If you have some shallow containers at your home and you are wondering what to grow in those containers, this article will help you in this matter. But first, let me teach you how to grow vegetables in shallow containers or any kind of container.
Requirements:
Here are a few things that you need to make your shallow containers workable.
- Containers
- Seeds or seedlings
- Potting soil
- Water
- Sunlight or Grow light
Vegetables that have a tap root system (this kind of root system has a big central root that grows vertically downward) are not suitable to grow in shallow containers because they need more medium for roots.
Carrot is an example of a vegetable that has a tap root system. But you can still grow some veggies with the taproot system.
Vegetables with a fibrous root system are more suitable for shallow containers. The fibrous root system is consist of small branching roots, this root system does not have a big central root that grows vertically downward.
Best Soil To Grow In Shallow Containers
Soil is the most important factor in this kind of gardening because plants have a very small and limited medium to grow in. So you should provide the best kind of soil that has good drainage, good water holding capacity, and a good number of nutrients.
Your garden soil or topsoil does not qualify to use in containers. Because this soil will compact after a week or two. Drainage is terrible in most of the topsoil.
So potting soil will be a great kind of soil. Drainage, water holding capacity, and nutrients are abundant in potting soil. Click here to learn to make your own potting soil at home from kitchen scraps.
How To Grow In Shallow Containers
The method to grow in these containers is not different. You can grow your veggies, starting from the seeds or seedlings. Follow these steps:
- Look for drainage holes in your containers, if there are none, make some holes.
- Fill your containers with potting soil.
- Sow the seeds or plant seedlings in the soil. Give them water and put them under sunlight.
- The sunlight is required in all kinds of crops, the duration depends on the type of crops.
- If you have no sunlight in your home or around your home, you can use grow lights to provide necessary lights to your crops.
- There are different kinds of grow lights are available in the market but LED grow lights are best in them. Click here to learn which LED grow light is good for you.
- After the light, water is another important factor. Plants in shallow containers will need extra water to grow best because the soil is not enough to hold enough water. So you should keep watering your plants.
- Over-watering can also be dangerous for your plants so you should always check the soil before giving them water. The method is simple, just stick your finger in the soil, if the top 2 inches of soil are dry, give water to your plants.
- Summer crops usually require more water because in summer more water evaporates.
- Fertilizers are also a requirement for some crops. Use organic all-purpose plant food. Click here to check the price of this food on Amazon.
16 Vegetables To Grow In Shallow Containers
Leafy green vegetables are easiest to grow in shallow containers. Here are leafy greens and a few other veggies that you can grow:
1: Spinach
Spinach is one of the best and beginner-friendly vegetables to grow in your pots. Grow them directly from seeds. Just take some seeds of a popular variety, sprinkle them on the soil, add a very thin layer or same soil on top.
Give them water and put your containers near a window. If your window is receiving a lot of sunlight, it’s good, if not, put your containers outdoors or use LED grow lights for sunlight requirements.
Also Read: Growing Spinach Indoors Under Lights
2: Rocket
Rocket is another easy growing leafy green. It is not very popular but it is very healthy to eat. The method of the growing rocket in shallow containers is the same as spinach. Rocket is also a very fast-growing vegetable.
3: Swiss Chard
Swiss chard is a popular salad vegetable. Growing them in pots is also very easy. They will grow well directly from seeds, no need to buy the seedlings of them. Just sprinkle some seeds on the top of the soil.
Give them water and put your containers in a nice sunny place. Chard will need 6-8 hours of sunlight. In hot summer days, sunlight requirements are may be lower than normal days.
But you can easily check that and change the location. If plants of chard are not looking good and leaves are looking dull, change the location of containers from sunny to semi-shady.
4: Kale
If you want vitamins, tons of minerals, and fibers in one vegetable, kale is your answer. You can grow them in shallow containers but select some good size shallow containers for kale and chard.
The method of growing kale is the same as above. You can start them from seeds, or you can start seeds indoors and transparent them in your containers after germination. Kale is also a sun-loving crop. So keep your container of kale in a sunny location.
5: Mizuna
This leafy green is also a fast-growing veggie. Mizuna plants take less than 40 days to get mature. The leaves of Mizuna are small and pointy, best suited for your plate of salad.
The method of growing Mizuna is the same as spinach. Plants need full sunlight to part sunlight for better growth. So you can grow them indoors beside a window that receives plenty of sunlight. You can also provide them sunlight by using LED grow lights.
6: Watercress
This leafy green vegetable produces beautiful small leaves of dark green color. Watercress is a member of the mustards family. Grow them directly in the soil.
Watercress plants love a nice shady place, which makes them perfect to grow indoors near a window or under a growing light. Keep checking the moisture level of soil and keep pruning the leaves by harvesting them. You can also grow watercress microgreens and these microgreens in shallow containers.
7: Broccoli Rabbe
The name is similar but the vegetables are different. This vegetable gets its name because of dark green leaves. Grow them directly from seeds. Plants can grow in partial shade but full sunlight is required for better and vigorous growth and huge harvests.
8: Lettuce
Lettuce is one of the most used leafy green out there. Lettuce grows great in shallow containers. You can grow them from seeds, from seedlings or from store-bought lettuce.
Regrowing lettuce from the bottom part of the store-bought lettuce is really fun. Put the bottom part of lettuce in water, in a few days new roots will appear. When that happens, replant them in your containers.
Also Read: How to Grow Lettuce from Seed At Home
9: Sweet Peppers
If you have a little bigger container, you can grow sweet peppers in them. Sweet peppers thrive in containers if you have good soil and a sunny location because they love sunlight. Learn to grow Chillies From Seeds – 100+ Chillies Per Plant.
10: Radishes
Radishes are very easy to grow and this vegetable is a very fast growing vegetable. Add potting soil in your container, sow the seeds in your potting soil. Keep a small distance between each seed because fruit needs a little space to grow.
Here are a few herbs that you can grow in your shallow containers or make your SHALLOW HERB GARDEN.
11: Mint
Mint is a very refreshing herb. You can make a tea of mint or you can make a sauce of mint. Growing mint in containers is a very easy process and I think mint is the herb of containers because it can spread in your whole garden.
You can buy some fresh cuttings of mint or make some cuttings if you already have mint in your garden. Plant those cuttings in the soil and give them water. After a few days, mint will start to regrow.
Also Read: How To Grow Mint At Home In Water – Without Soil
12: Sage
Sage is also a popular herb that you can grow indoors or outdoors. Plants of sage are sun-loving plants, so keep your container of sage outdoors or beside and window that receives a good amount of sunlight.
If sunlight is a problem for you, you can provide sage supplement light by using LED grow light. You can also use this system to grow any kind of herb indoors without soil and sunlight.
13: Chives
Chives are one of the hardiest herbs that you can grow in containers. Chives are one of the herbs that you can grow once and harvest every year. Chives grow well in small containers and need partial shade to full sunlight. It means you can grow them indoors near a window.
14: Rosemary
Growing rosemary in containers is not hard. You can grow them seeds, seedlings, or regrow the cuttings. Rosemary plants need good soil with minimum acidity. So don’t use peat moss in your potting soil.
Watch: 14 Store-Bought Vegetables & Herbs You Can Regrow
15: Oregano
Oregano also grows like mint, so growing them in containers is a good choice. Plants of oregano are very hardy, you cannot go wrong with growing oregano. Give them a sunny location for better growth and big harvests.
16: Parsley
You can grow parsley from clippings. Fresh clippings from store-bought parsley will grow very well in containers with potting soil. Click here to learn to grow parsley from cuttings.
