How to Grow Spring Vegetables in Containers: 5 Tips
Lettuce, chard, endive, radishes, carrots, and potatoes are some of the many spring vegetables you can grow in containers! With a proper start and setup, these crops will mature without issue. Container gardener Jerad Bryant shares five expert tips for maximum yields.
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I like to use spring containers to extend the vegetable garden. When raised and in-ground beds are full of seedlings, containers are a great way to make extra growing space. They’re also perfect for small spaces, apartments with balconies, and indoor gardens.
No matter your growing situation, using containers is an ingenious method for extending your garden. Leafy greens, shallow-rooting annuals, and small root crops like radishes are best for growing in pots. Others, like potatoes, may also grow in containers if they’re large enough to accommodate them.
Terra cotta, ceramic, and stone pots are heavy but long-lasting and durable. Plastic and paper pots are not as long-lasting but are best for starting seeds and cultivating seedlings. Choose your favorites, and use these five tips to grow the spring vegetable container garden of your dreams.
Plant in Good-Sized Containers
Starting with the right-sized container is crucial in growing a successful harvest. You can use small, 2-quart-sized pots for crops like lettuce, beets, carrots, and green onions. If you’d like to grow more than one plant per pot, use a large container that fits multiple full-grown vegetables.
Other crops, like potatoes, need huge containers for maximum yields! The harvest will look stunted and misshapen if the plants grow in small pots. A 30-gallon container is best for root crops like potatoes, sweet potatoes, and sunchokes.
Fruiting species like eggplants, peppers, and tomatoes grow best in 5-gallon or larger-sized pots. Grant them enough space so they produce consistently during the growing season.
Also, consider the type of pot you’re using. Grow bags are best if you need to move plants around. Heavy materials like ceramic, metal, and stone are best for permanent plantings because they’re durable and difficult to relocate. Wood and plastic aren’t as durable as metal and stone, but they work well in cold climates with freeze-thaw cycles.
Choose the Right Soil
Good soil is everything for spring vegetable containers! Without fertile, well-draining soil, many crops suffer and struggle to produce a successful harvest. Start them off with nutrient, microbe-rich dirt so they thrive in a potted culture, giving you baskets full of produce.
Though many mixes are widely available, two are most recommended by professionals and home gardeners. Happy Frog® potting soil is one of the best mixes for potted plants. It’s specially formulated with nutrients, microbes, and aerobic particles that benefit young and mature plants in containers.
If planting perennials or high feeders, consider a nutrient-rich mix like Ocean Forest® potting soil. It’s more popular than Happy Frog® because of its high nutrient content and light, aerated texture. Plant plants directly in the bag, or use the soil in your favorite containers.
Potting soils have nutrients at planting, but consistent watering and rooting plants leach them out of the soil. Your potted plants require fertilizing after a few months of healthy growth, regardless of their potting mix.
Give Seedlings a Head Start
With access to a bright window, grow lights, or a greenhouse, you can start seeds early indoors to cheat the seasons. You’ll have mature seedlings ready for transplanting before most stores sell them. If you have the space, you can start seeds in the same containers they’ll mature in as adults. That way, you avoid using extra soil and pots!
Vegetables that transplant well include the following:
- Broccoli
- Cabbage
- Cauliflower
- Collards
- Eggplant
- Kale
- Lettuce
- Mustard
- Onion
- Pepper
- Tomatoes
Legginess may occur in low-light environments. Ensure your seedlings have access to bright light indoors, and consider adding grow lights if they’re struggling. Fluorescent or LED lights help add brightness to indoor rooms.
Winter sowing is another way to cheat the seasons. You’ll sow seeds in mini-greenhouses during late winter, and the seeds will germinate earlier than if you planted them in the ground. In addition to vegetables, consider winter sowing wildflowers, native plants, and herbs.
Make Succession Plantings
Though planting your containers seems like a one-and-done task, it’s better to plant vegetable seeds throughout the spring and summer—succession planting is one way of doing so. Every two or three weeks, you’ll make repeat sowings of crops you’re already growing. That way, you’ll have fresh produce over a longer period than with single plantings.
The best crops to successively sow are leafy greens, quick-maturing radishes, peas, and beans. Succession plant veggies as long as your climate allows, and fill every empty nook with seeds, seedlings, or transplants.
You may also combine indoor seed starting with succession planting by sowing veggies every few weeks in your home. As you harvest one crop from the garden, you’ll have ready seedlings to replace the old vegetables. This ensures you never run out of fresh, home-grown produce!
Succession planting is difficult in regions with short growing seasons or extremely hot summers. Follow the last and first average frost dates local to your city or town to discover optimal times for planting seeds.
Maintain Consistent Moisture
In-ground plants have more protection from water evaporation than potted specimens. Other plants protect the ground, and the level surface of the earth keeps tender roots safe from heat, snow, and ice. Potted plants, however, sit above the ground; their rootballs are susceptible to damage from extreme weather.
A part of keeping them happy and healthy is consistent watering. The plants will dry quickly in spring and summer, especially in warm regions. They may require daily watering, and some may require watering twice a day during hot weeks!
To guard against rapid water loss, plant as many seedlings as possible in a single planter. The excess leafy cover protects the dirt from direct sunlight, thus cooling it and preventing evaporation. If heat waves are coming, move your crops out of the sun during the hottest hours of the afternoon.
