Container Gardening Complete

Job:06-700309 Title: CPS - Container Gardening Complete

700309 - ContainerGardens_001-272_FINAL.indd 98 5/24/17 11:08 AM
Job:06-700309 Title: CPS - Container Gardening Complete
Job:06-700309 Title: CPS - Container Gardening Complete

700309 - ContainerGardens_001-272_FINAL.indd 99 5/24/17 11:08 AM

98 chapter 2

COMMON NAME BOTANICAL NAME COOL OR WARM

SEASON

START AS SEEDS

OR TRANSPLANTS

FAVORITE VARIETIES

FOR CONTAINERS

COMMENTS

Peppers Capsicum annuum Warm Transplants ‘Sweet Bellina’,

‘Basket of Fire’,

‘Baby Belle’,

‘Mohawk Patio’,

‘Cheyenne Patio’,

‘Tequila Sunrise’,

‘Miniature Yellow

Bell’, ‘Oda’,

‘Bangles Blend’,

‘Tangerine

Dream’, and ‘Yum

Yum Gold’

Both hot and sweet peppers

do great, but compact varieties

require a smaller container and

don’t need to be staked or caged;

make sure plants receive plenty

of water when fruiting.

Popcorn Zea mays var.

everta

Warm Seeds Miniature varieties

include ‘Tom

Thumb’, ‘Dakota

Black’, ‘Mini Blue’,

and ‘Mini Pink’

For best pollination, grow as

many plants as you can, but grow

only one type of corn at a time so

the varieties don’t cross pollinate

and produce starchy kernels.

Pumpkins Cucurbita spp. Warm Seeds or

transplants

Bush-type

pumpkins: ‘Neon’,

‘Kandy Korn Plus’,

‘Orange Cutie’,

‘Amazonka’, and

‘Windsor’

Full-sized pumpkins require

a very large container and a

sturdy trellis to support the vines

or plenty of room for them to

ramble.

Radish Raphanus sativus Cool Seeds Favorites

include ‘French

Breakfast’, ‘Easter

Egg’, ‘Cherry

Belle’, ‘Amethyst’,

and ‘Starburst’

Radish are very fast-growing,

making them a great crop to

grow with kids; wide, shallow

bowl-type containers are best.

Squash,

summer

Cucurbita pepo Warm Seeds or

transplants

Compact, bush

varieties: ‘Dunja’,

‘G-Star’, ‘Burpee’s

Best’, ‘Saffron’,

‘Patio Star’,

‘Bush Baby’,

‘Buckingham’,

‘Patio Green

Bush’, and ‘Patio

Silver Bush’

Summer squash grown from

seed do better than transplants,

but northern gardeners can get a

jump start by putting transplants

into their pots instead of seeds.

Squash,

winter

Cucurbita spp. Warm Seeds or

transplants

Compact,

bush varieties:

‘Sugarbush’,

‘Bush Delicata’,

‘Butterbush’,

‘Tivoli’, ‘Reno’,

‘Honey Bear’,

‘Table King Bush’,

‘Bush Buttercup’,

‘Table Gold Acorn’,

and ‘Table Queen

Bush’

Full-sized winter squash vines

can grow up to 20 ft. long,

making these bush types the

perfect choice for container

gardeners with limited space.

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Designing and Planting Your Containers 99

COMMON NAME BOTANICAL NAME COOL OR WARM

SEASON

START AS SEEDS

OR TRANSPLANTS

FAVORITE VARIETIES

FOR CONTAINERS

COMMENTS

Swiss chard Beta vulgaris,

Cicla group

Both Seeds Any variety does

beautifully;

favorites include

‘Golden’,

‘Bright Lights’,

‘Peppermint

Stick’, ‘Electric

Neon Blend’, and

‘Lyon’

Chard planted in the very early

spring will produce edible greens

well into the fall; the colored

stems of some varieties look

beautiful when mixed with other

veggies and flowers.

Tomatoes,

full-sized

fruits

Lycopersicon

esculentum;

Solanum

lycopersicum

Warm Transplants Determinate,

patio-type

tomatoes:

‘Mountain

Princess’, ‘Iron

Lady’, ‘Glacier’,

‘Bush Big Boy’,

‘Bush Steak’,

‘Patio Paste’,

‘Fresh Salsa’,

‘Bush Goliath’,

‘Totem’, and ‘Patio

Princess’

Provide each plant with a stake,

cage, or trellis; choose deep,

large containers for tomatoes

and water regularly to fend off

blossom end rot.

Tomatoes,

cherry-sized

fruits

Lycopersicon

esculentum;

Solanum

lycopersicum

Warm Transplants Dwarf cherry

tomato varieties:

‘Sweetheart of the

Patio’, ‘Red Robin’,

‘Tumbling Tom’,

‘Minibel’, ‘Tiny

Tim’, ‘Small Fry’,

‘MicroTom’, ‘Sweet

‘n Neat Cherry

Red’, ‘Sweet ‘n

Neat Yellow’, ‘Gold

Nugget’, ‘Sweet

Zen’, and ‘Merlot’

Small-fruited, dwarf tomatoes

are perfect for salads or fresh

snacking; plants are highly

productive, but they stay small;

tumbling varieties do well in

hanging baskets too.

Tomatillo Physalis

philadelphica

Warm Transplants Any tomatillo

will do well

in containers;

favorites include

‘Miltomate’,

‘Mexican’, and

‘Purple’

Tomatillos are covered with a

papery husk; they’re ready to

harvest when the husk folds back

and fruits begin to drop from the

plant.

Watermelon Citrullus lanatus Warm Seeds or

transplants

Bush-type

watermelons:

‘Bush Sugar

Baby’ and ‘Sugar

Pot’ are best for

containers

Northern gardeners will want

to start from transplants; full-

sized varieties require large

containers; bush-types offer the

best chance of success.

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