Has anyone grown a vegetable garden?

Question

Has anyone grown a veggie garden in pots as opposed to the ground,if so is it as effective? And if you have what kinds of veggies?

Answer 1

Yes, i grown Tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers in large pots, even have a hydro tomato garden for year round fresh tomatoes.

Answer 2

There are books written on the subject of gardening in containers. Veggie in pots is right in there. We have grown tomato, radish, carrot, lettuce, string beans, spinach, rhubarb, corn, and beets. The key is having the same amount of sun, root depth, and water these plants would receive in a conventional garden. But one needs to watch soil temperature if the local is desert or like hot exposures. This is because the contents of a pot can heat unlike in the earth gardening as a pot of dirt is captured and can't cool. However, we used pot in pot with a thermal insulation material between the pots. What material? Packing peanuts are great. If the pot heats, the roots heat. When the roots heat - more water is required to satisfy the plant's needs. Growth and production is impacted.

You might find this interesting in that bales of straw have been used well in hydroponic tomato production. Tomato sets were planted on the top sides of straw bales. Drip irrigation tubes were placed along the row of sets. All the nutrients required for growth and production of tomatoes was supplied via the irrigation solution. At the end of production, tomato roots were at the bales' vertical sides.

Answer 3

Container gardening is a good way for a beginning gardener to get some idea of what growing veggies or flowers. I have gardened for 50 yrs and container gardening has its' own set of problems. I always use large containers with lots of compost mixed with commercial growing medium. I found out compost is too heavy by itself to use in containers- it must be lightened up with sand, gravel, or the ingredients in bagged potting soil. If you are growing veggies with a large root system, you need a deep pot to give the roots room to grow, or about mid-summer when it gets hot, the roots will out-grow the pot and need more water than you can provide. It is a good idea to let the containers get some shade during the hottest part of the day to keep the soil from drying. If you can garden on a sunny porch that gets some shade would be ideal. Remember to feed the soil often with a diluted solution of whatever fertilizer you are using. If you buy potting soil that contains fertilizer, this is probably all the plants will need. Check the plants often to see if insects are making holes in your leaves before they get a chance to do more damage than you can repair. You can always add more compost or soil to the top layer of your pot if the soil compacts and will leave you room to grow smaller crops underneath the taller ones, such as lettuce grown under a tall tomato plant. I would subscribe to a gardening magazine, such as Organic Gardening. It will give you many helpful hints on gardening.

Answer 4

You can grow just about anything in pots that you can grow in a garden. Just be sure the pots are deep and large enough to accomodate the roots. For something like carrots, you can select shorter varieties that dont require as deep of a pot. Follow the watering and light instructions as you would in a regular garden. For example, lettuce requires less light than tomatos. You may want to try growing certain vegetables on poles in the pots, like beans or peas or cucumbers.

Answer 5

Yes, I have grown cherry tomatoes, herbs and mixed greens with lots of success. I have used different containers- window boxes, a half whisky barrel, and other large containers. If you grow cherry tomatoes have some stakes or a cage to support them. There are 2 varieties- descriminate and indescriminate I believe are the terms. Go for the descriminate variety because the plant grows less and is better suited to container gardening.
Whatever container you choose, spend time adding drainage and good quality soil for the most success.

Answer 6

A five-gallon bucket is ideal for growing Tomatoes (with holes drilled in the bottom). That will give you an idea of how large a pot you need for large vegetables. Sometimes you also see references to certain vegetables (such as tomatoes) being heavy feeders. They will suck every nutrient out of a container in one season. You either need to replenish soil and/or nutrients if you use the containers again.
If you want to try for something different, Google the "topsy turvey planter."

Answer 7

Tomatoes, peppers and Eggplant, you need to grow the "Patio Types" Some Tomatoes like the brandywine need a 3ft dia and 3ft deep soil for best result. This will tip over in a 5 gal pot.

Many small pepper plants do well in small pots, the large ones need to have room for the root ball

Answer 8

You can grow lots of stuff in pots as long as they are big enough. You can grow potatoes in a plastic garbage bag full of compost and reach in and dig the new potatoes out by hand and as long as you don't disturb the roots so much that the plant dies it will keep on producing new potatoes.

You can grow the full size versions of tomatoes in Earth Boxes. http://www.earthbox.com/ These are kinda pricy but they last forever and are extremely easy to maintain and they expand the sorts of stuff you can grow.

Answer 9

I've grown basil, rosemary, garlic, and tomatoes. They all grew very well. The trick is to put them in a sunlit spot and water regularly.

Answer 10

yes i have what do you want to know.