6. Peppers
Peppers are ideal for container growing -- not only do they prefer the warmer soil, but they actually produce more fruit when potbound. Stuckey recommends small-fruited peppers, rather than the larger bell peppers you see in the store. "Choose from the dozens of sweet or hot varieties," she says, "all with great container traits: lots of produce from small-space plants, not too fussy, decorative as well as edible."
7. Chives
Stuckey loves chives because "they're versatile, easy, reliable, and the flowers are so darned cute." Other pluses: they're tastiest when fresh-picked, you can pick only what you need (and not have to throw out what you don't use, like when you buy chives at the store), and they'll even come back next year, making them a bargain. (Try adding your fresh chives to chilled tomato soup.)
8. Nasturtiums
Edible flowers are a fantastic addition to your container garden -- just make sure to grow from seed or buy organic as you never know what growers will spray on plants that they haven't necessarily intended to be eaten. "I add flowers to salads," says McGee, "and roll tidbits in leaves, and they jazz up a garden with their wondrous array of colours. They're great as a specimen container, or tuck in a few seeds along the edge of other planters and they'll cascade over the side."
9. Pansies and violas
These are other flowers you can use for garnish, recommended by Stuckey, because "they're edible, pretty, compact, and give us a surge of colour early in the season when we're sick and tired of gloomy weather."
10. Cucumbers
McGee suggests selecting a variety with the characteristics you like, paying attention to the plant's needs: "Unless the description says it's a bush variety," she says, "they produce vines that need to be supported. They can look quite handsome growing on a trellis. Growing your own means you are picking at peak condition and fresh cucumbers, harvested before they develop seeds, are a gardener's treat."
In many ways, container gardening is even easier than growing in the ground. There are less insect pests, almost no weeds, and it's easier to get to the herb patch quickly when you're cooking dinner. One thing McGee adds is that you will need to fertilize and keep up with the watering: "All container plants are dependent on the gardener for nutrients and regular watering," she says, "and we get much better results from well-fed plants." Which means you'll eat better, too.
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