Tips for Abundant Edible Container Gardens
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Tips for Abundant Edible Container Gardens
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Tips for Abundant Edible Container Gardens
Andrew Pel
Plant seasonal vegetables
Rotating vegetables in your container gardens is important. This helps reduce the chance of pests and diseases building up in the potting media. By swapping plant families each season, you keep your soil healthy.
Growing your favourite edibles at the right time of the year also gives you the best chance of success. Avoid wasting money on planting summer crops in winter. This is a recipe for disaster!
If you’re not sure when the best time is to grow various vegetables, read What to Plant When and Benefits of Moon Gardening.
John Wick
Sufficient Sunlight
When sharing one pot with multiple plants, you need to find a balance between maximising the space without overcrowding. Otherwise, your plants won’t get adequate sunlight, moisture or nutrients. There will be too much competition! A bit of trial and error will help you learn how many plants to put in different sized containers.
Rotate container gardens regularly so plants can photosynthesize and grow well.
andrew
Consider Spacing
I’ve found the spacing guidelines on some seed packets is too generous. Perfect for garden beds, but not edible container gardens. I often plant my seeds and seedlings a bit closer than recommended.
In my salad bowl gardens, I grow a variety of 8 or 9 different greens and herbs. I can do this because I am constantly picking and plucking. They never grow to full size. So they can be planted ‘up close and personal’.
In a warm/hot climate with strong sun, the closer spacing is also a benefit. Why? To help shade adjoining plants and reduce moisture loss. This helps protect them from wilting.
avery
Select Plants Carefully
Small is beautiful. There are many dwarf varieties of vegetables available now. So you can grow your favourite food without it being a space hog. Even in container gardens.
For example, there are many miniature varieties. e.g. lettuces, dwarf beans, peas, kale, cherry tomatoes, pumpkins and capsicum/peppers. They are small in size but generous in their yields. Take a look at my Seed List for suppliers around the world.
Team compact climbing plants with vertical structures. That way you can grow more in less space. Climbing beans and peas are good examples of easy-to-grow edibles. You can save space with a trellis in a pot and take advantage of sunlight up off the ground.