Grow in Pots or Soil?

Container or garden bed? Where should you plant your veggies?

Happy Wednesday, guys! 

Here’s a question I get quite often: “Tash, should I plant this in a pot… or should it go into the garden?” And the answer is — it depends on what you’re growing. I LOVE containers. They’re brilliant if you’re short on space, renting, gardening on a patio or simply want a few veggies close to the kitchen.

But…

Not every vegetable is going to be happy squeezed into a little pot. So how do you decide?

Plant in a container when…

You have limited space, your garden soil isn’t great, or you want more control over the growing conditions. Containers are also fantastic because you can move them. Too much afternoon sun? Move the pot. Not enough light? Find a sunnier spot. Cold night coming? A smaller container can sometimes be moved somewhere protected. And if you’re just starting out, containers are a really easy way to grow your first bit of food without building an entire veggie garden.

Things I love growing in containers include lettuce, herbs, spring onions, radishes, chillies, peppers and bush beans. And yes — you absolutely CAN grow tomatoes, cucumbers and even potatoes in containers. You just need the right size pot. And that’s where people often go wrong.

It’s not just about whether you CAN grow it in a container

It’s about whether the container is big enough for the plant. That tiny tomato seedling might look ridiculous sitting alone in a big pot today. Give it two months. Tomatoes, cucumbers, aubergines and peppers need enough room for their roots, enough soil to hold moisture and enough nutrients to keep producing.

A tiny pot means you’ll constantly be watering and feeding — and the plant will still struggle. The bigger the plant, generally the bigger the container needs to be.

So when would I rather plant in the ground?

If I have the space, crops that become large, grow for a long time or need lots of root room are often easier for me in a garden bed. Think pumpkins, butternuts, large indeterminate tomatoes, corn and big climbing crops. Can some of these grow in containers? Absolutely. But sometimes we’re making gardening harder for ourselves just because we can do something. A pumpkin growing in a small pot in the middle of January is going to have you standing there with a hose every five minutes! In the ground or a good raised bed, there’s a much larger volume of soil available to hold moisture and nutrients.

And what about root vegetables?

This is where containers can actually be fantastic. Carrots, beetroot and radishes don’t necessarily need to be in the ground. What they need is enough DEPTH and lovely loose soil. A deep container filled with the right growing medium can give you beautiful root vegetables — sometimes better than hard or rocky garden soil.

Here’s my easiest way to decide

Before you plant something, ask yourself three things, how big will this plant eventually become? How much root space will it need? How often am I prepared to water it? If you’re choosing a container, choose it for the mature plant, not that cute little seedling you’re holding today.

And remember — you don’t have to choose one or the other. At VanZylStead we use containers, raised beds and garden space. Sometimes the best place for a veggie isn’t where gardening rules say it should go.

It’s simply the place in YOUR garden where you can look after it best.

This is exactly why we put together the VanZylStead Guide to Growing Veggies. From choosing where to plant and preparing your soil, to seeds, feeding, watering, containers and keeping your veggies going — it’s our practical growing knowledge all in one place. Keep it close, get it dirty, and use it as you grow.

Happy growing!

Tash en die Familie