Growing vegetables in pots & containers
You don't need an allotment, or even a garden, to grow something good to eat. A sunny doorstep, a balcony, a few pots on a patio — that's plenty for a summer of salad, a pot of chillies on the windowsill, herbs by the kitchen door and tomatoes ripening where you can watch them. Container growing is how a great many people start, and it's a real harvest, not a consolation prize.
Get a few simple things right — the right crops, enough room, and steady water — and a clutch of pots will give you more than you'd ever expect.
The best crops for pots
The rule of thumb is simple: anything compact, shallow-rooted or quick does well in a container. Start with these and you can hardly go wrong.
The perfect container crop — shallow-rooted, quick, and you pick a few leaves at a time. A trough by the back door earns its keep all season.
Bush and tumbling types are made for pots, troughs and hanging baskets. Give a big pot, steady water and a weekly feed.
Compact, warmth-loving and happy on a sunny windowsill or doorstep in a pot. One of the most rewarding container crops.
Basil, parsley, chives, mint (keep mint in its own pot — it bullies). A few herb pots by the kitchen door are pure pleasure.
Early potatoes in a deep bag or bucket are foolproof and brilliant fun — tip the bag out for a treasure-hunt harvest.
Quick roots that crop happily in a deepish pot or trough. Radishes in four weeks; beetroot not much longer.
Compact, heavy-cropping and no need for tall supports — a big pot of dwarf beans gives handfuls all summer.
Harder in pots (but not impossible): maincrop potatoes, parsnips and other big roots, Brussels sprouts and the larger brassicas — they want more depth and room than most containers give.
Pots, compost and drainage
- Go bigger than you think— the bigger the pot, the more compost it holds, the less often it dries out, and the better the crop. Small pots are hard work in summer. A tomato or a courgette wants a good 30–40cm pot at least.
- Drainage holes are non-negotiable— roots sitting in waterlogged compost rot. Make sure every container has holes, and stand it on little feet or stones so they don't block.
- Use a good peat-free compost— multipurpose for most crops; for hungry, long-season plants like tomatoes, mix in some soil-based John Innes, which holds water and food better. Don't fill pots with garden soil alone — it compacts and drains badly. On Amazon →
- Almost anything can be a container— proper pots, troughs, an old bucket with holes drilled, a potato grow bag. If it holds compost and drains, it'll grow something.
Water and food — the make-or-break
This is where container crops are won or lost. Pots dry out far faster than open ground, so in warm weather most containers need watering every single day, sometimes twice — small pots and hanging baskets fastest of all. Check daily with a finger in the compost, and water thoroughly until it runs from the bottom, rather than a quick splash that never reaches the roots.
And they need feeding. The food in fresh compost runs out after about six weeks, and all that watering washes it through, so after the first month or so, feed regularly: a balanced liquid feed for leafy crops, and a high-potash tomato feed once tomatoes, chillies and beans begin to flower.
Common questions
What vegetables grow best in pots and containers?
Salad leaves, bush and tumbling tomatoes, chillies and peppers, herbs, early potatoes in bags, radishes, beetroot and dwarf French beans. As a rule anything compact, shallow-rooted or quick does well; big or deep-rooted crops like maincrop potatoes, parsnips and sprouts are harder.
What compost should I use for container vegetables?
A good peat-free multipurpose suits most container veg. For big, hungry, long-season plants like tomatoes, mix in some soil-based John Innes — it holds water and food better. Don't use garden soil alone; it compacts and drains poorly in pots.
How often should I water vegetables in containers?
Far more than plants in the ground — pots dry fast. In warm weather most need watering daily, sometimes twice; small pots and baskets quickest. Check daily with a finger in the compost and water until it runs from the bottom.
Do I need to feed vegetables grown in pots?
Yes — compost runs out of food after about six weeks and watering washes it through. Then feed regularly: a balanced liquid feed for leafy crops, and a high-potash tomato feed once fruiting crops start to flower.