Patio food crops

Container Vegetables and Herbs

This is the crawlable companion to the Container Calculator: a shortlist of edible plants that can make sense in pots, grow bags, and patio containers.

Container vegetables succeed or fail by pot volume, watering consistency, and harvest expectation. A small pot can keep a plant alive while still making it unproductive.

This page favors edible crops with realistic container signals, then points to the calculator when the gardener needs to test an actual pot size.

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Container edible profiles
269
Visible shortlist
24
Timing data
269

Useful setup tools

Useful supplies

Containers / Before planting

Right-size container with drainage

Use a container large enough for mature roots, with open drainage holes to prevent root rot.

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Containers / Before planting

Expanding container potting mix

Use a lighter container medium instead of dense garden soil in pots and grow bags.

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Watering / Planting day

Watering wand or can

Water new transplants gently without washing soil away from the crown or roots.

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Nutrition / During growth

Balanced garden fertilizer

Feed annual vegetables, herbs, flowers, and hungry container crops according to soil or label guidance.

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How this page is built

Selection notes

Pot-size signal

Favors edible records with good or workable container guidance or a sourced small-container minimum.

Calculator handoff

Use the container calculator to test a specific plant against the pot size you already have.

Yield reality

Cards keep timing and output visible because patio crops should earn their watering time.

Browse profiles

Annual vegetable

Bloomsdale spinach

cool-season leaves

Container
1+ gal (good)
Yield
0.5-1.5 lb/plant/season
First output
35-70 days
Spacing
0.5-1.5 ft in-row x 1-3 ft rows
Vegetables & herbsCurb appeal & colorsavoyed leavescold-tolerant
Annual vegetable

Blue Lake bush bean

tender pods in midsummer

Container
2+ gal (good)
Yield
0.3-0.5 lb/plant/season
First output
50-60 days
Spacing
0.2-0.3 ft in-row x 2-3 ft rows
Vegetables & herbsclassic green beanfine flavor and texture
Annual vegetable

Provider bush bean

fast summer harvest

Container
2+ gal (good)
Yield
0.3-0.5 lb/plant/season
First output
50-60 days
Spacing
0.2-0.3 ft in-row x 2-3 ft rows
Vegetables & herbsearly snap beanreliable germination
Annual vegetable

Fordhook 242 lima bean

large beans in late summer

Container
2+ gal (good)
Yield
0.3-0.8 lb/plant/season
First output
60-80 days
Spacing
0.3-0.7 ft in-row x 3 ft rows
Vegetables & herbsclassic heat-tolerant bush limareliable yields
Annual vegetable

Carmen Italian sweet pepper

tapered red sweet peppers in summer

Container
5+ gal (good)
Yield
2-4 lb/plant/season
First output
65-95 days
Spacing
1.5-2 ft in-row x 3 ft rows
Vegetables & herbssweet Italian frying pepperearly to ripen
Annual vegetable

Marketmore 76 cucumber

summer slicing cucumbers

Container
10+ gal (workable)
Yield
3-5 lb/plant/season
First output
50-65 days
Spacing
0.5-4 ft in-row x 2-6 ft rows
Vegetables & herbsdisease-resistant standardtrellis-friendly
Annual vegetable

Yellow straightneck squash

yellow summer squash in warm weather

Container
10+ gal (workable)
Yield
3-8 lb/plant/season
First output
40-60 days
Spacing
2-4 ft in-row x 3-4 ft rows
Vegetables & herbsclassic bush summer squashquick harvest
Annual vegetable

Jambalaya okra

early green okra pods

Container
5+ gal (good)
Yield
2-4 lb/plant/season
First output
55-65 days
Spacing
1-1.3 ft in-row x 3 ft rows
Vegetables & herbscompact productive habitearly okra selection
Annual vegetable

Pinkeye purple hull cowpea

pods in late summer

Container
2+ gal (good)
Yield
0.3-0.8 lb/plant/season
First output
60-80 days
Spacing
0.3-0.7 ft in-row x 3 ft rows
Vegetables & herbsheat-loving southern peatolerates dry spells
Annual vegetable

Beauregard sweet potato

fall roots

Container
5+ gal (workable)
Yield
2-3 lb/plant/season
First output
90-150 days
Spacing
1-1.5 ft in-row x 3 ft rows
Vegetables & herbsheat-loving vineorange flesh
Annual vegetable

Lacinato kale

cool-season leaves

Container
5+ gal (workable)
Yield
0.5-1.5 lb/plant/season
First output
35-70 days
Spacing
0.5-1.5 ft in-row x 1-3 ft rows
Vegetables & herbsCurb appeal & colorcold-tolerant greensdark textured leaves
Annual vegetable

Pattypan summer squash

scalloped summer squash in warm weather

Container
10+ gal (workable)
Yield
3-8 lb/plant/season
First output
40-60 days
Spacing
2-4 ft in-row x 3-4 ft rows
Vegetables & herbsCurb appeal & colorornamental saucer-shaped fruitproductive bush habit
Annual vegetable

Red Burgundy okra

red pods in hot weather

Container
5+ gal (good)
Yield
2-4 lb/plant/season
First output
55-65 days
Spacing
1-1.3 ft in-row x 3 ft rows
Vegetables & herbsCurb appeal & colorornamental red podsheat-loving crop
Annual vegetable

Red Noodle yardlong bean

long red pods in summer

Container
2+ gal (good)
Yield
0.7-1.2 lb/plant/season
First output
60-75 days
Spacing
0.3-1 ft in-row x 3 ft rows
Vegetables & herbsCurb appeal & coloryardlong beanheat-loving vine
Annual vegetable

Tromboncino squash

long pale squash through summer

Container
10+ gal (workable)
Yield
3-8 lb/plant/season
First output
40-60 days
Spacing
2-4 ft in-row x 3-4 ft rows
Vegetables & herbsPrivacy & screeningvigorous climbing squashless vulnerable solid stems
Annual vegetable

Yardlong bean

long pods in hot weather

Container
2+ gal (good)
Yield
0.7-1.2 lb/plant/season
First output
60-75 days
Spacing
0.3-1 ft in-row x 3 ft rows
Vegetables & herbsPrivacy & screeningheat-loving climbing beanexcellent summer production
Annual vegetable

Clemson Spineless okra

summer pods

Container
5+ gal (good)
Yield
2-4 lb/plant/season
First output
55-65 days
Spacing
1-1.3 ft in-row x 3 ft rows
Vegetables & herbsCurb appeal & colorheat-loving croptolerates heavy soil
Annual vegetable

Red stem Malabar spinach

summer vine greens

Container
1+ gal (good)
Yield
0.5-1.5 lb/plant/season
First output
35-70 days
Spacing
0.5-1.5 ft in-row x 1-3 ft rows
Vegetables & herbsPrivacy & screeningheat-loving vineedible leaves
Annual vegetable

Brandywine heirloom tomato

large beefsteak tomatoes in late summer

Container
5+ gal (good)
Yield
2-3 lb/plant/season
First output
70-120 days
Spacing
2-3 ft in-row x 2-4 ft rows
Vegetables & herbsclassic potato-leaf heirloomrich flavor
Annual vegetable

Buttercrunch lettuce

spring and fall heads

Container
1+ gal (good)
Yield
0.5-1 lb/plant/season
First output
45-85 days
Spacing
0.5-1 ft in-row x 1-3 ft rows
Vegetables & herbscompact butterheadslow to bolt for lettuce
Annual vegetable

Cherry Belle radish

roots in 25 to 30 days

Container
1+ gal (good)
Yield
0-0.1 lb/plant/season
First output
25-35 days
Spacing
0.1-0.2 ft in-row x 0.5-2 ft rows
Vegetables & herbsfast-growing red radishmild flavor
Annual vegetable

Detroit Dark Red beet

roots and greens in cool seasons

Container
2+ gal (good)
Yield
0.3-0.4 lb/plant/season
First output
55-65 days
Spacing
0.2-0.3 ft in-row x 1-3 ft rows
Vegetables & herbsclassic red beetedible tops
Annual vegetable

Evergreen bunching onion

green onions over a long season

Container
2+ gal (good)
Yield
0.3-0.5 lb/plant/season
First output
90-120 days
Spacing
0.3-0.5 ft in-row x 1-1.5 ft rows
Vegetables & herbsnon-bulbing scallioncold-tolerant allium
Annual vegetable

Hollow Crown parsnip

sweet roots after frost

Container
5+ gal (workable)
Yield
0.3-0.5 lb/plant/season
First output
95-120 days
Spacing
0.3-0.5 ft in-row x 1.5-2 ft rows
Vegetables & herbsclassic parsnipfrost-sweetened flavor

Showing 24 of 269 matches. Open the plant screener for the full list.

Source trail

References used by this shortlist

Container volume, spacing, timing, and yield references are prioritized because patio crops are constrained by pot size.

615 matching records NC State Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox Reference basis for ornamental plant size, function, and right-plant-right-place screening. 440 matching records Penn State Extension - Landscaping and Gardening Around Walnuts and Other Juglone Producing Plants Black walnut and juglone sensitivity/tolerance cue for garden placement screening. 268 matching records University of Maryland Extension - Types of Containers for Growing Vegetables Container volume guidance, including large vegetables and 25-30 gallon dwarf fruit tree containers. 262 matching records Illinois Extension - Growing Vegetables in Containers Container vegetable guidance for matching container size, rooting depth, and plant density. 258 matching records Rutgers NJAES - Landscape Plants Rated by Deer Resistance Deer browsing categories used as planning cues; no plant is deer proof under heavy pressure. 219 matching records UGA Extension - Growing Vegetables Organically Vegetable hardiness, days to maturity, and row-by-plant spacing tables.

Individual plant profiles show their own source links and caveats; this page shows the common references behind the current collection.

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