This post shows you easy-to-grow vegetables in pots for a container garden!
Thinking about what kind of vegetables you can grow in containers in your space? It’s easier than you might think!
Small spaces just require a little more creativity, strategy, and intention with your container garden.
Imagine being able to grow fresh vegetables right on your apartment balcony or back patio!
If you’re a beginner starting your container gardening journey, here is a list of easy-to-grow vegetables in pots to give you the most success growing as a beginner.
Unsure about the weather conditions in your area? Be sure to check your planting hardiness zone.
7 Easy-to-Grow Vegetables You Can Start in Pots
1. Cucumbers
As a vining plant, you might think an apartment balcony or patio space is too small to grow cucumbers but that couldn’t be further from the truth.
Bush varieties like Pot Luck and Bush are ideal for containers and living areas where space is a luxury.
How to Grow:
- This is a warm-season crop that needs a sunny location, soil high in organic matter, and plenty of water.
- Train them to grow vertically on a wood or wire trellis. This saves space, lessens the chance of pests and disease, and the fruit will develop cleaner and straighter.
Harvest tip: Pick cucumbers while they are small for the freshest taste!
2. Peppers
Peppers thrive in warm weather and produce their best fruits with consistent temperatures.
Peppers can be classified into two groups: sweet or hot. Sweet peppers are eaten raw, cooked, or dried while hot peppers are dried and used as an addition to spices.
How to Grow:
- Plant peppers in warm well-draining soil and water regularly.
- After planting, protect them from intense sun with mulch and keep the moisture content high to harvest in about 2 to 3 months!
Harvest tip: Sweet peppers can be picked at any stage but allow ripening to a deep color for a sweeter flavor!
Use hot pepper varieties, as needed.
3. Sweet Potatoes
Sweet potatoes are a hearty, healthy, and easy vegetable found in most southern American households.
When times are hard, sweet potatoes are a filling and valuable commodity to have on hand.
How to Grow:
- The key to successful sweet potatoes is soil preparation! A moderately fertile sandy loam soil is ideal. If using heavier potting soil, mixed with compost.
- Let the potato sprout. Then cut the potato into smaller pieces with the sprout attached and plant each piece with the eye facing up.
Harvest Tip: Allow the roots to dry out in the sun for several hours and then place potatoes in a warm room for 10 days to cure. (This allows the starch to turn to sugar for maximum flavor and taste!)
4. Tomatoes
Tomatoes are a tangy base for many dishes. There are plenty of varieties to plant that will thrive in most conditions.
If you don’t have a lot of space, grow a dwarf tomato variety like Tiny Tim or Pixie.
How to Grow:
- Inexperienced gardeners can easily grow these in a 5-gallon bucket. As they mature, buy a tomato cage or stake the stem with a branch and plant clips for support.
- Plant tomatoes in well-fertilized soil with at least 6 hours of full sun. Note that soil high in too much nitrogen will result in overdeveloped vines and low to no fruit production.
Harvest tip: You’ll know your tomatoes are ready when you can easily pull them off the vine. If you feel resistance, give them a little more time.
5. Beans
Beans are a beginner gardener’s favorite and grow well in warm weather in pretty much any soil.
Beans are usually either edible-podded or shell-type. Edible podded can be harvested and eaten as they grow while shell types grow to maturity and are removed from the pod and cooked separately.
How to Grow:
- Considering how cheap beans are at the grocery store, I wouldn’t say this is the most cost-effective vegetable to grow. But it never hurts to learn to grow your food!
- Beans will adapt to pretty much any soil but add fertilizer once the plant is about 4-6 inches high to aid production.
Harvest Tip: Use beans when they are young and tender on the plant for a regular harvest. Only allow shell types to fully mature before picking.
6. Eggplant
Looking for uncommon vegetables to grow in containers? It’s not very often that you see eggplant in American households but you should reconsider!
This vegetable also adapts pretty well to growing in containers. Most varieties adapt to containers including Black Magic, Jersey King, and Burpee Hybrid.
How to Grow:
- This crop needs a long period of warm weather to mature. After planting water generously and protect from high winds or glaring sun for the first few days.
- While all plants are susceptible to insects, there is a huge community of them that truly love eggplant. Use neem oil regularly to repel them or pick them off yourself.
Harvest tip: Eggplant is ready for harvest when it has a shiny glossy coating. If there’s browning, that is a sign of overripeness.
7. Collard Greens
Another traditional crop of the South, collard greens are extremely tolerant to hot weather.
These are also shallow-rooted plants that are ideal for growing in standard 5-gallon buckets.
How to Grow:
- Keep plants moist in a nitrogen-rich soil. Or add a nitrogen fertilizer to the plant about every 3 or 4 weeks.
- Add mulch around the plant to increase soil moisture and avoid damaging the root system of these shallow crops
Harvest tip: Pick from the outer leaves as they develop to keep the plant producing all summer!
This list is highly dependent on your zone and conditions but I hope it’s a helpful starting guide to growing vegetables in containers for beginner enthusiasts!
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This Post Has Shown You 7 Easy to Grow Vegetables for Pots
Growing vegetables in pots is a rewarding skill that everyone should learn how to do. With a little creativity and faith, you can grow anything, anywhere you choose!
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