As many of you know, we sold our house last October and are currently in a rental. At our old house I had a pretty good sized vegetable garden which you can see here (my 2014 garden tour). But I knew we weren’t going to be in this rental long enough to make it worthwhile to do any sort of raised beds so I decided to grow my vegetables in containers (since that would make them easy to move). So today I’m sharing my container vegetable garden!
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Growing vegetables in containers is great if you don’t have the space or the time to tend to a traditional garden. You can really grow all kinds of vegetables and fruits in containers! Even with my old garden I had corn growing in container one year and potatoes growing in a container another year. I’ve done radishes and carrots too! This year I’m growing kale, swiss chard, tomatoes, squash, peppers and herbs. I also have some blueberries that I brought over from the old house and my columnar apple trees.
We have smoothies for breakfast most mornings and always put in some greens with the fruit. So I wanted to grow lots of kale and swiss chard for our smoothies. I have 3 containers of those and I just harvest the outside leaves and the plants keep producing.
I mixed some flowers into my containers – petunias! I always plant flowers with vegetables as it helps pollination and helps to bring beneficial insects into the garden. I wrote a whole post about the benefits of adding flowers to your garden.
I brought a blueberry plant with me from the old house but we discovered that there are several blueberry bushes at the back of this property!
I only planted 3 different tomato plants – just enough to have to eat this summer -Roma, Cherry, and Beefsteak.
I have 2 bell pepper plants growing in this container.
Just because you don’t have a “garden” or “yard” doesn’t mean you can’t grow vegetables. You can grow vegetables in containers if you have just a patio or balcony or are in a rental like us!
Looks great! The flowers really do make it special.
I have raised beds, but am also growing grape and cherry tomatoes in containers, as well as arugula, mesclun, thyme, melon, cucumber, and carrot.
Absolutely! I think your garden plants are beautiful and will provide some deliciousness for your dinner table! Enjoy your day dear Manuela, HUGS!
It looks like you have great yield! I’m curious, is the China for looks or is there a super secret bonus to using it?!
LOL! The china is just for fun. In my last house I did whole border of old china in front of a cottage garden that I had growing in front of my vegetable garden. It’s a great way to use broken china, or china you don’t want anymore.
Your container garden looks great Manuela! I am doing the same thing, since we moved and don’t have a yard for raised beds. So far so good!
Your container garden looks great Manuela! I am doing the same thing here at my new home, because we don’t have yard space for raised beds.
Hi Penny,
You moved! I’ll have to stop by and see your new digs! We have a offer on a house and are doing the inspection Saturday. If all goes well we will be moving in August. I’m so excited. I hate this yard with a passion. I don’t think I’ve taken any photos of it so that you can see. But it has bushes in rows all over the only usable part of the yard. The rest is woody with drainage issue and lots of mosquitoes!
Great ideas Manuela and they look so colourful as well. Enjoy!
Your plants look healthy and pretty. Looks like a lot of good eating in the future!
Your garden looks so lovely! I haven’t commented for awhile but I do still follow you. Life has been busy. We too live in a rental now and so I wasn’t too motivated to have a garden this year, but your containers inspire me. At our other house, I raised my tomatoes every year in big colorful plastic tubs, and lined them up along the outside of the fenced in area (to keep the deer away). The tomatoes absolutely LOVED those tubs and thrived. I think most vegetable plants love the warmth of the sun on their roots inside those containers. So now I’m motivated to plant more in tubs and maybe there’s still time to do it now in our rental. We are hoping to move to our own little house this summer, but if we don’t, then I would have my travelling garden to keep me company at the rental. You inspired me!
Hi Marilyn!
Yes, I actually do think that quite a few vegetables love being in containers since the pots retain more heat. So glad you’re thinking of planting some veggies and no it’s not too late. Home Depot and Lowe’s still have lots of plants for sale (at least in my area). Oh I had to make myself plant this container vegetable garden! I’ve found that I’m not motivated to do anything in this rental. I hate this backyard and hardly ever go outside (and I used to live outside in my old house). But I told myself that I can just have my one little area to tend to and I’m happy taking care of my potted veggies and flowers. We have a contract on a house and are doing the inspection Saturday. If all goes well we are closing the middle of July and moving in August. It’s a much smaller yard than at out last house but I’m looking forward to starting a whole new garden!
Thanks for stopping by!
You have such a way with gardening! Raised beds or planters you always have such beautiful veggies and fruit. I know you love having fresh goodness right at your fingertips. =) I hope that all is well with you.
Jennifer
Beautiful garden Manuela … hope it works out well when you want to move them to a new home.
Your container gardens are beautiful! I love the look of the flowers with the veggies (and knowing that the flowers help with pollination makes it even more lovely).
Your little garden looks great. Hope you grow lots of great veggies.
That garden is a real beauty! You’ve done a great job. It can be difficult to get a good yield when gardening with containers.
I don’t have a garden, too. I started planting tomatoes, basil, dill and bell peppers in pots last month. I can’t wait til harvest time.
This gives me some really good ideas. I don’t have good soil or a place to put a garden anyway! I would love to grow my own veggies!
My parents had something similar when I was growing up. I really enjoyed helping them out in the garden too.
I love how you added the china! it adds such a pretty look to the containers. Your veggies and flowers are beautiful.
Beautifully done! My container gardens never worked out nearly this well. Now we have raised beds but I am growing garlic and onions in containers and they seem to be doing quite well *knock on wood*
I love your container garden. All I have this year is strawberry.’s. As we are planning to move. I should’ve planted in containers.
I totally agree with you. Not having a yard is not an excuse to not have a garden coz there are containers! Love those veggies!
your garden looks wonderful! I too have a container garden! We have too many gophers who love to snack on my garden otherwise!
I just started getting into kale and using it in some of my recipes. It would be awesome to start growing it like this. Your garden is so impressive!
This is really awesome, I would love to have my very own vegetable garden! This might have just inspired me to to do so this summer.
They look beautiful, and I love that many of them are good for eating too! Edible gardens are the best!
I learned so much about my gardening from you! I planted flowers among two of my raised beds again this year and I recently read that nasturtiums grow well with kale. I have one package of seeds so I may plant them but that raised bed is kept very shaded on purpose. I missed having nasturtiums last year because I’d come to appreciate the blended butter I made with them (flowers and leaves).
I can’t wait to see what you do with a new place!
Everything is looking good! My lettuces are flourishing with the heat and rain. Our onions look fabulous and the tomato plants and pepper plants are large and healthy. Hope to see some produce soon!
What a beautiful garden you have there. Container gardening is big in California, especially in cities like Oakland and San Francisco.
I have tried to do a vegetable container garden this year at my new house in California. Everything was going well and then it got real hot and nothing is growing anymore. Your garden looks great. I am jealous.
I have seen those container gardens popping up all over Pinterest but I have to say yours is the cutest!! I want to start one soon so thanks for the tips!!
I love container gardening. It’s so much easier to weed and take care of. In addition to tomatoes, herbs, peppers, etc., I also have potatoes and onions. Store potatoes just don’t compare to fresh from the garden! Where did you get the blue metal flower hanging on the wall? It looks gorgeous behing the plants.
Where did you get the beautiful blue metal flower hanging behind the berry plants? It looks gorgeous there.
Denise, I got that at Hobby Lobby about a month or two ago. I haven’t been in there recently, but knowing them, I’m sure the summer stuff is probably on clearance by now!
This is a definitely a great idea for people in the city. However, it’s also important to be aware of ordinances for growing food. Yes, there are actually places with ordinances about how much you can grow within the city limits. I’m not exactly sure why.
Well that’s crazy! I know there are ordinances for growing food in your front yard but I don’t see why people can’t do what they want in their own backyards!
I’m going to do this! I haven’t grown a garden because I don’t want to tear our back yard up, but I can start here and if I”m good at it, make a little space in our yard! Thanks for the tips and idea!
Wow, this is awesome! I miss having a garden. Yours is truly so pretty. Hoping at my new house to be able to do something like this too, I miss gardening!
Your garden is so cute, I love all the details in the decorating. The old window and paint makes it really unique. I have a patio garden this year too but it’s because I have a new puppy that digs everything up so I had to find a safe place for all of my plants.
What a beautiful and creative garden you’ve got. I love how you put those plates near the bell peppers. I have a flower garden, but I was never into a vegetable garden and that’s because I am afraid of caterpillars. 😀
It is fun to see pictures of your container vegetable garden. That type of garden may work well for me. I also loved seeing those lovely blue/white plates in your containers- so clever!
We’re doing a container garden this year, too! Our first, in fact. Might be harvesting potatoes and radishes very soon.
What a beautiful garden!! I wish I had a green thumb!!
You have quite a lovely garden in pots. I got some tomatoes and planted them in a pot. I’m not sure how well its going to turn out. I might need to get a few more pots to transfer a few plants. I think there are too many in one pot.
I’m so jealous of all your gardeners that can grow things in pots. Everytime I have tried it has failed.
Love your garden. Way to make great use of your space. I always wish I had a green thumb. Your photos give me garden envy. 🙂
Your container vegetable garden looks great! I’ve always wanted to try doing something like this. For now we just have a pretty decent sized plot in our backyard with vegetable plants.
Wow – this looks great. I always thought I had to have a spot in my yard to grow some veggies, but this is a terrific idea. Just might try this!
I meant to grow a container garden this summer but I let time get away from me. Yours is just thriving! I am super jealous!
Thats such a great idea and its so beautiful! Fresh is always better.
This is totally an amazing idea to grow the veggies in containers. I love the plates in the peppers which is just gorgeous. Thanks for sharing. I am going to try doing this way.