Container Gardening Complete

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

700309 - ContainerGardens_001-272_FINAL.indd 96 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 97 5/24/17 11:08 AM

96 chapter 2

Recommended Vegetables

COMMON NAME BOTANICAL NAME COOL OR WARM

SEASON

START AS SEEDS

OR TRANSPLANTS

FAVORITE VARIETIES

FOR CONTAINERS

COMMENTS

Artichoke Cynara

cardunculus var.

scolymus

Warm Transplants ‘Green Globe’,

‘Emerald’, and

‘Imperial Star’

Difficult to grow in cold

climates where plants need

to be overwintered indoors; in

warm climates, artichokes are

perennial and may produce a

crop for several years.

Bush beans Phaseolus vulgaris Warm Seeds ‘Provider’, ‘Gold

Rush’, ‘Yellow

Wax’, ‘Gold Mine’,

‘Jade’, ‘Mascotte’,

‘Blue Lake’

Any bush bean grows well in a

container; also try ‘Fordhook

Bush Limas’ if you want to grow

lima beans, too.

Beets Beta vulgaris Both Seeds or

transplants

Baby varieties

include ‘Baby

Ball’, ‘Little Ball’,

and ‘Babybeat’

Though all beets are suitable for

containers, baby-types stay small

even when mature; for variety try

‘Golden’ beets and candy-striped

‘Chioggia’ beets.

Broccoli Brassica oleracea

var. italica

Cool Transplants Miniature varieties

include ‘Small

Miracle’ and

‘Green Magic’

Full-sized varieties need larger

pots than mini varieties, but still

do well; look for varieties with

good side shoot production for a

longer harvest.

Brussels

sprouts

Brassica oleracea

var. gemmifera

Cool Transplants Short-statured

varieties:

‘Catskill’, ‘Half-

Dwarf French’,

‘Long Island

Semi-Dwarf’

If you plan to grow a full-sized

variety of Brussels sprouts in a

container, choose a large, heavy

pot, as the plants can become

quite top heavy.

Cabbage Brassica oleracea

var. capitata

Cool Transplants ‘Golden Acre’,

‘Gonzales’,

‘Caraflex’,

‘Earliana’,

‘Integro’, ‘Golden

Cross’, and ‘Tiara’

Harvest when heads are tight

and fully formed by cutting them

from the plant with a sharp knife;

if left on the plant too long, the

head will split.

Carrots Daucus carota

subspp. sativus

Cool and

warm

season

Seeds Round and

short varieties:

‘Yaya’, ‘Romeo’,

‘Caracas’,

‘Oxheart’,

‘Parisienne’,

‘Thumbelina’,

‘Little Finger’, and

‘Short n’ Sweet’

Thin seedlings after they

develop first true leaves; any

carrot variety can be grown in

containers, just make sure the

pot is deep enough to handle the

full-grown roots.

Corn Zea mays Warm

season

Seeds Only dwarf corn

does well in

containers; try

‘Yukon Chief’,

‘On Deck’, ‘Blue

Jade Dwarf’, and

‘Golden Midget’

Full-sized corn does poorly in

containers, but newer dwarf

selections require just a few

plants per pot for good ear

production; grow only one variety

of corn at a time.

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Designing and Planting Your Containers 97

COMMON NAME BOTANICAL NAME COOL OR WARM

SEASON

START AS SEEDS

OR TRANSPLANTS

FAVORITE VARIETIES

FOR CONTAINERS

COMMENTS

Cucumbers Cucumis sativus Warm

season

Seeds or

transplants

Bush-types:

‘Salad Bush’,

‘Bush Champion’,

‘Spacemaster’,

‘Picklebush’,

‘Patio Snacker’,

‘Miniature White’

Standard cucumbers need a

sturdy trellis to climb or a lot of

room for them to spread; make

sure plants receive ample water

when fruit is developing.

Eggplant Solanum

melongena

Warm Transplants Small-statured

varieties: ‘Fairy

Tale’, ‘Morden

Midget’, ‘Patio

Baby’, ‘Bride’,

‘Hansel’, ‘Gretel’,

‘Little Fingers’,

‘Amethyst’,

‘Emerald Isle’,

‘Pinstripe’, and

‘Pot Black’

A great variety of patio-

type eggplants available for

container gardeners, including

purple, white, pink, and striped

eggplants, as well as elongated,

Japanese types.

Kale Brassica oleracea

var. sabellica

Cool Seeds Small varieties:

‘Dwarf Green

Curled’, ‘Dwarf

Blue Curled

Vates’, ‘Dwarf Blue

Curled Scotch’,

and ‘Improved

Dwarf Siberian’

Any type of kale grows well in

containers; the flavor is best

after the plants have experienced

a few frosts.

Lettuce Lactuca sativa Cool Seeds or

transplants

Miniature lettuce

varieties include

‘Little Gem’, ‘Tom

Thumb’, ‘Bambi’,

and ‘Red Cash’

All varieties are suited to

containers; plants will bolt (go

to flower) when summer’s heat

arrives, so plant them early in

the spring or late in the fall for

an autumn harvest.

Okra Abelmoschus

esculentus

Warm Seeds or

transplants

Dwarf okras such

as ‘Baby Bubby’,

‘Vidrines Midget

Cowhorn’, and

‘Green Fingers’

are best for

containers

Requires a long growing season

so northern gardeners should

plant transplants; southern

gardeners can sow seeds directly

into containers.

Peas Pisum sativum Cool Seeds Small-statured:

‘Karina’, ‘Laxton’s

Progress’, ‘Peas-

in-a-Pot’, ‘Tom

Thumb’, and ‘Half

Pint’; or snap pea

varieties: ‘Sugar

Daddy’ or ‘Little

SnapPea Crunch’;

and snowpeas:

‘Snowbird’

Full-sized peas need a sturdy

trellis or teepee to support the

plants, as some varieties can

grow 6 ft. tall.

Continued

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