New Container Vegetables for 2022

Each year, seed houses, large and small, release their seed catalogs. The arrival of these winter gems is a time for gardeners to curl up with a catalog and dog-ear select pages adorned with beautiful photographs, or in some cases, ink renderings, of all our choices. Regardless of the catalog, each includes invaluable growing information, plant descriptions, and often historical facts describing an old faithful or details about a new plant, filled with possibilities.

As always, this year's catalogs have not disappointed. The choices appear to be never-ending; for that reason alone, the edible plants highlighted in this article are selected for their adaptability to containers.

One of the first places you may consult when looking for new plants is the All America Selections website. This non-profit trialing organization tests new plant varieties for the home gardener. Award winners are chosen for their superior performance. The following are container-worthy All American Selections.

Eggplant Icicle F1- cylindrical, white eggplant with larger fruits and fewer spines than most white eggplant. The pure white skin does not yellow like many other white varieties.

Eggplant Icicle. Photo courtesy of All American Selections

Lettuce Bauer– a fast growing oakleaf lettuce ideal for containers or window boxes (especially if you need to keep the lettuce out of reach from deer and other critters). Harvest at the baby leaf stage or grow into a rosette-shaped full-sized head. The uniform, compact heads produce dark green, sweet, crisp leaves. It can also be grown in a home aeroponics system.

Lettuce Bauer. Photo courtesy of All American Selections

Pepper  Buffy F1 – juicy, thick-walled green to red fruits on upright plants. The fiery fruits are borne high on the plant adding ornamental value to the garden.

Pepper Buffy F1. Photo courtesy of All American Selections

Tomato Sunset Torch F1 – early to ripen, vigorous grower with strong, dramatic striping from stem to tip. Good yields of the mildly sweet fruit are produced on easy-to-harvest trusses, and the skin of the sunset-colored fruits is less prone to splitting. Plants exhibit high disease resistance to tomato mosaic virus, Verticillium wilt, Fusarium wilt.

Tomato Sunset F1. Photo courtesy of All American Selections

In addition to these All-American Selections, Fruition Seeds offers Organic Mermaid's Tale Cabbage and Organic Spotlight Snow Peas in its 2022 seed catalog. Both of these vegetables can be container grown.

Organic Mermaid's Tale Cabbage - a cross between Kalibos and an early green cone-headed cabbage. Mermaid's Tale matures quickly, though not all at once. Heads are a kaleidoscope of color from light lime to emerald, each leaf veined lilac-lavender to rich burgundy. The suggested container circumference is 18 to 24 inches.

Organic Mermaid's Tale Cabbage. Photo courtesy of Fruition Seeds

Organic Spotlight Snow Peas - large, sweet snow peas in purple and green. Compact 2.5 to 3-foot vines make Spotlight Snow Pea easy to trellis and perfect for containers or small gardens. The only caveat is to ensure the peas are planted in a container large enough to accommodate either a plastic or metal pea trellis or similar support system. About half the pods are bright emerald green, half are deep burgundy-purple, and you'll find a few beautifully variegated both colors.

Early maturity makes Spotlight Snow Pea an ideal fall pea; sow in late July or early August for a September harvest. Pods that develop in the cool temperatures of fall convert many of their starches into sugar, and they are sweeter than any summer pea.

Organic Spotlight Snow Peas. Photo courtesy of Fruition Seeds

A few notes on growing vegetables in containers.

First and foremost, let us consider the myth of the gravel layer.

When planting containers, there is no need to add a layer of gravel to the bottom of the container. Adding a layer of stone will not facilitate water drainage. It does the opposite. When potting soil is layered atop the gravel, the water fills the air spaces above the gravel, saturating the soil. The accumulation of water at the bottom of the container creates a water-logged area for the roots.

Selecting and Filling the Container

As a rule of thumb, the container should be at least as wide as tall. Containers are available in a vast array of shapes, sizes, materials. For outdoor vegetable culture, weight of the container, plus the soil, may be a consideration. Plastic and foam containers are generally lightweight. Ceramic and clay containers tend to be on the heavy side when empty and can be very heavy when planted. 

For the heavier containers, using a dolly or other lifting aide may be helpful. The container should have at least one drainage hole.

Growing Media

Various types of media are available in garden centers and "big box" stores. Each will generally contain a mixture of perlite, vermiculite, peat moss or coconut coir, and compost. Some growing media may also contain fertilizer. If you prefer to mix your own growing media, adding compost to the mix will act as a slow-release fertilizer. 

The one component not to use is garden soil. Why not use your own garden soil? While your garden soil may look great, it is not sterile and may include viable weed seeds and harmful insects or plant diseases. In addition, growing media generally has a light and airy texture allowing roots to benefit from water and nutrients available in the media while garden soil may be heavy (high clay content) and hold excess water. Remember, roots grow best when surrounded by pockets of air and water.

Watering

Soil should be moist—it dries out quickly in pots—add water until it runs out the drainage hole(s). As with in-ground vegetables, it's best to water at the base of the plant and keep the leaves dry.

Care

Keep plants tidy by removing damaged or diseased leaves. Do not put diseased plant parts in the compost pile. 

Prune plants as you would if planted in-ground. Use care to retain enough leaves to provide shade for the fruit and a canopy for photosynthetic activity. If the plant is pruned too closely and no shade is provided, the fruit may suffer from sunscald. 

For additional information, please refer to General Recommendations for Growing Vegetables in Containers and Growing Vegetables and Flowers in Containers  by Pamela Hubbard, Master Gardener Emeritus, Monroe County, and the following:

All American Selections Winners

Fruition Seeds New and Returning Varieties for 2022