I've got a good amount of vegetables currently growing in
hay bales just sitting on the ground. Zucchini, bush and climbing beans, tomatoes, green onions, potatoes, various herbs, cucumber, squash, and peppers.
If you've got containers that are BIG
ENOUGH, yeah, you can grow in containers. That's how greenhouses grow stuff.
The problem most porch/container gardeners run into is that they underestimate how BIG mature vegetable plants really get, and how much space their
root systems need to thrive. You need BIG pots for most things. Keeping them in tiny pots can bind up their
roots and stunt their growth - or even kill them.
Like, I've got hay bales and the roots of my vegetable plants are STILL growing down through the bottom of the bale, into the soil underneath.
Basically: For the big-space veggies, you want containers/buckets that are at least 5 gallons. More if you can swing it. Big pots are king. Tall & Deep is better than shallow & wide.
Easy in containers / can withstand smaller containers 3-5 gallons / each pot probably only needs 1 square foot of floor space:
Beans, Peas
Peppers/Chilis - both hot and sweet
Any leafy greens: kale, lettuce, spinach, swiss chard, bok choy, arugula, etc.
Radishes, Beats
Green Onion
Most herbs (Dill, Oregano, Mint, Parsley, Thyme, etc.)
Carrots
Strawberries (These are nice because they do fine in hanging planters, too. There are strawberries that produce all summer long0
Medium difficulty / prefers at least 5 gallons and would love bigger / each plant may need between 2 and 3 square feet of space at maturity :
Tomato
Dwarf corn
Potato
Eggplant
Raspberry canes (Careful of the thorns)
Blueberries (May take years of growth before you get a decent harvest)
Citrus - Lemon, Lime, Orange, etc. (These will need to be brought inside during winter if you're zone 7 or lower)
Needs a BIG POT and these plants will spread and spread and spread
Squash - zucchini, gourds, pumpkin
Melons - cucumber, watermelon, cantelope
If you want to try squash or melons in a big-ass pot, make sure you have a big full-sun
trellis structure,
fence, or railing you can train them to grow up and you don't mind giant leaves completely taking over.
Cucumber is probably the easiest on this last list to grow in a pot.
Just plant it in the ground and save yourself the hassle
Full-sized corn
1
