Create Your Own No-Yard Veggie Garden

Since we have already talked about a no-yard herb garden, I thought we could revisit the subject with vegetables. Not everyone has a bunch of yard space to take up with a garden, unfortunately, so I want to go over a few vegetables that can easily be grown in a pot indoors!

Growing veggies in pots is a great way to grow food all through fall. Once the frost gets too close for comfort, you can easily grab the pot and bring it in—though this is going to be easier with some plants than others.

As a note, I’ve not included tomatoes on this list because that’s so common, it seemed a waste of time. So, here are five other veggies you can grow in containers to use all year long:

Lettuce

There are quite a few different types of lettuce and the process for each of them is going to vary a little, but this will give you some solid basic steps to get your lettuce started!

You are going to need a pretty large pot—typically between 10 and 12 inches—to accommodate the lettuce. The container also needs to drain well, so that the soil remains moist but never wet. Depending on the type of lettuce you are trying to grow, you can probably have about 3 plants in a gallon tub. Just make sure to space them evenly, and plant them at least 1/4″ deep in your soil. You may not have to fertilize the lettuce, if its doing well on its own, and you definitely don’t want to fertilize if your plant is younger than 10 weeks old. After that, it’s simple!

Here are some more tips for growing perfect lettuce if you have more questions.

Radishes

For radishes, you are going to want a gallon pot with good drainage, and soil with lots of organic materials (you can use a vegetable starter mix, or make your own mix with compost). These seeds are little, so you can plant quite a few of them per pot. I recommend spacing them about an inch apart, covered with at least 1/4″ of your soil.

Radishes need about 6 hours of sunlight a day, so be sure you rotate the plant so it all receives some sunlight. Remember to keep the soil moist, and this should be a really easy veggie that you can grow from inside your home!

If you need more information on radish care, you can find it here.

Peppers

There are lots of different types of peppers, but the most popular ones to grow in pots are banana peppers and jalapenos! Both are grown pretty much the same, although the harvest time might vary a little. The soil should be able to drain well, but also hold moisture. I recommend a soil/compost mix with a little bit of sand mixed in to support drainage.

Peppers are a little bit more complicated, because it’s recommended to let your seeds germinate individually. I’d suggest getting a little peat container and then putting a couple seeds on each peat you want to use. Then, add enough water to moisten the soil, and push the seeds down no more than a half inch. Remember that peppers like to be kept above 65 degrees.

Once your peppers sprout a couple leaves they are ready to be moved! If you use a 12 inch pot, I would max out at 3 plants just to make sure the peppers have enough room to grow. Peppers, like most veggies, need at least 6 hours of sunlight to thrive. Try not to pick your peppers prematurely (what a tongue twister!) because you’ll lose a lot of the yummy flavor.

You can find more details on harvesting your peppers and different variations of peppers here.

Kale

This one is actually a little funny, because Kale likes the cold. It can survive in temperatures as low as 20 degrees! We don’t get below twenty too often here, so depending on where you live, the kale pot can stay outside in the winter. However, kale can be damaged with too much heat, so try to keep it below 70 degrees, which means bringing it inside during the hot summer.

Kale needs at least a 6 inch pot, and seeds should be at least a half inch deep and planted in the center. The soil should support drainage but not be too acidic. The soils top layer can dry out in between waterings, but the rest should stay moist.

Once you’ve got it growing, there is a lot of advice harvesting your kale here.

Carrots

Carrots will need a pretty deep container (at least a foot) with drainage holes so they can fully develop. The soil should be light and drain very easily, but still be mixed with some vegetable fertilizer. I recommend trying to plant seeds about a half inch apart, so that you do not over plant your pot. Until the seeds sprout, keep the top few inches of the soil moist. After that, carrots will need to be watered daily, but you don’t want to let the roots get soggy! Room temperature—anywhere from 65-75 degrees—is ideal for carrots.

You can find details on different types of carrots and when to pick them here.

Keep in mind that this is just a brief overview of some veggies that can work indoors if you give the effort! Obviously, if you are wanting to start a large indoor operation you’ll need to start thinking more about the temperature and humidity in your home, and purchase some secondary lights.

Also remember that since these vegetables can all be grown in pots, you can just use these tips as a way to get your garden started early! Most veggies will be fine to be moved outside once the weather is right. Happy gardening!