximately 2 ½ to 3 months, a sweet and tender carrot harvest awaits.
Radishes
Ideal for container culture, radishes cater to the impatience of first-time gardeners seeking quick results. Sow radish seeds in situ and thin them later for optimal growth.
Containers filled with compost-based potting mix provide the ideal environment. Opt for 6” deep pots for rounded red varieties and deeper vessels, such as paint buckets, for elongated white varieties. With seeds sown 2-3 inches apart, sprouts emerge in as little as 3 days, with tubers ready for harvest within 30 to 35 days. Starting a new batch weekly ensures a continuous supply of fresh radishes for salads.
Beets
Beets, versatile for cooking or pickling, thrive effortlessly in various containers. Directly sow the seeds in situ, as beets are averse to transplanting. Sow seeds 3-4 inches apart and thin them if necessary by snipping off unwanted seedlings rather than pulling them out. While beet greens are edible, caution is advised due to their high oxalic acid content.
Spinach
Adapting across USDA Zones 5 to 10, spinach prospers when kept in cool shade within warmer regions. Container gardening offers the flexibility to move spinach plants for extra sun exposure in spring and summer, while indoor sheltering safeguards against cold temperatures.
Sow spinach seeds in 8” deep pots, maintaining a single plant per pot for large leaves and disease prevention. A well-draining medium is crucial, balancing ample water supply without causing waterlogged conditions. Harvest involves pulling up the entire plant or selectively pinching off lower leaves as new ones develop.
Lettuce
For aficionados of green salads, cultivating lettuce in containers is a delightful endeavor. Opt for small pots for individual plants or elongated, rectangular boxes for a row of plants.
Frequent watering and a well-draining medium are essential for lettuce cultivation. From smooth and curly-headed varieties to leafy alternatives, sow seeds in situ 6 inches apart. Harvesting entails regular leaf plucking for leafy types, while cabbage-headed varieties demand whole-harvesting.
The Best Herbs To Grow In Containers
Being small plants with tender stems, most herbs lend themselves to container gardening. You can grow a good selection of these aromatic and flavorful plants by a sunny kitchen window, and snip off bits and pieces as and when you require them for your cooking.
Parsley
Parsley loves partial shade so they can be grown indoors round the year. Sow the seeds in a wide container and keep it near a bright window. If the seedlings are too crowded, you can thin them out and use them in some savory dishes. The flat-leaved parsley has a strong flavor compared to its curly-leaved cousin.
Basil
Basil prefers a bit of direct sunlight and warmth, so you can keep these plants outside when it is sunny, and then bring them indoors when the temperature falls. You need only one or two plants to provide all the basil leaves you’d ever need. Snip off the stem tips to keep the plant bushy and to prevent it from flowering.
Oregano
The little leaves of oregano go a long way, so you need only one or two plants growing in small pots. Oregano plants enjoy being out in the sun every now and then, but you can overwinter the plants by bringing them indoors at night during the cold season.
Chives
Chives are such neat plants whether you grow them in pots or out in the garden. The thin, deep green leaves and the purplish-pink flowers make them a delightful and attractive plant to have in small pots. Out in the garden, they die off every year and come back again with renewed strength. But your container-grown plants can be kept going all year so that you can harvest the leaves and flowers any time for your soups and potato dishes.
Mint
No one should be without a mint plant at arm’s reach. Just touching the leaves to release the fragrance is uplifting. Use the leaves to flavor lemonade or to make mint tea.
Mint plants love rich soil and plenty of water. It is always best to keep the mint plants in pots as they have the tendency to spread everywhere in the garden.
Remember to keep a constant watch over your potted edibles. Because of the limited amount of soil, they can dry out sooner than plants growing in the garden. Attend to diseases and pest attacks immediately. You might want to add a lot more vegetables and herbs to this list as you realize how easy and rewarding it is to grow your own food.
