It's OK to let your vegetables go to pot

No doubt about it, warm temperatures got us in the gardening mood, then cold blasts frosted our enthusiasm. Go back to thumbing your garden catalogs and strolling wistfully through nurseries — warmer days will return.

If the urge to start seedlings possesses you, consider edibles you can grow in pots to adorn your deck or patio.

The Northwest's expert on contained vegetables, Rose Marie Nichols, considers both flavor and appearance when planning her edible garden.

"How do you want the patio to look?" she says.

Vegetables needn't conjure up visions of muddy fields and grubby weeds. Think ruffled lettuce, white bean blossoms, purple chard, and tomatoes ripening in the warmest spot. Combinations of flowers and vegetables can create an outdoor patio prettier than either alone.

Edibles such as peas, spinach and onions thrive in cool temperatures. They can be sowed as seeds or planted from nursery starts about March 15, when nighttime low temperatures rise above 35 degrees. They don't need protection from cold if they have well-drained soil.

That's sure not true for tropical types such as tomatoes, basil and squash. These warm-season crops need indoor protection until nearly the end of May; start seeds for these around April 1 to 15, at least 50 days ahead of setting-out time.

For containers, choose large ones for the more rambunctious vegetables. Half-barrels give you the most room. Before filling a new half-barrel, drill five or six large holes in the bottom. Barrels weren't meant to dribble and drip, but plants need drainage. Twelve- or 14-inch wooden or plastic containers can grow spinach, lettuce, green onions, garlic and carrots.

Containers can also be five-gallon buckets, plastic laundry baskets or wastebaskets, wooden fruit boxes, large commercial food tins, or even straw baskets lined with plastic (poke holes in the plastic for drainage). Some of these might last only one season but be entirely serviceable during their brief presence. Whatever the container, poke ample drainage holes.

For starting seeds, use packaged soil mix with fine texture, often cleverly labeled as "Seed Starting Mix." For carrying on through the summer when you transplant into pots, choose any well-drained potting soil. If you wish, add some screened compost (about 20 percent by volume), either your own or from a bag of commercial compost.

Tomatoes, everyone's favorite, do best in half-barrels because they develop large root systems. Several varieties are miniature-size for confined spaces. 'Sweet Baby Girl' cherry tomato, the new "grape" tomatoes such as 'Honey Bunch Grape' and 'Gold Nugget' produce early and often, and all stay small.

Nichols also recommends 'Legend,' a local choice from Oregon State University, which resists late blight, making it a good choice for open-ground gardens as well as containers. If you fancy a tomato in a hanging container, try 'Tumbler' to fill in and drape handsomely. 'Gold Nugget,' with sturdy 24-inch plants and brilliant yellow fruit, she describes as "prolific and decorative."

Eggplant, a favorite for the grill, produces vigorously in large pots. Plant in warm weather, and provide a cozy corner for the eggplant. Look for 'Green Goddess' or 'Fairy Tale,' with small, attractive fruits.

Nichols conjures visions of outdoor cooking with vegetables gathered from your own containers — fresher than fresh for the grill. Her useful book, "The Bountiful Container," explains potted edibles from apples through zucchini with stops along the way for saffron crocus and even stevia.

No matter your level of garden experience, Nichols makes the process simple and fun. "Time spent working in your garden," she notes, "will not be deducted from your life."

Garden expert Mary Robson is a retired area horticulture agent for Washington State University/King County Cooperative Extension. Her e-mail is marysophia@olympus.net.