If you are limited by space, consider raising vegetables in containers.  Problems with soil-borne diseases, or poor soil conditions can be easily overcome by switching to a container garden.
Containers
Almost any type of container can be used for growing vegetable plants. For example, try using bushel baskets, drums, gallon cans, tubs or wooden boxes. The size of the container will vary according to the crop selection and space available. Pots from 6 to 10 inches in size are satisfactory for green onion, parsley and herbs. For most vegetable crops such as tomatoes, peppers and eggplant, you will find 5-gallon containers are the most suitable size. They are fairly easy to handle and provide adequate space for root growth.
Regardless of the type or size of container used, adequate drainage is a necessity for successful yields. It is advisable to add about 1 inch of coarse gravel in the bottom of the container to improve drainage. If that makes the pot to heavy you can use pop cans or Styrofoam peanuts as well. The drain holes are best located along the side of the container, about 1/4 inch to 1/2 inch from the bottom.



Crop Selection
Almost any vegetable that will grow in a typical backyard garden will also do well as a container-grown plant. Vegetables that are ideally suited for growing in containers include tomatoes, peppers, eggplant, green onions, beans, lettuce, squash, radishes and parsley. Pole beans and cucumbers also do well in this type of garden, but they do require considerably more space because of their vining growth habit.
Variety selection is of extreme importance. Most varieties that will do well when planted in a yard garden will also do well in containers. Below are some varieties of vegetables that are ideally suited for these mini-gardens are indicated in Table 1.

 
Varieties for container-grown vegetables

Fertilization
There are many good commercial fertilizer mixes available. A complete fertilizer such as 10-10-10, 12-24-12 or 8-16-8.
If you use transplants, begin watering with the fertilizer solution the day you set them out. Then fertilize once a week.
If you start with seeds, apply only tap water to keep the soil mix moist enough until the seeds germinate and the plants emerge. Then begin using the fertilizer twice a week.
 While the frequency of watering will vary from one crop to the next, usually once per day is adequate. Should the vegetable make a lot of foliage growth, twice a day may be necessary. Less water will be needed during periods of slow growth.
At least once a week, it is advisable to leach all the unused fertilizer out of the soil mix by watering with tap water. Add sufficient water to the container to cause free drainage from the bottom. This practice will prevent any buildup of injurious materials in the soil mix.


Watering
Proper watering is essential for a successful container garden. Generally one watering per day is adequate. However, poor drainage will slowly kill the plants. The mix will become water-logged and plants will die from lack of oxygen. If at all possible, avoid wetting the foliage of plants since wet leaves will encourage plant diseases.

Light
Nearly all vegetable plants will grow better in full sunlight than in shade. However, leafy crops such as lettuce, cabbage, greens, spinach and parsley can tolerate more shade than root crops such as radishes, beets, turnips and onions. The root vegetables can stand more shade than those which bear fruit, such as cucumbers, peppers, tomatoes and eggplant. One advantage to container gardening is mobility. Container gardening makes it possible to position the vegetables in areas where they can receive the best possible growing conditions.
Diseases and Insects
Vegetables grown in containers can be attacked by the various types of insects and diseases that are common to any vegetable garden. Plants should be periodically inspected for the presence of foliage and fruit-feeding insects as well as the occurrence of diseases. Should problems occur, then the timely application of EPA-approved fungicides and insecticides is advised.
Table 2. Planting information for growing vegetables in containers

*All vegetables grow best in full sunlight, but those indicated will also do well in partial shade.

Table 3. Common problems in container gardening