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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