If you are new to gardening, new to GreenStalk, or just need a season of growing something low-maintenance, look no further. These are seveneasy plants to grow in containers. Actually, there are many easy plants to grow in a GreenStalk Vertical Garden but these are a few of our “easy-growing” favorites!
Green Beans
Bush beans are a prolific fruiting plant with a quick seed-to-harvest time of 50-55 days. One of our favorite varieties is the “gold rush” bush bean by Botanical Interests. The color of the beautiful chartreuse beans pops out against the green foliage, shouting when they’re ready for harvest. Bush green beans grow easily from seed but are also easily transplanted. Pop up to three plants in one pocket of the GreenStalk Original Vertical Planter and you’ll be picking beans in no time.
Radish
This cool-season root vegetable thrives in the mild temperatures of spring and fall. Like other root vegetables, radishes want a loose soil that drains well. So growing them in containers is a breeze! Sprinkle seeds and cover lightly with soil, thin to three plants per pocket in the GreenStalk Leaf Vertical Planter, and you’ll have a fresh, crunchy, peppery harvest in as little as four weeks. Depending on your climate, you could re-sow another round of radishes or begin a warm-season crop in its place.
Lettuce
Another cool-season crop, lettuce is quick and easy to grow. Direct sow, keep the soil moist, and you could harvest lettuce leaves in as few as thirty days. This leafy cut-and-come-again crop doesn’t require staking, pruning, or pollinating. It really doesn’t even require thinning if you prefer to harvest small tender leaves. You can read all about growing a huge lettuce harvest here.
Swiss Chard
Nutritious, gorgeous, easy to grow – chard is one of our GreenStalk staff favorites. Fast-growing chard is ready for harvest four to six weeks from planting. It can mature quickly to 18-24 inches in height, so plant one per pocket in the Original or Leaf. Full sun is best but it will tolerate shade. A little fertilizer helps but it will do fine without it. Cool weather is ideal but we’ve seen it hang on through the dead of winterand the heat of summer! As you can see, this beauty is one of the easiest, most forgiving plants in our vertical gardens.
Chives
Most herbs grow wonderfully in containers, but we encourage you to try growing chives! This herb is perennial in zones three to nine and gives a harvest most of the year in nearly all of the country. It is a wonderful companion plant as it wards off pests. Once the blades reach six inches or taller, you can snip out what you need (leaving at least two inches) for a continual harvest. Fresh chives are so versatile in cooking; they enhance almost any savory dish. You’ll find that with very little effort, you’ll be growing plenty. Tip: When your chives become thick at the base and fill the pocket of your GreenStalk, you can divide the plant, replant half, and give the other half to a friend!
Coleus
If you’re looking for an easy plant with colorful foliage, look no further than Coleus. With shades of red, pink, coral, yellow, chartreuse, green, burgundy, and purple, this is the perfect plant to tuck in around vegetables for visual interest. Or you could fill your GreenStalk Vertical Garden with a rainbow of varieties! It prefers rich, well-draining soil, making it a perfect candidate for container gardening. The more you snip back foliage and flowers, the more your plants will branch and bush. Giving it some morning sun and afternoon shade will reward you with beautiful, low-maintenance plants until the first frost.
Pansies
This is a bit of a 3-for-1 because we’re including traditional pansies, violas, and Johnny-jump-ups. They are all in the same family, have similar growth habits, and grow wonderfully in containers. Like Coleus, these flowers do best with morning sun and afternoon shade. While Johnny-jump-ups do better in warmer weather, pansies and violas can thrive into the winter at temperatures below 32°F (0°C). They’ve even been known to tolerate a light frost or snow. You can see how they’ve earned their spot on our list of easy plants to grow.
If you have a favorite, easy-growing plant, we want to hear from you! For more information about growing in your specific climate, check out your local extension office. We’re here to help you grow — just email us at support@greenstalkgarden.com.
Happy gardening!
