How to Grow Vegetables in Hanging Planters

Overview

Many vegetables can easily be grown in hanging baskets. Known as "mini-gardening," container gardening makes growing your own veggies economical and compact enough for even the smallest amount of space. An apartment dweller with only a hook outside the front door can grow tomatoes.

Growing Vegetables in Hanging Planters

Step 1

Choose a sunny spot to hang your planter. Vegetable plants need to get sun nearly all day for the best growing results, but a little shade won't hurt. Hang a planter hook at a level comfortable enough to reach. Planters can be hung from balconies, decks, just about anywhere within reach of sunlight.

Step 2

Fill the basket or bucket with a premium potting soil. Never re-use dirt from other pots or garden dirt because of the chance of transferring fungus or insects to a new growing environment. Potting soil should consist of a mixture of peat moss, humus, bark and perlite, the tiny white granules that keep the soil loose.

Step 3

Chose the vegetables to be planted. Plants with sprawling growth habits, such as tomatoes, cucumbers, squash, peas, pole beans and eggplants, work best in containers. Choose varieties that are "mini," "compact," or "dwarf" for best container-growing results; these tend to have smaller root systems but also tend to produce smaller-size fruits.

Step 4

Plant one plant in small-to-medium-size planters. You may get two in a large container. Sow the seeds an inch deep and thin them to one or two plants when the seedlings start to grow.

Step 5

Water regularly. Containers dry quickly. On hot days, you may have to water twice a day.