Grow a Vegetable Garden in containers

Try This… Grow a vegetable garden in containers! Last summer my mom taught my son about gardening in a small section of a flower bed that we have off of our patio (see new patio here). They planted tomatoes and cucumbers and they actually grew.

This year, we are going to grow a vegetable garden in a bigger area but put a little more thought into keeping it safe from the birds and squirrels. Growing vegetables in containers is a great way to create your own mini kitchen garden right on your patio.

Updated March 2019.

Related: how to decorate your patio with my favorite Spring flowers

I love it when friends share delicious, home-grown fruits and veggies with us, and the idea of having a “kitchen garden” is really appealing.  If you are thinking about having a vegetable or herb garden, then you might enjoy looking at some of the ideas for low-cost backyard gardens that I’ve discovered.

Already an experienced gardener?  Share some of your tips in the comments!

Grow a Vegetable Garden in Containers

Planting a kitchen garden and growing vegetables in containers is also a great way to add character to your patio. I wouldn’t necessarily grow sprawling lettuce on my patio but herbs and smaller growing vegetables look great mixed in with flowering planters and pretty patio furniture.

An Organized Vegetable Garden layout

When creating your vegetable garden layout, think in terms of keeping vegetables organized. You don’t want to plant sprawling vegetables near smaller growing, more contained vegetable growers.

Art and Appetite stacked their backyard herb beds to optimize the space they had available.  Aren’t they beautiful?

There are so many ways you can grow a vegetable garden in containers. Why not in a galvanized tub or wine crate? Such a great idea! If you are wondering about drainage, you can simply drill drain holes in the bottom of the containers.

I definitely love this idea for repurposing wine crates into a small-space garden at LLH Designs.

Pretty design ideas for a kitchen garden

I personally love raised beds when it comes to planting flowers or vegetables. Your vegetable garden design can be pretty and organized with raised beds that can be painted or stained.

My Daily Randomness has an entire series on their experiences with backyard gardening, including how to build these raised beds that look great.

There’s nothing to compare with the taste of a homegrown tomato.  HGTV makes some terrific suggestions for tomatoes that grow well in containers.

Great idea!  Florida Vegetable Garden suggests letting your cucumber vines shade your lettuces.

Which containers to use for growing vegetables

The Farmers Almanac has a great article about how to grow a vegetable garden in containers. The specially share which containers to use for certain vegetables. For example, if you are looking to plant beans, snap, broccoli carrots, cucumbers, eggplant, lettuce, onions or Peppers check out their container recommendations.

Another easy DIY idea for a garden trellis comes from Frugal Family Home. I think if you have a large space in your backyard, the Frugal Family Home offers great tips on how to grow a vegetable garden in containers.

Look to Ana White for plans to build these raised cedar garden beds that cost only $10! You do not need a lot of money to start your own vegetable garden in containers. I bet if you looked around your home, you probably have all kinds of items you could use!

Another low-cost gardening idea comes from Kelly Moore, who used a pallet to make this vertical herb garden.  I think her idea of galvanized tubs is genius for herbs and would also work nicely for a vegetable garden.

Planet Garden suggests keeping things tidy by planting in galvanized tubs.

Related: Don’t miss these 9 Herb Garden Ideas!

I can remember as a kid, my grandparents always had a garden and so didn’t my mom. Their vegetable gardens were more of a lawn garden which took over a large space in the yard. I am definitely more of a vegetable garden in containers kind of person.