Best Vegetables for Container Gardens

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15 Best Vegetables for Container Gardens

One of the great things about gardening is that you can do it pretty much anywhere ⁠— even if you have a small space to work with. Check out some of these best vegetables for container gardens to see what you can grow in pots.

Why You Should Consider Container Gardening

Gardening offers a variety of amazing benefits. If you dream of having your own homestead, learning how to garden is also an incredibly important homesteading skill to learn.

Of course, if you have a small space, you might need to consider a container garden. Container gardens make it easy to enjoy fresh produce by letting you grow vegetables in pots.

Plus, it’s not just people with small spaces who can benefit from container gardens. We live in Florida, and our soil is basically sand. There’s not much you can grow in sand! Instead, we use raised beds and containers to grow our vegetables.

Having a container garden also makes it easy to move your garden if you need to. If you planted one of these best vegetables that grow in shade and you discover it’s getting too much sun, you can easily move it to an even shadier part of your garden.

Of course, the exact opposite is also true. If you planted a sun-loving vegetable and it’s not getting enough light, it’s simple to move a container to a sunnier spot. You certainly can’t say the same thing about an in-ground or raised bed garden!

Whether you have plenty of space or not, you can enjoy growing your own food when you choose these best vegetables for container gardens.

Related: The Best Organic Weed Killer

1. Tomatoes

Tomatoes are the superstars of container gardens. If you want something that offers a higher yield, go with cherry tomatoes. Don’t forget you’ll need to get a tomato cage to give the plant extra support when it gets taller.

Since cherry tomatoes are so easy to grow, they’re also a great option if you’re looking for one of the best plants for a children’s garden.

Related: How Long Do Seeds Last?

2. Lettuce

If you like to eat salads, you’ll love growing your own lettuce. It grows fast, and you can harvest it multiple times during the growing season. In fact, lettuce grows so fast, it’s one of the best fast growing vegetables if you need a quick harvest.

Just keep in mind that lettuce is a cool season crop. If you live in a warmer climate, you’ll have better success growing lettuce in the winter. Otherwise, you can start your lettuce seeds in the spring.

3. Spinach

Spinach is another leafy green that does great in container gardens. In fact, they do so well in pots, you can even grow spinach inside.

When you’re picking out a pot for you spinach, get an 8-inch container for each plant. Spinach plants don’t need much depth, but they do need some width.

4. Sweet Peppers

You’ll have great success growing pretty much every type of pepper in a container. If you’re looking for something that almost everyone in the family will enjoy eating, consider growing sweet peppers.

If you give your sweet peppers plenty of sun, consistent watering, and good drainage, you’ll enjoy a bountiful harvest. You can pick sweet peppers when they’re green.

However, if you leave them on the plant until they turn red, they’ll give you more vitamin C than an orange. This is important since vitamin C is a great natural cold remedy that actually works.

5. Green Beans

My son absolutely loves green beans, so we always seem to have some pole bean plants growing. Fortunately, not only do green beans do very well in container gardens, but they’re also one of the best vegetables to plant in summer.

There’s a reason they call them pole beans, and that’s because they need to climb. That’s why you’ll need some type of pole or trellis for them to grow on.

6. Sugar Snap Peas

Sugar snap peas are one of the best vegetables for container gardens because they don’t require a large pot. They also grow quickly, and they don’t need too much attention.

Just make sure they have a sunny spot and slightly moist soil. Like pole beans, they do like to climb. So don’t forget to give them a trellis.

7. Radishes

Radishes are actually one of the best vegetables for beginner gardeners because they grow quickly and easily. If you decide to grow some of the short, red radishes, you can use a 6-inch container.

Just keep in mind that radishes don’t like to get too hot. Plus, don’t forget that the leaves are also edible.

8. Carrots

Like a lot of other root vegetables, carrots do well growing in pots. They prefer cool weather. They also like to have moist soil or they’ll start to crack. However, you want to make sure your container has adequate holes for drainage because you don’t want to overwater your carrots.

9. Cucumbers

Cucumbers are one of my favorite vegetables to grow in my container garden. You won’t believe how tasty and crisp they are when you pick them right off the plant.

They like to climb, so make sure they have a trellis or some other type of support. While pretty much any type of cucumber can grow in a container, I recommend getting a spacemaster cucumber since they can handle a smaller growing area.

10. Summer Squash

While pretty much any type of squash can grow well in a container, I’ve found the most success with summer squash. It’s an incredibly productive plant, so you’ll get plenty of bang for your buck when you grow one.

Just keep in mind that squash takes up space when it grows. It will also need a large container, lots of sunlight, and consistent watering.

11. Eggplant

Eggplants like full sun and are one of the best heat tolerant vegetables you can grow in container gardens. While you can grow eggplants in plastic pots, a clay pot is a better option because it helps the plant stay warm. Once an eggplant starts to grow, it will need some type of pole for support.

These plants tend to produce a lot of fruit. If you end up with more eggplant than you know what to do with, be sure to check out this post that has over 85 unique and delicious eggplant recipes!

12. Potatoes

Once you experience how good freshly dug potatoes taste, you’ll never want to buy them from the store again. Fortunately, it’s incredibly easy to keep potatoes growing in containers year-round.

They do very well in 7-gallon grow bags, which also makes them easy to move. These bags also offer great drainage so your plants don’t get too much water.

13. Strawberries

Even though strawberries need room to grow, they still do well in containers. For the best results, make sure they get plenty of sun and harvest them regularly so you can make room for additional growth.

14. Turnips

Since turnips are root plants, they need space to grow down. However, that doesn’t mean you can’t grow them in containers. Just make sure your container is at least 8 inches deep.

Overwatering can kill your turnips, so be sure your containers have plenty of drainage holes. Adding some gravel to the bottom of your container can also help with drainage.

15. Onions

Since we routinely cook with onions, I feel like they’re a great addition to our container garden. To make sure you get a nice, full bulb, plant your onions in a container that’s at least 5 inches deep.

Since I live in a warmer climate, I’ve had good success growing this yellow onion. If you live in a cooler climate, you might want to try this yellow sweet onion.

Making Your Vegetables Safe to Eat

Since you’ll be growing your own vegetables, you know you won’t have to use any harmful fertilizers or pesticides that can leak into your food and contaminate it by choosing one of these best organic fertilizers.

However, you’ll still want to make sure everything is clean before you eat it. After all, it is growing outside. So you will have dust, dirt, and bugs on your food.

That’s why I recommend checking out how to make this DIY fruit and veggie cleaner.