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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