What are the best vegetables to grow in Pots in Pennsylvania?
Finding the best vegetables to grow in Pots in Pennsylvania was not as easy as I thought. Some require extensive care, others are prone to pests, and lots are just not simple & quick enough to grow.
That’s why I created a list of the 10 Best Vegetables to Grow in Pots in Pennsylvania!
This ultimate guide will give you the best vegetables to grow in pots in Pennsylvania, why you should grow them, and even how to grow them.
Read THIS Before Growing Vegetables in Pots in Pennsylvania
Knowing what hardiness zone Pennsylvania is in is critical to understanding the best vegetables that can be grown in pots.
It can be the difference between your vegetable garden thriving and providing a bountiful yield or producing nothing.
Pennsylvania is mostly considered Hardiness Zone 5, while some of the lower-level regions are Hardiness Zone 6.
10 Best Vegetables to Grow in Pots in Pennsylvania
#1. Lettuce
Popular Varieties: Butterhead, Boston, Loose Leaf
Why Grow Lettuce in Pots in Pennsylvania?
Cold Hardy:
- Lettuce thrives in Pennsylvania all year long. Unlike other vegetables, this plant can grow even when there is snow or frost on the ground. Just place your pot in an area above the snow and frost.
Low-Maintenance:
- Lettuce may be the easiest vegetable to grow. You do not need to fertilize it, only need to water it once a week, and it can be planted in any potting soil.
Perfect for ANY Garden:
- Lettuce is perfect for urban gardening and even gardeners with little space. It is great in gardening containers, raised garden beds, and even indoors.
Harvested All Year:
- Lettuce can be harvested all year. The more you harvest lettuce the more it will grow. The best part is when you are done harvesting it, just plant more lettuce seed in your gardening container.
THESE Could Harm Your Lettuce
Pests:
- Deer, Rabbits, & Squirrels LOVE Lettuce no matter where your gardening container is. If left unprotected these pests will eat your vegetable before it can even grow.
Slugs:
- You’ll most likely find slugs on your lettuce all year when the weather is cool or wet. If you plant it in the shade where the soil is damp you should expect slugs too.
Extreme Heat:
- While rare in Pennsylvania, this can cause your lettuce to flower and become inedible. Make sure to plant your lettuce in partial shade to avoid this and give it extra water during the heat.
Additional Resources
Learn How To Grow Lettuce HERE
#2. Kale
Popular Varieties: Curly, Lacinato, Red Russian, Ornamental
Why Grow Kale in Pots in Pennsylvania?
Cold Hardy:
- Kale is the hardiest vegetable when it comes to cold in Pennsylvania. Unlike any other vegetable on this list, Kale can be grown throughout the entire year in a gardening container for both indoor gardening and outdoor gardening.
Ornamental:
- Kale is the only vegetable on this list that can also be considered an ornamental plant. This means it can add color, features, and beauty to any type of garden.
Perfect in Pots:
- If there is any vegetable that can be grown in gardening pots in Pennsylvania, it’s Kale. This is one of the most adaptive vegetables, making it perfect for beginner gardeners in Pennsylvania.
THESE Could Harm Your Lettuce
Aphids
- Like many other vegetables, aphids are one insect you don’t want. Aphids are especially prevalent in Pennsylvania and can stunt or kill your kale.
Extreme Heat
- Like lettuce Kale does not tolerate extreme heat. After just a week in temperatures over 90 degrees, Fahrenheit and direct sunlight Kale can flower and become inedible. Make sure to provide extra water and shade to your kale that grow in pots.
Additional Resources
Learn How To Grow Kale HERE
#3. Tomatoes
Popular Varieties: Cherry, Beefsteak, Brandywine
Why Grow Tomatoes in Pots in Pennsylvania?
Thrives in Heat:
- As the summers get warmer tomatoes continue to get bigger and more plentiful. Look no further for a low-maintenance vegetable.
Great for Vertical Gardening:
- Tomatoes are one of the few vegetables that are perfect for vertical gardening. Vertical Gardening is popular in the cities of Pennsylvania and even in the suburbs where land for horizontal growing is scarce.
Perfect for Pots:
- If you don’t want to worry about pests, frost, or other Pennsylvania elements then plant your tomatoes in a gardening container. All you’ll need to do is water and fertilize it and you can place it anywhere in your yard that you want.
THESE Could Harm Your Tomatoes
Pests:
- Deer, Rabbits, & Squirrels LOVE to start to come out and become hungry in spring. One of the first plants they eat is tomatoes. Whether protected or unprotected pests pose a risk to growing tomatoes in Pennsylvania.
Cold and rain:
- Tomatoes do not do well when temperatures are wild or when there is a lot of rain. This can lead to plants becoming stunted, root rot, and many other types of fungus.
Additional Resources
Learn How to Grow Tomatoes HERE
#4. Swiss Chard
Popular Varieties: Bright Lights, Fordhook Giant, Rhubarb
Why Grow Swiss Chard in Pots in Pennsylvania?
Cold-Hardy:
- Swiss Chard is another leafy green that is cold-hardy. You can grow it all year in gardening pots making it the perfect fresh vegetable for your holiday recipes.
Numerous Varieties:
- To a beginner gardener, swiss chard looks like swiss chard. But to expert gardeners, there are numerous varieties of swiss chard, each with its own texture, colors, and flavors.
THESE Could Harm Your Swiss Chard
Pests:
- People love swiss chard. Pests do too. If you do not properly protect your swiss chard deer can destroy it in a matter of minutes and rabbits and squirrels can do as much damage almost as quickly.
Additional Resources
Learn how to grow Swiss Chard in Pennsylvania HERE.
#5. Arugula
Popular Varieties: Astro, Rocket, Italian Cress
Why Grow Arugula in Pots in Pennsylvania?
Thrives in the heat & cold:
- Arugula is one of the most versatile vegetables. Some varieties can be grown in cold weather, some can be grown in warmer weather, and some are perfect to be grown in both types of weather. This makes it ideal for planting and growing in gardening containers.
Provides All-Year Harvest:
- Arugula is one of the few vegetables that you will harvest from spring as fall to early winter if planted right. This means you will be able to enjoy or store it all year long if planted in a gardening container.
Ground Cover:
- Arugula is an excellent ground cover if you want an edible herb that will also prevent weeds and take up large amounts of space in your garden with very few seeds.
THESE Could Harm Your Arugula
Birds, Squirrels, Rabbits, & Chipmunks:
- These pests will generally not harm your actual squash arugula. What they will do though is immediately eat arugula leaves if you do not protect them with netting or rodent spray.
Additional Resources
Learn How to Grow Arugula HERE
#6. Carrots
Popular Varieties: Danver, Purple, Yellow, White
Why Grow Carrots in Pots in Pennsylvania?
Thrives in the heat & cold:
- Carrots are another vegetable that will thrive in winter weather that is hot but is also perfect for cooler to cold fall and early winter. You can harvest carrots even after the ground has frosted over if you plant them in pots.
Lots & Lots of Harvest:
- Carrots are one of the few vegetables that you can harvest from late summer to early winter. This means you will be able to enjoy it all year long if you store it or grow in pots.
Perfect for Small Spaces:
- The wonderful thing about carrots is that it is a vegetable that is perfect for small spaces. You can plant a lot of carrot seeds in a very small space.
THESE Could Harm Your Carrots
Soil:
- One of the factors that can harm your carrots is soil. If you do not have loamy, sandy soil there is a chance your carrots won’t properly grow or grow at all.
Pests:
- Pests such as rabbits and squirrels love carrot plants. These pests will generally not harm your actual carrot vegetables. What they will do though is immediately eat carrot leaves if you do not protect them with netting or rodent spray.
Additional Resources
Did you know that carrots are one of the few vegetables that you can actually store all winter making it enjoyable all year long?
#7. Spinach
Popular Varieties: Flat, Savoy, Semi-Savoy
Why Grow Spinach in Pots in Pennsylvania?
Cold-Hardy:
- Lettuce thrives in Pennsylvania’s cooler winter months. Unlike other vegetables, this plant can grow even when there is snow or frost on the ground whether or not you have them in gardening pots.
Perfect for Gardening Pots:
- Spinach is one of the few vegetables that can be grown any time of the year in pots. No matter what the weather is like you can grow spinach in gardening pots on your deck, patio, or raised garden bed and enjoy this nutritional vegetable in the winter.
THESE Could Harm Your Spinach
Pests
- Like lettuce, collard greens, and kale pests love spinach. They will particularly feast on kale in the winter months when food and vegetation start to become scarce.
Additional Resources
Learn How to Grow Spinach HERE
#8. Kohlrabi
Popular Varieties: Purple Vienna, Kossak, Azur Star
Why Grow Kohlrabi in Pots in Pennsylvania?
Thrives in Droughts:
- Unlike other vegetables, Kohlrabi does not require much water the year to grow to make this the perfect vegetable to grow in pots.
Great for Raised Garden Beds:
- Kohlrabi is the perfect vegetable to be planted in raised garden beds or even gardening containers. When planted correctly it can grow and be harvested all year.
THESE Could Harm Your Kohlrabi
Insects:
- Kohlrabi is one of the few vegetables that require constant insect control. Insects can quickly destroy your kohlrabi leaves before flowers grow and can destroy the vegetable itself if not properly cared for.
Hot Weather:
- If the weather becomes too hot you can expect your kohlrabi to become stunted, flower, and become inedible.
Additional Resources
Did you know Kohlrabi is fast becoming one of America’s favorite vegetables to eat no matter what time of year it is?
#9. Radishes
Popular Varieties: French, Tarzan, Stela
Why Grow Radishes in Pots in Pennsylvania?
Thrives in Droughts:
- Like Carrots and other root crops, Radishes require little water, sunlight, and even pest care. This makes it great for full-sun and partial-sun garden areas.
Cold Weather:
- Radishes are one of the few vegetables that can survive temperatures slightly below frost. This means you can plant, grow, and harvest your radishes in the early winter!
THESE Could Harm Your Radishes
Clay:
- Almost all of the vegetables on this can grow in any type of soil. The one exception is radishes. Radishes need loamy and small particle soil. If it is planted in clay soil it will not grow at all.
Additional Resources
The biggest tip I have when growing Radishes in Pennsylvania is to give your vegetable enough space. Most gardeners plant radishes or radish seeds too close to one another, inhibiting the size and flavor of your vegetable.
#10. Peppers
Popular Varieties: Bell, Jalapeno, Habanero
Why Grow Peppers in Pots in Pennsylvania?
Loves Heat:
- These low-maintenance vegetables love the heat. The hotter the summer the better they do. And the longer summer goes on the more peppers you will have.
Perfect for Vertical Gardening:
- Peppers are one of the vegetables you may not think of when it comes to vertical gardening, but they do just as great as others. This makes it perfect for small spaces and even in pots.
THESE Could Harm Your Peppers
Diseases:
- Peppers can be prone to diseases in late summer. Expect blight, fungus, and rot to affect your plant later in the season near the time you will harvest your peppers.
Additional Resources
Learn How to Grow Peppers HERE
Common Growing Factors of Pennsylvania’s Best Vegetables to Grow in Pots
As a reminder, the below factors are common for the Best Vegetables to Grow in Pots in Pennsylvania:
- Thrives in Heat & Drought
- Thrives in Cold
- Can Grow in Vertical Gardens
- Hardy against Pests & Insects
- Can be planted in ALL Types of Garden
- Great Cross-Pollinator
