Gardening in Containers

Many people who live in apartment buildings or houses with little or no yard space may think they cannot follow the prophet’s counsel to plant a garden. But you can grow quite a bit of food in pots and hanging planters inside your home or on a balcony. This activity will help you get started gardening in containers. Even if your family has plenty of outdoor garden space, you might want to try growing some of your vegetables indoors.

Activity

You can plant in almost any kind of container. Try using plastic jugs, garbage cans, milk cartons, cans, plastic bags, baskets, a wagon bed, kitchen canisters, or clay pots. The bottom of the container should have several small drain holes and be lined with 2 to 3 inches of small gravel before you put in the topsoil. Hang containers from windows, put them on windowsills or in window wells; line your sidewalk or driveway with them, or hang them from your ceiling.

The following chart shows you how much dirt you will need in a container to grow some common vegetables. This will give you an idea of what size container you need to use. It also tells you when to plant and harvest the vegetables and how big they will get. These are not the only vegetables that grow well in containers. You can try almost any kind that is common to your area.

Gardening in Containers

COMMON GARDEN CROPS
Crop	Container Needs	Growing Season	Planting Time	Harvest Days	Mature Size of Plant
Beets	10–12 inches (25–30 centimeters) of soil	Early spring, fall	2–4 weeks before last frost	50–60	10–12 inches (25–30 centimeters)
Bush Beans	8–10 inches (20–25 centimeters) of soil	Warm weather	Early spring	Snap 50–55 Lima 65	12–14 inches (30–60 centimeters)
Carrots	10–12 inches (25–30 centimeters)	Early spring, fall	2–4 weeks before last frost	60–75	10–12 inches (25–30 centimeters)
Cucumbers	1 gallon (4 liters) per plant	Warm weather	3–4 weeks before last frost	55–75	Shape vines by cutting back
Eggplant	3 gallons (11 liters) 12–14 inches (30–35 centimeters) diameter of soil	Warm weather	Plant indoors, transplant after 8 weeks	120–140	2–3 feet (.5–1 meter)
Green pepper	1 gallon (3.8 liters) per plant	Warm weather	Plant indoors, transplant after 7–8 weeks	110–120	2–3 feet (.5–1 meter)
Lettuce	1 gallon (3.8 liters) per plant	Cool weather, can stand slight frost	4–6 weeks before last frost	40–50	6–10 inches (15–25 centimeters)
Green onions	8–10 inches (20–25 centimeters) of soil	Cool weather, can stand slight frost	4–6 weeks before last frost	35–45	10–12 inches (25–30 centimeters)
Radishes	6 inches (15 centimeters) of soil	Cool weather, can stand slight frost	2–4 weeks before last frost	20–40	6–8 inches (15–20 centimeters)
Spinach	8–10 inches (20–25 centimeters) per plant	Cool weather, spring, fall	2–4 weeks before last frost	50–70	Plants spread out, do not grow tall
Squash	5 gallons (19 liters) for a 3–4 plant hill	Warm weather, will produce through fall	3–4 weeks before last frost	Summer 50–60 Winter 85–110	Bush 2–3 feet (.5m–1 meter) Vine-pinch off to control runners
Tomatoes	Dwarf: 1 gallon (3.8 liters) Standard: 2–3 gallons (7.5–11 liters) Mini: 8–10 inches (20–25 centimeters)	Warm weather	Plant indoors, transplant after 3–4 weeks. Easily harmed by frost.	50–90	Dwarf: 2–3 feet (.5–1 meter) Standard: 3–5 feet (1–1.5 meters) Standard vines need support frame

Additional Activities

Make an indoor herb garden on a window sill.