Container Gardening – 8 Edible Plants To Grow This Spring

Content Last Updated May 2014

Spring Time in East Sooke Park, BC

It’s here! Its spring!

In preparation for Spring, I attended Lifecycles Container Gardening Class, a non-profit organization dedicated to cultivating awareness and initiating action around food, health, and urban sustainability in the Greater Victoria area. We learned about the basics of container gardening – see here for the full guide on Container Gardening. I’ve also included my top tips picked up from the class to share.

Fruit Picking With Lifecycles in Victoria, BC

My Top 8 Container Plants To Grow Indoors

1. Rosemary

   You will probably be wanting a lot of this robust herb and as rosemary can grow to be several feet high, it requires a rooting system that can support this. For this reason, choose a large 5-gallon pot for your rosemary plant to live in. Rosemary is perennial and may live for many years. Sage and thyme are grown in much the same way.

   Tip – Don’t bother growing from rosemary from seed. Rosemary tends to take a long time to sprout so best to purchase seedlings from your local farmers market. Rosemary can survive through the winter but think about cutting it back in late winter so the plant can work on storing more energy in its roots.

2. Beans

   Beans are great because they can grow in a pot 25cm or 12″ deep. Start planting now in May. They like to climb so give them some string, a stake or a trellis to climb up.

   Tip – Bush beans can grow in shallower soil than runner beans.

3. Tomatoes

   Cherry tomatoes are the only ones worth growing in a container. Tomatoes will need a lot of sun and at least a 5-gallon container. They will also need a lot of nutrients so compost or fertilize at least once when the flowers start to emerge. Once the plant starts to fruit, trim the bigger leaves to encourage fruit development. Don’t forget to put a tomato cage around your plant while it is still small!

   Tip – Starter plants are easier than growing from seed – “tumbler tomatoes” are a hybrid that is often encouraged for containers. Ask your seller to recommend a good variety for container growing.

4. Lettuces

   Loose-leaf lettuce is the best variety for container gardening (compared to Romaine and Butterhead). Find a container that is around 30cm deep and a spot in your house with partial shade. Midday hot sun can cause your plant to set seed making it taste super bitter. You can choose to plant your seeds closer together – 5-10cm apart for a dense carpet of baby greens. Alternatively, follow package directions for full-sized plants. Lettuce likes to be planted with radishes and Johnny-jump-ups.

   Tip – Lettuce will grow back a few times over the season – make sure to keep it 1.5″ from the ground when cutting. The more you cut lettuce, the more bitter the greens will taste. Stagger the planting of your seeds to around every 3 weeks to ensure continuous lettuce greens all summer long. Lettuce can be grown indoors.

5. Kale

   Kale is super productive and can be one of the easiest greens to grow. You will need a pot that is at least 30cm deep. Start planting seeds early spring. Once they start to grow, thin the plants to 15-20cm spacing, favouring the most vigorous. Kale can be continually harvested -take the oldest and lowest leaves to encourage new growth.

   Tip – If you prefer you can grow kale plants for baby greens by growing them in smaller pots. Chard can be grown in much the same way.

6. Arugula (Rocket)

   This baby green is great for container gardening and can grow year-round (although things grow really slowly, if at all in the winter). It prefers a sunny, south-facing windowsill and can grow in a container as shallow as 10cm deep. Plant the seeds tightly, as close as 1.5″ apart to grow a dense carpet of arugula. Once the greens reach 3-5″ in height, cut to 1.5″ from the soil.

   Tip – Other greens such as mizuna, kale, chard and mustard greens can be grown the same way. These are all great edible plants to be that can be grown indoors!

7. Basil

   Basil can be grown indoors so it is great if you don’t have a balcony like me. Find it a sunny, south-facing windowsill in a pot that is about 20″ deep. Basil is an annual plant, as is cilantro.

   Tip – Chives and parsley can be grown in similar conditions to basil the big difference being they are biannual plants so will grow back two years in a row. Even better mint, lemon balm, oregano and thyme are perennial plants. These can all be grown indoors.

8. Sprouts

   Sprouts are probably the easiest edible to grow inside and you probably already have the “seeds” in your cupboard. Lentils, quinoa and sunflower seeds can all be sprouted.

   Start by soaking seeds overnight in a canning jar filled with water. The next morning drain the water and add new water. Cover the jar with a cheesecloth and enclose the mouth of the jar with it, fastened with an elastic band, alternatively purchase a sprouting lid for your mason jars. Let sit on an angle to allow the water to strain off somewhere in your house with light. Rinse the seeds once per day.

   Tip – See my blog post How To Make Sprouts & The Health Benefits of Sprouting Food for more information on sprouting and the nutritional benefits.

Of course, there are many other plants that can be grown in a container. Radishes, leeks and peas are worth a crack. Other vegetables including cucumber, broccoli and potatoes can also be grown in containers but Matthew suggests focusing your efforts elsewhere. Broccoli and cucumber will both need big pots (bigger than 5 gallons) and as cucumbers are climbers, they will need some vertical space. Potatoes can be grown in a bag or box.

Container Gardening Lettuce and Tomatoes

Matthew From Lifecycles Top Tips For Container Gardening This Spring

• If you want a productive container garden don’t bother growing from seed. Instead, purchase seedlings from your local farmer’s markets. This is especially true for slow-growing perennials plants such as rosemary, thyme and sage.
• Container size matters! Bigger plants like bigger containers. One 5 gallon pot is recommended for one tomato plant. Try salvaging a container pot – find an old oil drum, drill some holes in for drainage and voila!
• If you are growing lettuce or kale in a trough, you can plant them closer than the instructions say – try 4” apart. The plants will be smaller but just as good. Plan in succession so you get to eat your greens at various times during the growing seasons.
• Homemade compost is important to ensure good soil for your container gardens. If you don’t have access to compost, the only other option for container potting soil is Sea Soil Container Garden Mix. Unfortunately, this is made with fish waste from fish farms, wood waste from pulp mills, coconut husks, perlite, and some mineral additives. This was the only bagged mix Matthew knew of that has enough nutrients to grow vegetables if you don’t have access to compost.*
• Water! This is super important! On average plants need to be watered every second day. Water daily when it is hot out. Best to water your plants in the evening so the water does not evaporate.

*My Vegetable Man in Cook Street Village recommended Islands Finest Potting Soil from Nanaimo, BC – this will set you back $8 for a bag. I also picked up some Reindeer’s Natural Plant Foods Organic Seaweed Fertilizer.

Rachel Dickens, The Conscious Dietitian, is a Registered Dietitian and Certified Diabetes Educator. She graduated with her Masters in Nutrition and Dietetics in 2010 from Griffith University. She strives to provide evidence-based nutrition information with a focus on plant-based nutrition and share some of her favourite seasonal recipes and sustainable eating tips.

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