Most any vegetable or herb can be grown in containers. Vegetables such as eggplant, tomatoes, potatoes, and zucchini do well in large individual containers placed in an appropriate location. Lettuces, chard, bush beans, spring onions, carrots, radishes and oriental brassicas can be grown in a mixed pot( several types of plants in one container).

Avoid vegetables with deep roots such as parsnips, plants with a long growing season such as cauliflower or Brussels spouts as well as vegetables with high demands for food and water such as pumpkin.

Besides being useful vegetables grown in containers can be made to look beautiful by adding herbs and/or edible flowers. Container gardening can be particularly useful when herbs do not like your garden soil conditions. If you have heavy clay soil for example, a well-drained potting soil mix can allow you to grow herbs such as rosemary, sage, and thyme.

In cool climates pots of herbs such as basil can be started indoors and moved outside to a warm sunny spot when the weather improves.

Grow edible annual flowers such as calendula to add beauty. Planting Convolvulus tricolor will attract predators that will help improve pest control.
 

 

For optimum results make sure you use the appropriate soil mixture and container size for the herbs and vegetables you will be growing.. Generally the larger the container the better since vegetables need a large supply of food and water to thrive. Growing several plants in one container generally gives better results than growing one plant in individual pots.
 

As containers come in all sizes and shapes it is best to describe them in volume rather than dimensions. Measure the approximate volume of soil mixture from a premeasured bucket to determine the capacity of the container if not known. As a rule the container should be at least 8in.(20cm) deep.

The soil should be a fresh organic nutrient rich soil, although lettuce can thrive in soil used once previously. An All-Organic Self-Watering Container Mix works really well

Some simple growing tips for vibrant healthy container gardens:

- Raise plants in cell packs rather than sowing directly into the pot
- Never let containers dry out. Many vegetables are likely to bolt or split if water supply is erratic.
- Line clay pots with plastic to cut down on water loss.
- Choose dwarf of miniature cultivars when possible.
- Follow the feeding requirements of individual crops

Container gardens can be a beautiful and useful addition to any landscape.