I bought four different kinds of tomato starts from y’all several months ago (along with some well-aged manure compost), and have been growing them in large containers, and they are HUGE! It’s so exciting. I haven’t had the space to grow vegetables in years now, and having all these ripe tomatoes (most excited about the black krims and Mexico midgets!) is absolutely thrilling. They really just exploded.
Anyway, so, we don’t have an actual garden space set up yet – we just bought this house a few months ago (but have lived in Asheville for many years), and are still landscape-planning. So, I’m wondering – are there fall-crop vegetables we might be able to grow in large containers? I’m pretty hands-on – moving the pots around if the plants seem to be getting too much or too little light/heat, etc. Any chance we could grow something like broccoli (or cauliflower, or arugula…) in large pots, if I take care to keep the pot/roots from freezing once the weather gets colder? (Obviously I just read your post about fall-season veggie gardening.) I’d be thrilled to buy more starts from y’all in late August.
Thanks for any guidance you can give!!
– Valerie
fifthseasonsays
Hi Valerie! We are thrilled for you! There’s nothing quite like the joy that comes with a successful tomato harvest … or any really! To answer your question about growing in containers, the answer is absolutely, yes! I am partial to Smart Pots fabric growing containers which come in all sorts of sizes including rectangular and round raised beds (think baby pool size). They last forever and you can move them around, or empty and fold them up when you complete your garden space. We have permanent garden beds and still use the Smart Pots for crops like potatoes tend to take up a lot of space in the garden. Ceramic and plastic pots will work as well but size and drainage are two important considerations. A single broccoli plant need 2-3 gallons so a larger, 20-30 gallon pot (or larger) would allow you to plant a few things together (companion planting!) which is pretty and plants like to grow together. If you have any other questions about what to plant together, soil recommendations, or any other pro tips, please don’t hesitate to reach out.
Valerie says
Hey, Kristen!
I bought four different kinds of tomato starts from y’all several months ago (along with some well-aged manure compost), and have been growing them in large containers, and they are HUGE! It’s so exciting. I haven’t had the space to grow vegetables in years now, and having all these ripe tomatoes (most excited about the black krims and Mexico midgets!) is absolutely thrilling. They really just exploded.
Anyway, so, we don’t have an actual garden space set up yet – we just bought this house a few months ago (but have lived in Asheville for many years), and are still landscape-planning. So, I’m wondering – are there fall-crop vegetables we might be able to grow in large containers? I’m pretty hands-on – moving the pots around if the plants seem to be getting too much or too little light/heat, etc. Any chance we could grow something like broccoli (or cauliflower, or arugula…) in large pots, if I take care to keep the pot/roots from freezing once the weather gets colder? (Obviously I just read your post about fall-season veggie gardening.) I’d be thrilled to buy more starts from y’all in late August.
Thanks for any guidance you can give!!
– Valerie
fifthseason says
Hi Valerie! We are thrilled for you! There’s nothing quite like the joy that comes with a successful tomato harvest … or any really! To answer your question about growing in containers, the answer is absolutely, yes! I am partial to Smart Pots fabric growing containers which come in all sorts of sizes including rectangular and round raised beds (think baby pool size). They last forever and you can move them around, or empty and fold them up when you complete your garden space. We have permanent garden beds and still use the Smart Pots for crops like potatoes tend to take up a lot of space in the garden. Ceramic and plastic pots will work as well but size and drainage are two important considerations. A single broccoli plant need 2-3 gallons so a larger, 20-30 gallon pot (or larger) would allow you to plant a few things together (companion planting!) which is pretty and plants like to grow together. If you have any other questions about what to plant together, soil recommendations, or any other pro tips, please don’t hesitate to reach out.