Carrots Tonda Di Parigi

Lettuce Tennis Ball

An heirloom from Paris, France, this round, brightly orange colored carrot is very sweet. It likes to be crowded (enhances roundness) and is the perfect carrot for a container environment.

This is a fascinating heirloom that was introduced around 1850. the tiny, 7 in., light green heads are perfect for containers. In the 17th and 18th centuries, this lettuce was packed in salt brine to preserve it for eating throughout the winter.

Carrots Cosmic

Lettuce Yugoslavian Red Butterhead

This is a stunning garden novelty. The skin of the carrot is a deep purplish pink. The interior flesh is a bright orangish-yellow. The carrots are sweet with a spicy zing.

This beautiful, butterhead lettuce would be a MUST HAVE for the patio gardener even if you couldn't eat it. The leaves are tinged with deep red that fades to pink and then changes to lime green. The loose heads are 12 in. in diameter. The leaves have an excellent, mild flavor.

Cucumbers Burpless Bush Hybrid

Melons Eden's Gem

This was one of the first vegetable plants bred for the small or container garden. Produces an easier to digest cucumber with good taste. Very reliable.

This is one of the best tasting melons you will ever encounter. The softball sized, green fleshed fruits weigh approximately 1-lb. Can be grown on a trellis as well as the garden floor.

Cucumbers Lemon

Melons Minnesota Midget

This unusual variety originally from Australia but cultivated for more than a century in the US produces small, 2-3 in., ovoid, lemon yellow fruits with crisp white flesh. When skin is translucent, fruits are good for slicing. As plants mature, skin turns golden yellow and fruits are better for pickling. Vines can be trellised for the patio garden.

This is one of the best melons for growing in a container. The vines are seldom over 3 feet long and produce 3-4 in. fruits with thick golden yellow flesh that is unbelievably sweet.

Cucumbers Mexican Sour Gherkin

Melons Vert Grimnpant (Green Climbing)

This is a winner for the patio garden. Cucumber like fruit are shaped like tiny watermelons and taste like cucumbers sprinkled with lemon juice. The vines which produce tiny leaves, tiny flowers and lots of little cucumbers can be grown on a trellis as well as on the garden floor. Good for salads or for pickling.

This is a MUST HAVE for the patio gardener. This is a very old French melon which is easily grown on a trellis and produces tiny 1-2 lb. green fleshed fruits which are crisp and juicy.

Cucumbers Spacemaster

Onions Purple Bunching Onion

This is an excellent container vegetable. The dwarf, 36 in., vines produce 8 in. dark green fruit. The plants are adaptable to most climates and soil conditions.

These onions are striking to look at, love to be crowded and are easy to grow for spring, early summer or fall harvest.

Eggplant Fairytale 2005 All America Selections Winner

Hot Peppers Caribbean Red

This is an eggplant like no other in the world. An eggplant has not won the All America award since 1939 and this one was bred to be the perfect container plant. The beautiful dwarf plants, 18-24 in., have soft green foliage and bright lavender flowers and produce eggplants in 55 days. The fruits grow in clusters of 3-5 and should be harvested when about 4 in. by 1 3/4 in.. The fruits are elongated with lavender skin streaked with white stripes. They are quite sweet and bitter-free. This is a MUST HAVE for the container gardener.

This is a red habanero that loves to be grown in containers. Can be grown as an ornamental, but the fiery hot peppers can also be eaten.

Eggplant Thai Green Pea

Hot Peppers Cayenne Long Red Slim

This is a very rare and unique eggplant that is an excellent container plant. The giant pea-sized fruit grow in clusters that are easy to harvest. The fruit has an exquisite flavor that enriches soups and stews.

This is a great container plant. The plants are 20-30 in. tall and produce an abundance of 4-6 in. long, slender, crimson red peppers. This very old pepper was introduced into the US before 1827.

Eggplant Turkish Egg Orange

Hot Peppers Jalapeno

This lovely container plant can produce edible fruit or be purely ornamental. The plants which originated in Turkey and were brought to the US by Italian immigrants produce a profusion of egg shaped little fruits which ripen from green to orange-striped to orange-red. They must be harvested before the orange-red stage to avoid bitterness and tough skins.

This plant does very well in containers. The 20-30 in. plants produce many 2-3 in. long peppers which ripen from bright green to deep red.

Eggplant Udmalbet

Hot Peppers Tabasco

This very rare Indian eggplant from a Tamil village produces small, egg-shaped, light green fruit streaked with purple that is frequently used in curries and chutneys.

This makes for a real conversation piece in the container garden because the bright red peppers point upward. This old pepper came originally from Mexico.

Eggplant White Egg

Sweet Peppers Chervena Chujski

This is a Japanese eggplant which produces small white oval fruits that ripen to yellow. The plants set fruit early and continue to produce throughout the season.

This is a Bulgarian heirloom which ripens from green to brown to a beautiful, shiny red. The fruits taper to 6 in. and resemble hot peppers, but they are incredibly sweet.

Lettuce Baby Oak Leaf

Sweet Peppers Miniature Bell Peppers

This is a wonderful choice for a container garden because of its small size and slowness to bolt. The dwarf, compact plants produce medium green, oak-shaped leaves which are a tasty addition to any salad.

All three miniature bell peppers are ideal for containers. The plants grow to 16 in. and are covered with little brown, red or yellow bell peppers that have great flavor. These peppers are family heirlooms that were shared with the Seed Savers Exchange.

Lettuce Red Velvet

Pumpkins Cheyenne Bush

This is perhaps the darkest of all red lettuces and makes a striking ornamental addition to any container garden. The plants are slow to bolt and the leaves have a pleasant, chewy texture. This is a MUST HAVE for the container gardener.

If there is a good container pumpkin, it would be this one. The plants have a compact, bush type habit and produce heavy yields of 5-8 pound pumpkins in just 80-90 days. The taste is fair, but the visual appeal is excellent.