Whether inside the house, in a greenhouse or just on the porch, container vegetable gardening has many advantages. Soil maintenance is easier and pest control is simpler. There are more options for adjusting light and temperature levels.
Most vegetables that can be grown outdoors will do well in container gardening. Pumpkins and cucumbers, both of which take considerable space, might not be great choices. But tomatoes, peas, peppers, carrots and many others will do just as well (sometimes better) in a container vegetable garden.
Be sure to select a container that is large enough to accommodate the full grown plant at harvesting time. Use weed free soil and add the right amount of fertilizer even before you plant. Synthetic soil-like media are an option. Mixtures of peat moss, perlite, wood chips and others can be a good choice for a variety of species that are suitable for container vegetable gardening.
Preparing the soil beforehand, or using a synthetic medium, gives another benefit: easier water control. Adequate drainage balanced against good moisture retention is important for healthy container-grown plants. Breaking up clay particles is easy by mixing in commercial soil prep. Put some marbles at the bottom of a container to ensure good drainage at the bottom and to keep holes from getting plugged by soil.
Water your container vegetable garden with care, though, even when the medium is well prepared. Soil can readily dry out when containers are near a window. It’s easy to forget whether the watering chore was completed that day. At the opposite extreme, it’s easy to introduce root rot in container plants. Keep a soil moisture tester on hand.
In most cases, soil straight from the outdoors isn’t a good choice for container vegetable gardening. Very clay-like soil outdoors can be compensated for somewhat by natural features that drain the water away. In a container, the strong ability of clay to retain water is exaggerated. Very sandy soil will need to be built up. If that much effort is required to adjust outdoor soil, it’s easier just to buy professionally prepared media.
Most vegetables enjoy lots of sunshine. Putting tomatoes in a south-facing windowsill that gets light several hours per day will help produce a great crop. They also love lots of heat so there’s less risk of burning. But some, like lettuce, prefer it a little shadier. Put them where there’s less direct sunlight. Fortunately, with vegetable container gardening you can move a plant easily on those days when the sun and clouds aren’t cooperating.
Keep after insects in a vegetable container garden just as you would otherwise. If the plants sit outside in containers, pests have open access. But even indoors most small insects can readily find their way through screen mesh and small cracks in doors. Sometimes, if the eggs were laid in the soil before planting, larvae will develop even if your house is sealed tight. Insecticide soap and other commercial mixtures, when used correctly, are safe for the plants and you when you eat them.
Container vegetable gardening requires some effort. But the rewards are great. Having fresh vegetables on hand provides a tasty and healthy component to a good diet.