For any of these crops, the key is to make sure the pot is large enough and that you water faithfully or have an irrigation system.


the practice of “hilling” the potatoes, which promotes extra production. So in a bag, you plant your crop in a shallow layer of soil, then keep adding more soil as the plant grows. You can get five pounds of potatoes out of one average-sized bag. Carrots can be hard to grow in clay or compacted


soils, so a container or a bag is a perfect place. They can be planted quite densely and thinned as the crop matures, providing delicious and true baby carrots for your table through the season. You need to have a con- tainer that is deep enough to accommodate that delec- table tap root. Other root vegetables can also be ac- commodated. The only problem you might run into is a long hot summer where nighttime temperatures stay abnormally high – many root vegetables such as beets and carrots taste better when grown in cool weather. The advantage is being able to leave them out until it gets really cold. Pot grown tomatoes are here to stay and we have seen hanging baskets of tomatoes for some years now.


Pepper and raddish.


Lettuce growing in strawberry pots.


You don’t need fancy, store-bought containers to be a bag gardener.


Swiss Chard.


Hanging tomato baskets are ideal as long as you water adequately, because tomatoes like soil to be warm. The same is true of peppers. Cucumbers can also be grown in containers with good results, but limit your crop to one or two plants per 12-inch pot. If the container is on the ground, you will want to provide staking, but try hanging it instead! Squash and zucchini can take up a large amount of space, so one plant per pot is the rule. I would hang these as well and allow the vines to trail. Peas and beans can also be grown in containers successfully, either trailing for the vine types of beans or grown on a tripod or up a trellis for peas. For any of these crops, the key is to make sure the pot is large enough and


that you water faithfully or have an irrigation system. If the container is too small, no amount of fertilizer will bail you out when the leaves begin to wilt or the crop fails to fruit. Most of all – experiment! Check seed packets for light and moisture needs and do fertilize.


www.localgardener.net Early Spring 2012 • 23


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