40 Foods You Can Grow in Containers

You can have a garden that will feed you pretty much no matter what your living situation is, even if all you can do is grow plants in your windows. Last year on my apartment balcony I grew strawberries, cucumbers, several varieties of peppers, radishes, chamomile, catnip, lavender, onions, chives, basil, and rosemary. All of these were grown in containers on my small balcony and they don’t include the houseplants that take up residence in every window of my apartment.

When I got started I wanted to garden to save money on our weekly grocery bill, to have greater control over what I consume, and for environmental reasons. So I started doing research. I had grown a few strawberries in a planter when I was a kid but I wanted to expand beyond that and what I found was amazing. I had no idea that so many foods we eat could be grown in that tiny space. Most of the vegetables I love can be grown on my balcony.

Below is a list of 40 vegetables, fruits, and herbs that you can grow in containers that will feed you and your family.

Vegetables

Arugula
Beans
Beetroot
Broccoli
Cauliflower
Chard
Cucumbers
Garlic
Kale
Lettuce
Onions
Peas
Peppers (Bell, Sweet, and Spicy)
Potatoes
Radishes
Spinach
Tomatoes
Zucchini

Fruit

Apples
Blueberries
Cantaloupes
Cherry
Fig
Guava
Lemons
Limes
Nectarines
Oranges
Peaches
Pineapples
Plums
Pomegranate
Strawberries

Herbs

Basil
Chives
Cress
Oregano
Parsley
Rosemary
Sage
Thyme

If you do decide to have a fruit tree it’s especially important to keep in mind the climate you live in. If you get a lot of snow you’ll want to bring those trees inside during the winter. If you become adept at container gardening you could even grow your own coffee. If all you have is a windowsill to grow in then the best bang for your buck, or space, is growing herbs. Go with the herbs you love most. For my family that means Rosemary and Chives. These grow all year long, don’t need a lot of space, and they aren’t very fussy about sunlight. Your kitchen window will do just fine.

This year for my balcony garden I’m going to have fewer pepper plants and catnip, plus I’m cutting camomile out entirely. I’m planning on growing even more radishes than I did last year and I want to try out growing my own potatoes. It would be so amazing to be able to do a potato diet that only has potatoes I’ve grown! My husband and I have also discussed growing tomatoes to make our own sauces. We don’t really like tomatoes but, we’re a sauce loving family but most commercially made sauces don’t fit our no oil, no salt, minimal processing diet. I also have some old pea seeds that I might try planting, just to see if they’ll still grow 7 years after the suggested use-by date on the package.

If you want to stay up to date on my balcony garden be sure to follow Life’s Ingredients on Instagram and Facebook. I’ll be sharing pictures of the entire process from when I get started in the next couple of weeks to my last harvest of the year. I’ll also do a garden review at the end of summer right here in the blog.