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Vegetable container gardening can bring joy and bounty. The simple pleasure of biting into a tomato still warm from the sun, picked and eaten on the spot, is almost unbeatable. You can grow just about any vegetable in a container garden and you can also save serious bucks by growing your own vegetable container gardens.

However, vegetable container gardening can be a frustrating and expensive endeavor if your plants don’t thrive and produce. The following list of basic tips apply to most vegetables, and will help you and your plants get off to a good start.

Sun - Most vegetables need full sun – that means at least six hours of direct sunlight a day. It is easy to overestimate how much sun an area really gets, so either take out your watch and time how long the sun hits the spot where you want to put your vegetable container garden, or use a sun calculator to get an accurate, not optimistic assessment.

Water – Growing vegetables need water - lots of it. However, you don’t want to drown your plants. The goal is to keep your soil moist but not wet. To figure out if your plants need water, stick your finger down into the soil, about an inch, or up to your first knuckle. If the soil feels dry, add water, and if you’re not sure, wait and check later in the day. At the height of summer, you probably will have to water at least once, sometimes twice, a day. Proper watering may be the single most important and hardest part of vegetable container gardening.

Heat – If you live in a really hot zone you may have to shade your plants in the middle of the day in order not to fry them. Also, it’s best not to use metal containers or dark colored plastics or ceramics, because they can heat up and cook your plant’s roots.

On the flip side, many vegetables don’t like cold soil, so make sure not to put your vegetable container gardens outside full-time, until you know the temperatures are warm enough. For many plants the soil needs to be at least 60°F. Using a meat thermometer is a good way to find out the temperature of your soil. Always make sure to harden off your plants before you put them outside.

Soil - Quality potting soil is really important for vegetables. Don’t use soil from your garden, because it will compact in your container and won’t drain water properly. Also, one of the reasons to garden in containers is so you won’t have to deal with weeds. Chances are pretty good that if you use garden soil, you will be importing weeds into your container. I use organic potting soil because studies have shown that there are many benefits to growing produce organically, including better taste and a higher percentage of antioxidents and phytochemicals.

Fertilizer - Plants need food to thrive, and their food is fertilizer. If your soil doesn’t have fertilizer already mixed in, you’ll want to add fertilizer. I use an organic granular fertilizer and mix it into my containers from top to bottom. Every couple of weeks I will add diluted liquid fish emulsion or liquid seaweed to give them the nutrition they need. Another great way to add fertilizer during the growing season is to make or buy compost tea.

Drainage - Drainage is key to keep plants from drowning. You want your pot or container to let excess water out of the bottom, so your plants won’t sit in water or soggy soil. Make sure your container has one large hole or several smaller ones. You can usually drill holes if the drainage is insufficient.

Containers – Choosing a container can be daunting. You can use almost anything for a garden planter as long as it is big enough and has good drainage. Keep in mind though, that the larger your container, the easier it will be to maintain. The more soil a container can hold the more moisture it will retain. I don’t bother with containers that are smaller than 12” and I am much happier if they are at least 18”. Bigger, really is better here.

I particularly love wooden containers for growing vegetables. I like the way they look and you can get really good-sized containers that aren’t too expensive, or you can make your own. Mine are cedar and hopefully will last just about as long as I do.

Growing vegetables in self-watering containers works wonderfully well…most of the time. Problems arise when you get lots of rain. Unless you have a container where excess water can be easily drained, or that has an overflow hole, your plants can end up drowning. That said, most of the time self-watering containers do a fantastic job of providing optimal water conditions. They can also be a practical solution for people who can’t water every day.

Plastic or glazed ceramic containers are fine too. You can even use terracotta, but it is harder to keep your plants moist, because the clay tends to suck the water out of the soil. To help solve this problem, put a dish under your ceramic pot and fill it with water.

For an inexpensive container try a five-gallon, plastic bucket from the hardware store, or make an unusual container from something you have around your house, like an old laundry basket or a toy bin. As long as it’s big enough and has good drainage, you can really use anything.

Seeds or Seedlings – You can start your veggies from seed or buy seedlings. There are some significant advantages and disadvantages to each. Starting your own seeds is much less expensive than buying seedlings, after some startup costs. If you start your own seeds can grow hard to find varieties and can also grow your seedlings organically. However, starting seeds isn’t for everyone. You absolutely cannot let them dry out or they’re toast. Conversely, if you give them too much water, they keel over dead. To avoid this, you can make a self-watering seed starter. There are also some common seed starting mistakes to avoid. To figure out if seed starting is for you, try asking yourself six questions before you start seeds.

Easy Vegetables: The following is a list of veggies that are easy to grow.

Vegetables with a high degree of difficulty: Large melonsCorn Large pumpkins or squash

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Peas are the perfect vegetable to grow in container gardens. They grow quickly and don’t need much attention. They do need full sunlight and the soil needs to be kept moist. Peas prefer cool conditions, so plant them early in the season. When it gets too warm, they stop producing. Once they do stop, you can pull them up and start another vegetable in the same container.

Some of my favorite kinds of peas for container gardens are: Sugar SnapEnglish Peas, “Little Marvel,” and “Early Frosty”Snow Pea, “Oregon Sugar Pod”

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I have never been crazy about using shoes as container gardens, and never thought I would do it. That is, until I saw these purple baby Crocs at a yard sale for a quarter. I couldn’t resist them.

When I got them home, I thought I would do all succulents, but that kind of seemed like an obvious choice. I then spied a six-pack of lobelia I had lying around and thought they would look cool with the purple of the Crocs. Also, the plants were small enough so that they would fit into the small space I had to work with.

To start with, I filled the foot part of the Crocs with potting soil (with a slow release fertilizer mixed in), filling it as much as possible, all the way to the back. I then planted the lobelia, kind of stuffing it in where I could. There were spaces left, where the soil was showing, so I planted hens and chicks, also stuffing some in the holes near the toes. Hens and chicks make great filler plants, especially when doing quirky container gardens.

I put my Baby Croc planters on my back steps, but you can also hang these on a wall, by tying string to the backs. If you want your Baby Croc planters to look like they are floating, use nylon fishing line.

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Container is easy: Think you’re a plant killer, or haven’t ever tried to garden? Container gardening is a great place to start. Even a complete novice can create a spectacular container garden in very little time. All you really need to get started is a container, some potting soil and either seeds or plants.

Container gardening can be economical: You can use almost anything for a container. Even an old bucket found at a yard sale, with a few holes punched in the bottom, can make a great container garden. Just look around your house and you’ll be surprised how many things will work: from outgrown toy bins to bright plastic tubs. Put drainage holes in the bottom, fill them with potting soil, add pansies or nasturtiums and for a few dollars you’ve made a lovely visual statement.

Garden in any space: Even the smallest space can be enhanced by a container garden. I have seen beautiful flowers and vegetable gardens grown on fire escapes and stoops. Whatever space limitations you have, you can design a container garden that will thrive. No sun? A terra cotta pot filled with different colored coleus can make you want to sing. Too much sun? Fill a basket with succulents to make a beautiful garden that will largely take care of itself.

Grow a cactus garden in Alaska: With container gardening you can be liberated from your geography – you can grow a cactus garden in Alaska or johnny jump-ups in Arizona. In many yards or even on a single deck or patio there are tremendous varieties of conditions–from sunny, warm and protected to shady and cool. Just make sure you have the right plants for your particular spot.

Kids love container gardening: My kids wouldn’t look at peas until they grew them in container gardens and could eat them right off the vine. Carrots took on new meaning when the kids saw them growing on the deck and could eat them when they were tiny and sweet. Kids love the success that container gardens give them, and they take pride, at a very young age, in growing something their family can eat.

Garden in a container to outfox critters: I got sick and tired of my tomatoes being devoured by the local tribe of woodchucks. As soon as I moved them to containers on my deck, I had all the tomatoes I could eat.

Container gardening can bring instant gratification: There are few things in life that can give you the instant gratification that a container garden can. In the space of a few hours, you can go to a local nursery, pick out a bunch of healthy, beautiful flowering plants, fill a container with them and be rewarded with a spectacular, professional looking garden! An added bonus is that you may never have to weed it.

Gardening in containers can suit any style: You can go for a modern look — think bright green grass in a stark white container – or a more formal arrangement – matching urns filled with cascading flowers flanking an entry-way. You can even have containers that will survive the winter, bringing cheerful green accents to areas that would otherwise be bland and boring.

You can grow almost anything in a container garden: There is almost no plant that can’t be grown in a container garden. It’s easy to grow vegetables and herbs, and even trees in a container garden.

Gardening in containers can suit any personality: With container gardening you can have great results being as relaxed or ambitious as you want to be. A couple of pansies in a pot may be enough to start with, or you might want to landscape an entire area with containers. All you need to be a successful container gardener is willingness to experiment, a tolerance for the unexpected and a love of playing in the dirt.

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Take your hens and chicks out of their nursery pot. Gently pull them apart - they should separate pretty easily. The hens are the large rosettes and the chicks can be connected to a hen by a ropey shoot called a stolon. If a chick is connected by a stolon, just cut off the stolen at the base of the chick.

Don’t include any flowering hens in your container garden because they die after flowering and will leave a hole.

Decorate, paint, and landscape your way to a more beautiful home.

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Since I have made every mistake possible, many more than once, the following list of 10 common container gardening mistakes is just a start, and is in no particular order.

1. Don’t fill a large container in the wrong place: Ever tried to lift a large container garden filled with dirt and plants? I have, and it can be overwhelmingly heavy. When using a large or unwieldy container make sure to place your pot where it will live and then fill it – you’ll save your back!

Also, for large containers, fill the bottom third with empty plastic bottles or a product called “Better Than Rocks,” to take up space. It will make your container lighter and less expensive because you won’t need as much potting soil.

2. Don’t Drown Your Plants: To avoid over-watering your container gardens, use containers that have drainage holes – lots of them. Also, make sure to read the moisture requirements for your plants and then follow them. Before you water, check if your soil is moist. To do this put your finger into the soil about an inch. Water if the soil feels dry to the touch.

If you do over-water, leaves may turn yellow and fall off, or your plants may get limp. If your soil is too wet, move the container to a dry, breezy spot until it dries out. If you have the room, you can also move your container garden into a garage or sheltered spot to dry it out, particularly if the weather is wet.

For more info on keeping plants from drowning.

3. Don’t Under-water: Most container gardens need watering at least once a day in the heat of the summer. Many, especially hanging planters, or small containers need watering even more often because there is less soil to hold moisture. When you water, make sure to really soak your plants – if you just give them a sip, the water will only wet the top layer of soil. Water until you see it coming out of the bottom of your pot.

Lots of people use water crystals but they are expensive and some tests have shown that they aren’t particularly effective.

If your plants do dry out, don’t despair; even the most pathetic, limp, plant might revive with a good drink. If the container is small enough, submerge the whole thing in a bucket of water until the air bubbles subside. For a large container take a skewer or stick and gently poke holes deep into the soil to allow water to reach the roots. Then water generously.

4. Awkward plant to pot ratio: Make sure to consider the proportion of plants to your container. A large container stuffed with short plants can look stunted. If you need a rule of thumb (and remember that rules are meant to be broken) try to have at least one plant that is as tall as the container. Also try plants that will spill over the sides.

For more info on choosing a container.

5.Don’t buy weak or sickly plants: Buying your plants at a reputable local nursery is a good place to start in your quest for healthy plants. You have a greater chance of getting plants that are disease and pest free and well cared for than at a big box store. At a nursery, you can often get a wealth of information and advice from knowledgeable staff. Don’t be afraid to ask someone to help you pick out a good plant.

If you can’t resist the prices of buying plants from a big box store (and occasionally, who can’t?), try to buy them on or close to the day they’re delivered. Don’t be shy to ask someone who works there which day new plant stock arrives. Delivery is usually the same day every week.

Here are some suggestions for how to save money on container gardening.

6. Fear of pruning: When your container gardens start looking leggy or ragged, don’t be afraid to cut them back. You may want to put them in an out-of-the-way spot until they re-bound, but chances are they’ll come back healthier and happier with a good haircut.

7. Beware of bad neighbors: Make sure that all the plants in your container garden share the same sun, soil and water requirements. You can find out this information from your seed packets or plant labels.

8. Starving your plants: Most potting mix has very few of the nutrients that plants require to grow and be healthy so you will need to add those nutrients to the soil. There are many fertilizers to choose from and flowering plants have different needs than vegetables and herbs.

In container gardening what nutrients there are in your potting soil are either quickly used by the plants or are washed out with repeated watering. Fertilizing container gardens regularly is a key to their success. You can start with a slow release fertilizer mixed in with your potting soil and then add a diluted, liquid fertilizer, such as fish emulsion, every couple of weeks. I use organic or all natural fertilizers.

9. Living with ick: After you’ve tried everything, short of mouth-to-mouth resuscitation and your plant still looks dreadful, cut your losses and toss it on the compost pile. If only one plant in your container garden is icky, just pull out that plant and replace it.

For more info on how to fix an ugly container garden.

10. Don’t have unrealistic expectations: Before you make your container gardens, evaluate how you live. Do you travel a lot during the summer? If so, either get self-watering containers, enlist some help to keep your plants healthy and alive while you’re gone or get plants that don’t need a lot of water.

Garden how you live. Are you casual or formal? I take a loosey-goosey approach to gardening because it fits well with my personality. I like big overflowing containers with riotous colors and luxuriant blossoms. Some people like neat, well-planned, formal containers.

Remember, this isn’t brain surgery –- there’s lots of room for error. Have fun and experiment. Whatever your lifestyle or personality you can make container gardens that will give you joy and bring beauty to your surroundings.

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The first step is to cut holes in the bottom of your bag. Don’t be shy - cut a bunch, Drainage is key because you want to keep your soil moist but not wet.

I then put the bag on top of the screening. I cut around the bottom of the bag to get a piece of screen that will fit into the bottom of the bag. It doesn’t have to be exact, just big enough to cover your holes. Plastic screening is great because it keeps your soil in and lets the water out. You can also use a great product called Better Than Rocks or some newspaper or coffee filters to cover the holes.

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If you’ve never had a freshly dug potato you are in for a total treat. Like tomatoes the taste and texture of fresh is very different than those you buy from the store. By growing your own potatoes, you also have the opportunity to plant unusual varieties that are hard to find. There are several advantages to growing potatoes in containers. It is easier to protect them from the critters that love them and you also don’t have to worry so much about weeds.

It’s also a really fun project to grow potatoes in containers with kids because potato plants grow stunningly fast and most kids love eating potatoes.

The only disadvantage I see in growing potatoes in containers is that you have to be more vigilant about watering. It is very important to keep your soil moist, not wet, but damp. Check the soil moisture level often and when you do water, make sure to water deeply - until water runs out the bottom of your container.

I grow my potatoes organically in container gardens. It’s simple and fun. By growing potatoes in container gardens, it’s also easier to protect them from the critters who seem to love potatoes as much as I do and will go through almost any fence to get at them.

I have grown potatoes from seed potatoes, ones that haven’t been sprayed to stop their seeds from sprouting, and I’ve also grown potatoes from organic, store bought potatoes that I let sprout (some even by mistake), in a cool dark place.

You can get seed potatoes from nurseries or specialty organic growers. My favorite is Wood Prairie Farm, which is an organic, family owned farm in northern Maine. They carry 16 varieties of organic seed potatoes, including, Russian Banana Fingerling,’ ‘Cranberry Red” and ‘All Blue,’ to name just a few.

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