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Can i put veggies in individual pots instead of big planters? | Edible Gardening | Planta community

Caroline <3

Can i put veggies in individual pots instead of big planters?

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5 comments

  1. Katie

    It really depends on what kinds of veggies and how big your pots are. What are you thinking about growing?

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    • Caroline <3

      I have cucumbers, kale, lettuce, carrots, peas, and tomatoes

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    • Katie

      Okay! You can definitely grow all of those things in containers, some more easily than others. Tomatoes, need plenty of room and nutrients, so I recommend a 10 gallon size or larger. The type of tomato will make a difference too. Determinate tomatoes are more bush like and don’t grow as tall, so they are easier to manage in a pot, but you can grow indeterminates successfully. I use a really good potting soil, like fox farms or I amend existing soil with a good amount of worm castings. They are heavy feeders. My experience with growing cucumbers in a container has been okay, but not as productive as growing in the ground. You can out two or three plants in a large container and give them something to climb up. A tomato cage works well. The biggest challlenge, I think is keeping them well watered. Cucumbers need a lot of water and pots dry out quickly. Lettuce and kale are easy to grow in pots. If you are growing single large heads of lettuce, you can probably use a pot as small as 4” across. If growing baby lettuces, I would get a much wider pot (it doesn’t have to be deep), and sprinkle your seeds over the soil then lightly cover. Same goes for kale. Growing baby kale in a pot is easy, depending on what type of kale it is. If you want full size kale, it might be better to plant several in the ground, but if that isn’t an option, I’m sure they would grow in individual pots. Haven’t grown carrots in a pot, but I know you can do it. Just needs to be deep enough. And peas too would work. Might want something for them to climb, but you could just let them go wild, and see what happens. Just remember that things dry out quickly in the summer heat, so the smaller the pot, the more risk of the plants not getting enough water. They also need plenty of nutrients and room to grow. With house plants, we keep their roots fairly snug, but vegetables, especially things like tomatoes, need lots of space to grow, both in the soil and above. If you don’t have pots, I like using Smart Pots on my deck. Might want to check them out. Good luck!

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    • Caroline <3

      Thank you!

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    • Katie

      You’re welcome! Happy to answer anymore questions.

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