What kind of plants can you plant in plastic bottles? Growing in plastic bottles is not only a great way to grow your own food, but you’re also helping the environment by recycling. Let’s see what kinds of vegetables can be grown in plastic bottles.
Contents
What plants can be grown in plastic bottles?
You can grow vegetables, herbs, fruits and flowers in plastic bottles. As long as it’s a small plant and doesn’t require a large space.
You can plant many different fruits that work well in plastic bottles, such as strawberries or watermelons.
You can grow succulents, small herbs and even small flowers in plastic bottles, as long as you provide them with the necessary water, growing space and nutrition, but in this guide we will focus on the vegetables.
1. Tomatoes
The tomato is undoubtedly one of the most cheerful potted vegetables and can be grown in plastic bottles, choose one of at least 5 liters so that the plant can develop properly.
Tomatoes are very productive in pots. In fact, they are often one of the most productive container crops that can be grown.
Tomatoes need lots of sun, so a spot like a sunny roof or windowsill is perfect for them. Keep in mind that they will need regular watering.
2. Peppers
Peppers are so versatile, you’ll love adding them to salads and stir-fries, stuffing them, and slicing them to serve with bowls of hummus and onion dip.
Peppers are ideal for growing in plastic bottles due to their small size and will be ready to enjoy within 75-85 days of spring planting.
This plant grows best in full sun and grows well with or without additional support.
3. Beans
With their attractive foliage and flowers, green beans are a great addition to any balcony or patio.
You can choose a “bush” bean variety, which will grow happily in a plastic bottle without any additional support, or you can choose to grow a trailing variety and place green beans on a trellis.
This is great for making the most of vertical space, as you can get them to climb walls and fences.
4. Spinach
You can grow spinach in a plastic bottle both indoors and outdoors. It is an easy plant to grow in a bottle at least 15-20cm deep.
To grow spinach in plastic bottles, use good quality potting soil. Make sure the soil texture is clayey and crumbly. Spinach needs soil that drains easily.
Spinach is easy to grow indoors because it doesn’t need a lot of sun. A windowsill is a great place if you want to grow them indoors, especially since direct sunlight can be detrimental to these plants.
5. Swiss chard
In a contest for the best crop to grow in plastic bottles, green leafy vegetables would be hard to beat.
Of rapid and productive growth, it is an easy and delicious culture. What’s better, young leafy greens need little space to grow and have shallow root systems, so they grow well in small pots.
Additionally, Swiss chard is one of the few vegetables that doesn’t need a lot of sun and will thrive in a more shady location.
6. Beetroot
Perfectly suited to growing in small spaces, beets are virtually unknown in this category.
The only consideration is that they need a fairly deep pot to grow freely. A plastic bottle with a depth of 20 cm is ideal for promoting good root growth.
7. Kale
Another space-saving vegetable perfect for life in plastic bottles, kale is packed with nutrients. Add it to your smoothies, sauté the mature leaves or pick them young for a fresh and tender option to add to salads.
Three or four plants are enough to provide a family of four with a good weekly harvest. The most important thing to remember is that the pot should be at least 30cm in diameter and it is best to use well-draining potting soil.
In this case, you can use 5 liter plastic bottles and cut them horizontally, so you will have two good pots for growing kale.
8. Rocket
Perfect if you’re feeling a little fancy, arugula has a distinctive peppery flavor that makes a great addition to salads and sandwiches.
Arugula does best in cooler temperatures, so give it some shade by growing it on a porch or using row covers.
But since this variety is slow, it should do better in the summer months than the other varieties and remain productive longer in the season, without becoming muscular or starting to flower.
9. Parsley
Growing parsley in plastic bottles is easy if you know the basic requirements. As long as the plastic bottle is at least six to eight inches deep, you can grow parsley as an annual. However, if you are growing parsley as a biennial, you need a bit more depth, like 10 inches.
Be sure to choose a partially shaded but sunny location. Parsley grows well in full sun. Water the parsley regularly and evenly, but don’t overdo it.
10. Lettuce
You can plant lettuce in large plastic bottles. Lettuce is great for little gardeners. You can start growing lettuce from seed or seedlings in spring or fall.
Plant it in a plastic bottle with a mixture of soil and compost. Lettuce is a sun loving plant. Choose a sunny spot. It takes between 35 and 60 days to mature.
Since lettuce has shallow roots, it responds well to constant watering. Lettuce needs at least 4.00 cm of irrigation per week.
11. Onion
You can grow onions in plastic bottles as long as there is rich, well-drained soil, enough water and sunlight (10-14 hours a day), and some fertilizer.
Onions take about 110 days to mature, but can be harvested when they are pencil-sized, which takes about 70 days.
If you want to plant onions outdoors, make sure the soil temperature has reached at least 15 degrees Celsius.
Onions need full sun and good drainage. Water the onions when the top layer of soil feels dry to the touch.
12. Radish
The different shapes and sizes (white round, red round, long pink, etc.) make radishes a must-have for container gardeners. If this is your first time growing in a container, you can’t go wrong with radishes.
Since they are small, they can be adapted to grow in plastic bottles. However, I recommend using a bottle that is at least 6 inches deep. This depth will ensure proper root formation.
Radish requires loose, fertile, well-drained soil. Since it grows quickly (only 23 days from start to finish), be sure to use a good potting soil to start with.
13. Mushrooms
Mushrooms grow quickly in plastic bottles. So if you can set up the ideal growing conditions, growing mushrooms is a great way to diversify your garden. Mushrooms grow well in small areas.
Any plastic bottle 20cm deep should do the trick for growing mushrooms. They need darkness, so be sure to park your container in a cool, damp, shady place.
Your basement can be a great place to grow mushrooms. But, if your home doesn’t have a basement, a closet or unused room could also work. Make sure the space temperature does not exceed 15 degrees C.
14. Strawberries
Although it is a fruit, the strawberry cannot be missing from this list. Strawberries are ideal for plastic bottles, given their compact size and rapid growth.
Growing strawberries in plastic bottles has several important advantages. First, you can move the plastic bottles out of direct sunlight. Planting in plastic bottles allows you to move strawberries indoors in the winter to force an early harvest.
And if you don’t have a sunny spot in your house or apartment, don’t worry because you can grow this delicious fruit under artificial light.
This means you can grow strawberries any time of the year, from summer to winter. Remember to use good quality potting soil in your plastic bottles.
15. Basil
It’s not necessarily a vegetable, but it couldn’t be missing from this list either. Plastic bottles are perfect for growing basil. What makes basil wonderful is that you can grow it both indoors and outdoors. However, keep in mind that basil is super sensitive to cold.
Do not use regular soil for your basil when planting it in plastic bottles. You should only use potting soil. If you want, you can start with seeds or plant store-bought basil.
You can also take green basil cuttings and put them in a plastic bottle filled with water. In a few days, the roots will appear.
You can then transfer the cuttings to a plastic bottle filled with potting soil. Water your weed and place the bottle in the sunniest spot in your home.
Share it on the networks: