Even though I have space for a large garden now, it was not always so. Community garden plots saved my gardening life for a number of years and some seasons I was limited to a container garden. However, just because it may be small doesn't mean it isn't a fabulous and creative way to garden. The container options have exploded over the last decade, everything from self-watering planters to raised container beds.
Vegetables pose an unique challenge because they tend to need lots of soil space meaning large, heavy, and expensive containers capable of holding between three and ten gallons. Luckily, felt or fabric planters are readily available through online retailers. Some of the planters are engineered to biodegrade after months or years. The main advantages to the fabric planters are low cost, lightweight - no one wants to carry an 18 inch diameter terra cotta pot with potting soil, and allow roots to breathe.
Aside from the container, the next most important factor is the potting mix/growing media. Do not purchase garden soil. It is cheap but has little to no drainage and your plants will suffer. I like to use about 80% peat-based potting mix and 20% high quality compost. If you don't have access to compost, just go with the potting soil but plan on adding a slow-release fertilizer, e.g. osmocote, to the planters.
The last critical step for growing vegetables in containers is variety selection. Plant breeders have been working over the past few decades to develop "patio" vegetable varieties. The most challenging vegetable to grow in containers, in my opinion, is the tomato plant. "Patio" tomato varieties are usually determinant plants. This means that the plant sets all of its flowers at one time so you get a narrow harvest window versus an indeterminant variety that continues to set flowers and fruit over a long season. However, indeterminant tomatoes tend to be large, generally over six feet in height, and difficult if not impossible to grow in a container.
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