If you’re the type of person to assume that gardening is only for the summer or spring, that’s a totally false conclusion. You can plant and garden at any time of the year, especially when you’re bored. And as we know, boredom is not seasonal. Not to worry, you don’t have to have a green thumb. You just need the right soil and an idea of what you want to plant.
There’s literally only advantages if you take up this little project to build root vegetables. You add a freshness to your home, more oxygen, and you eat what you sow! Some of the most common vegetables grown in this manner are beets and carrots. But let’s look more of some of the best root veggies to grow in containers!
1. Potatoes
Why buy a bag of potatoes from the store when you can just grow some at home? Plus point: french fries ANY time of day. Potatoes don’t have a space constraint, so whether you grow it on a balcony, terrace, patio, or a window box. You can grow potatoes in pretty much any type of container including a sack, polyethylene bags, and even tires.
Make sure that there are enough drain holes at the bottom of the container so that the soil is well-drained and clean. Don’t make the mistake of overwatering because then you’ll have to repot the plant. Like they say, “prevention is better than cure.” Water in MODERATION.
2. Ginger
Ginger is a really fun plant to grow, plus you can use it in so many pastries and teas after a successful harvest! The leaves and shoots, surprisingly, are also edible and have flavor. It’s not just the plant’s yield itself that can be used. Take a few ginger rhizomes, and plant them about 12 inches deep in medium-sized pots.
Unlike potatoes, ginger does have space constraints. Choose a place that doesn’t receive a lot of sun if you’re in a warm/hot climate. If you’re in a cold climate, choose a spot that receives continuous sunlight. If your region is prone to frost, plant the ginger after the frost subsides, or just plant it indoors.
3. Carrots
You’ll need approximately 9 square inches of area to plant the perfect carrots. Gently pat the soil down and make indents in the soil where you want to plant the seeds. Make sure that they are planted about 3 inches apart so that each carrot has its safe space to grow out.
Carrots prefer loose soil and fertilizer that doesn’t have a lot of sticks, stones, or other funky chunky materials. Plant the seeds just below the surface, and you may find a little bit of difficulty doing so since the carrot seeds are very small.
Like, Honey I Shrunk the Kids small. Once you’ve planted it, use a spray bottle to moisten the soil very lightly, because overdoing it will cause it to wash away in the Niagara Falls you’ve created.
4. Beets
OK, I’m going to admit it. I hate beets. I can’t remember how many times my mom has tried out different recipes telling me that “I promise, it’ll taste good this time.” Ah, the lies we’ll tell children for nutrition. During its growing stages, the seeds have to be separated, before they form clusters.
If these clusters form, it’ll hinder the development of the bulbs, and the beets can’t grow due to a lack of space. It needs loamy soil to grow, which is a combination of sand, silt, and clay. It also requires sunlight 24/7 or at least partial sunlight.
5. Onions
Although they’re easy to grow, they take quite long to plant and develop. You can either use seeds, transplants, or sets to start growing onions at home. Shallots can also be grown in a similar manner, but are typically grown in the fall. Whereas onions can be grown pretty much all year round! Can you tell from my excitement that it’s my favorite vegetable of all time? Check out this onion joke: “My friend told me that onions are the only vegetables that make you cry. Until I threw a watermelon at his face.” Despite the violence, it’s pretty funny. Give the seeds a good dose of sun every day and loamy soil, and you’ll be golden.
6. Radishes
Compared to other root vegetables, radishes grow the fastest. So if you’re looking for fast and successful results, I suggest radishes. They can be grown in both medium-sized and small-sized pots since space isn’t a big issue.
You’ll probably get the harvest yield in about a month, so keep your eye out for those little suckers! Plant the seeds about 6-8 inches deep in the soil. Make sure that you space it at least 3 inches apart, so that each seed has space to grow.
7. Sweet Potatoes
Sweet potatoes grow best when grown in clay pots, compared to metal or plastic containers. They are tuberous roots and are grown from slips.
Slips are small pieces of the tubers, from which these sweet potatoes are grown. Make sure the clay pot has the right number of holes, so that the soil is well-drained and clean. They are usually grown in warm climates since they take about 4 months to grow.
8. Turnips
Unlike many vegetables where you can’t eat the plant and its green tip, turnips differ from the norm. You can eat both the bulb and the green part of the turnips. There are different varieties of the turnip including those with purple tops, bright red turnips, and beautiful golden turnips.
It needs full sunlight but can also survive on partial sunlight, and also requires well-drained soil. So, make sure that the pot it grows in has enough holes so that the water drains properly. I’m aware that this has been mentioned more than once, but this is because this aspect of plant growth is very important.
9. Horseradish
Horseradish is an aggressively growing plant, which means that after harvest if there are still some root leftovers in the ground, it starts to grow immediately. Planting just a little horseradish is enough, but unfortunately, it’s difficult to plant just ” a little” horseradish. Or go the commercial grower route by digging up a whole patch of horseradish and then starting from scratch the next season.
10. Parsnips
Although they aren’t externally attractive, they do have a distinct taste that sets them apart from the otherwise commercially successful carrot and potatoes. And from the way I’m talking about it I may as well be talking about box office hits, and critiquing them! They grow well in a majority of areas and range in taste from mildly nutty to subtly sweet. However, they take 3-4 months to grow. So my only advice to you is, “Patience, my young grasshopper.”
