Grow a little
How to start a container garden on a balcony or patio
Start a small container garden: measure your sun, pick a pot with drainage and the right size, use potting mix instead of garden soil, and choose easy crops like lettuce or cherry tomatoes.
By Mori · 3 min readPublished · Updated
A container garden is a set of plants grown in pots instead of the ground. It needs a spot with enough sun for what you want to grow, a pot with drainage holes that is big enough for the full-grown plant, and bagged potting mix. Start with one or two pots of an easy crop and add more once you know how your space behaves.
Virginia Cooperative Extension’s container guide is a good reference: it lists the minimum pot size, light and days to harvest for common vegetables, several of which are shown below.
Check your light first
Watch your balcony, patio or doorstep for one day and note how many hours of direct sun it gets. Virginia Cooperative Extension explains that root and leaf crops can tolerate partial shade, while vegetables grown for their fruit generally need at least six hours of direct sun.
Wind matters too: a high balcony can dry plants out quickly. A sheltered corner is easier for a first season.
Choose a pot that drains
Almost anything that holds soil can be a container, but it must have adequate drainage and must never have held anything toxic. Plastic and glazed pots stay moist longer; unglazed clay dries out faster but is heavier.
Choose the size for the plant when it is fully grown, not when you buy it.
Use potting mix, not garden soil
Garden soil usually contains too much clay and packs down in a container, which starves roots of air. Buy a lightweight bagged potting mix. Fill the pot to within 1 to 2 inches of the top, leaving room to water.
Easy first crops for containers
These figures come from Virginia Cooperative Extension’s container vegetable table. Days to harvest are counted from sowing seed.
| Crop | Light | Minimum container | Days to harvest |
|---|---|---|---|
| Leaf lettuce | Partial shade | ½ gallon | 30–35 |
| Radishes | Full sun; tolerates partial shade | 1 pint | 25–35 |
| Swiss chard | Full sun; tolerates partial shade | ½ gallon | 30–40 |
| Green onions | Full sun; tolerates partial shade | ½ gallon | 70–100 |
| Cherry tomatoes | Full sun | 1 gallon | 55–100 |
Watering and care
Containers hold far less soil than a garden bed, so they dry out quickly, especially in sun and wind. Push a finger into the top inch of soil every day in warm weather; water when it feels dry, until water runs from the drainage holes.
Keep a short note of what you notice: a new leaf, a dry patch, a change in the light. After one season you will know which spot suits which plant.
Want to start smaller?
If you do not have outdoor space, a single pot of herbs on a sunny windowsill is a good first step. See our one-pot windowsill herb guide.
Common questions
What is the easiest vegetable to grow in a container?
Leaf lettuce and radishes are quick and forgiving: lettuce tolerates partial shade in a ½-gallon pot, and radishes are ready in about a month.
Can I grow vegetables on a shady balcony?
Leafy crops such as lettuce and chard tolerate partial shade. Tomatoes and peppers generally need at least six hours of direct sun.
Sources
From the Mori notebook. How we research and write our guides, including our use of AI tools.
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