Fruits and veggies suitable for patio planting – St. Louis Post-Dispatch

Laura Chaves Missouri Botanical Garden

Q: I recently moved and I only have a small patio, but I want to grow some fruit and vegetables this summer. What edibles would grow well over the summer in pots?

A: While most people think they need to have large gardens to grow vegetables, there are now many cultivars of popular edible plants that have been bred to grow in containers and smaller spaces.

Because its early June, your best bet would be to find cultivars of warm-season vegetables like tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers and eggplant that stay relatively small and compact. Most herbs like basil, parsley, oregano, and dill are also well-suited to container growing. While strawberries will grow well in containers, there are new cultivars of raspberries, blackberries and blueberries that stay small.

Be sure to read cultivar descriptions to make sure you will have enough space for each plant, and note that all these plants do best with at least six hours of sun, consistent watering, and regular feeding.

Write to the Missouri Botanical Gardens Center for Home Gardening at plantinformation@mobot.org or the Horticulture Answer Service, 4344 Shaw Blvd., St. Louis, MO 63110.

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Fruits and veggies suitable for patio planting - St. Louis Post-Dispatch