Growing Vegetables in Small Spaces

Watermelons growing on a space-saving lattice trellis are bursting their pantyhose supports. Vegetables love good soil and plenty of sunlight. Yet many would-be gardeners are apartment- or condo-dwellers, while others live in cramped lots or in older neighborhoods where towering trees steal the sun from their potential garden plots.

Alas, all is not lost, as there are more ways to have a veggie garden than the traditional "back forty" spread. You can have your condo and grow "eats" there too with a little creative gardening. Gardeners with limited space can plant in containers. That porch, patio, balcony or driveway can be turned into a productive garden spot by using large planters.

Container Type
There are many wonderful containers available today. Terra cotta, plastic, metal, and decorative styrofoam containers provide a variety of options. Hypertufa containers are popular too. Made from a mix of concrete and peat moss, these containers look just like hewn rock troughs or heavy concrete pots but are almost 10 times lighter. I also like whimsical planters. Keep in mind that you are not limited to things intended for plants. An old boot, a rusted out galvanized bucket, a chicken feeder, a wheelbarrow, or even a bathroom fixture can all be turned into a planter by an imaginative gardener.

Container Size
Select containers of adequate size for the plants you wish to grow. Small, shallow-rooted veggies like lettuce, radish, kohlrabi, chard and spinach will do fine in a container as small as 2 gallons. Larger plants such as tomatoes, peppers and eggplant or vining veggies need a minimum size of 5 gallons to perform. Larger is even better, and will allow grouping of plants. Half whiskey barrels and large terra cotta planters are great for this purpose. It is also a good idea to select containers with an appropriate width to height ratio. Tall, narrow pots can easily topple, and shallow ones may not provide enough room for roots.
Containers should provide adequate bottom drainage. Some containers come with holes in the bottom. If a container doesn't have any holes, drill some to provide drainage.

Soil for Containers
Garden soil is not the best choice for container growing. A commercial or homemade blend (an artificial "soil" mix) of ingredients such as compost, peat, sand, vermiculite, and perlite usually gives the best results. This combination provides the characteristics needed in a growing mix: good aeration and drainage, as well as good water- and nutrient-holding capacity.

Caring for Container Veggies
Container media dries out quickly and the container restricts the plant's root zone. You'll need to water your container plants more frequently than plants growing in the ground. This may be daily or twice daily if the weather is hot, the location sunny, or if the plant is a bit large for the container. Fertilize plants weekly with a liquid fertilizer mixed at the low label rate.