Vegetables Can Also Be Grown as Ornamental Bonsai? These Plants Are Worth a Try
Container vegetables are vegetables grown in flower pots or other containers, for people to admire and harvest. Crops and varieties suitable for container growing fall into the following categories: first, fruiting ornamental vegetables, including colored sweet peppers, dwarf tomatoes, cherry tomatoes, small chili peppers, miniature watermelons and various pumpkins, melons, zucchini, okra, litchi tomato, and so on; second, colored vegetables, including red-stemmed leaf beet, Gynura bicolor, perilla, purple mallows, variegated kale, and so on; third, leafy health vegetables, including variegated lettuce, parsley, Anredera cordifolia, Kochia scoparia, mizuna, Lysimachia clethroides, kale, basil, leaf goji, Chinese chives, vegetable jute, and so on; fourth, root and tuber vegetables, such as celeriac, cherry radishes, kohlrabi, turnips, miniature radishes, carrots, and so on. A few common container vegetables are introduced below:
Miniature pumpkins come in many types, with shapes including round, oval, gourd-shaped, and so on; the fruit colors are complete, with solid colors of yellow, green, and creamy white, and multicolored types with light and dark green stripes and yellow-green, and so on; the fruits are small and beautiful, with strict light requirements, and the suitable growing temperature is 20°C to 30°C. They produce many female flowers and bear many fruits, making them suitable for shaped container growing. The pot used for container growing should have a diameter of no less than 30 cm.
Facing Heaven chili has both ornamental and edible value. The plant is relatively small, with moderate growth vigor; in containers its spread is about 35 cm, its height is 30 cm to 35 cm, and it branches profusely. The fruit is conical, growing upright, about 1.5 cm in diameter and 2.5 cm to 3 cm long, extremely hot; it starts creamy white and gradually turns red, with multiple colors on the same plant, brilliant fruit color, and beautiful fruit shape, giving it strong ornamental appeal. It is disease-resistant and tolerant of weak light, with an ornamental period of about 150 days.
Variegated kale, also known as "leaf peony," is a biennial herbaceous plant, 30 to 40 cm tall, with thick leaves whose margins are deeply wavy and crinkled, resembling bird feathers; the outer leaves do not form a head, and the inner leaves come in 3 colors - red, white, and pink - which are very brilliant and similar to peony flowers, giving it high ornamental value.
Auspicious eggplant has both ornamental and edible value, mainly ornamental. The plant is relatively small and suitable for shaped container growing; in containers it is 40 to 50 cm tall, with green stems and leaf stalks. The fruit is smooth and glossy, oval, initially white and then gradually turning golden yellow, with beautiful color; it is disease-resistant and relatively tolerant of weak light, with an ornamental period of up to 150 days.
Cheers pepper has both ornamental and edible value. The plant has moderate growth vigor; in containers its spread is about 40 cm, its height is about 35 cm, and it branches profusely. The fruit is round, about 1 cm in diameter, extremely hot, initially creamy white and gradually turning red, with multiple colors on the same plant, brilliant fruit color, and strong ornamental appeal, making it suitable for shaped container growing; it is tolerant of weak light, with an ornamental period of about 160 days.
Common Ornamental Container Vegetable Varieties and Their Cultivation Techniques
Ornamental vegetables are vegetable varieties that have elegant plant form, unusual appearance, and brilliant color, can be eaten as vegetables, and also have strong ornamental value, so they can serve as miniature bonsai. These vegetables are loved by people for their multiple functions of ornament, food, greening, and beautifying the environment, and their market prospects are very attractive. Several common ornamental container vegetable varieties and their cultivation points are introduced below.
1. Container tomatoes
Choose small varieties, with a plant height of 20 cm and a plant crown of 15 cm. The branches spread naturally to form shade, and the fruits are small and exquisite with good flavor; they can be used as a side dish or eaten as fruit.
This variety can be sown in early spring from February to March, and also in mid-July in summer. Choose a 30 cm × 30 cm flower pot and fill it with a growing medium made from garden soil or paddy soil mixed with organic fertilizer. Scatter 2 to 3 seeds in each pot, water thoroughly, and cover the surface with fine soil; if the temperature is low, cover with film to keep warm. When the seedlings are 3 to 4 cm tall, keep 1 plant and move the remaining seedlings with their root soil into pots that lack plants. You can also first raise seedlings together in a hotbed, and then move them into flower pots when the seedlings are larger. Container tomatoes like sunlight and need full sun; the potting soil should be neutral to slightly acidic (pH 6 to 7), rich in organic matter, well aerated and drained, and heavy clay soil should be avoided. During the growing period, apply light fertilizer frequently, and you can spray the leaves with 0.5% potassium dihydrogen phosphate or a compound foliar fertilizer. Fertilizer and water should be applied in appropriate amounts; if the fertilizer is too concentrated, it will "burn" the leaves and cause wilting.
2. Five-color peppers
Container five-color peppers are generally strongly pungent and can be used as a seasoning. Their variety types include Cheers pepper, seven-color pepper, Red Eagle, Red Fruit, Mini Eagle, Lucky Fruit, Yellow Fruit, Joy, Purple Jade, Sunshine, Purple Flame, Little Eagle, and so on. The plant is 15 to 30 cm tall, with a spread of 45 to 55 cm. Fruit shape varies by variety, including long conical, conical, and spherical, and so on. Some fruits are initially yellow-green and then turn orange, purple, and red. Some grow downward, while others grow upward; those that grow upward are called "facing heaven peppers." The single fruit weighs 2 to 10 grams; the fruits are small and exquisite and endearing, making this a vegetable with both ornamental and edible value.
Container five-color peppers are generally sown in early spring from February to March, and the sowing and seedling-raising methods are the same as for container tomatoes. At low temperatures, higher warmth-retention measures are required. Keep 1 plant per pot. Five-color peppers like a sunny, warm, and dry environment, are heat-tolerant but not cold-tolerant, and require moist, humus-rich sandy soil; they are tolerant of fertilizer but not of poor soil, and generally garden soil mixed with compost is used as the potting soil. During the growing period, strengthen fertilizer and water management, keep the potting soil moist, and apply light fertilizer frequently; you can spray the leaves with 0.5% compound foliar fertilizer to encourage more fruiting and enhance ornament. If pests appear, you can directly spray the pests with household insecticide, and the control effect is obvious.
3. Miniature eggplants
Miniature eggplant varieties include gold-and-silver egg eggplant, five-finger eggplant, small ball eggplant, longevity fruit, and so on. The skin comes in colors such as purple-black, white, purple-red, and bright red. In some varieties the fruit color is initially silvery white and turns golden yellow when mature, so the branches look very beautiful with gold and silver hanging from them. Fruit shapes include egg-shaped, five-finger-shaped, spherical, and oval, and so on. The plant is small, 50 to 100 cm tall, with a plant crown of 25 to 80 cm;
the fruit is 4 to 6 cm long, 3 to 4.5 cm in diameter, and weighs about 10 to 45 grams.
Container miniature eggplants are grown by transplanting small seedlings or by direct sowing in the pot. It is a sun-loving plant and requires full sun. The potting soil should preferably be fertile loam; clay soil is not suitable. Miniature eggplant is an ornamental vegetable selected and bred in recent years, and a suitable amount of chlormequat can be used to control plant growth. Its cultivation season and growing-period management are similar to those of peppers.
4. Miniature pumpkins
Miniature pumpkin is an annual vining plant of the genus Cucurbita in the gourd family. The main container miniature pumpkin varieties include Golden Boy, Jade Girl, Longfengpiao, Guapi, Mandarin Duck Pear, Hibiscus Mandarin, Geda, and so on. Miniature pumpkins have unusual fruit shapes and many color combinations: some resemble pears, golden on top and dark green at the bottom; some resemble spoons, with a spherical lower part and alternating yellow-green stripes; some resemble spheres, with longitudinal grooves and blue-green mottled skin, much like small watermelons, and so on, giving them extremely high ornamental and artistic value.
Container miniature pumpkins are generally cultivated in spring, sown from March to April, with 2 to 3 seeds sown per pot; when the seedlings have 3 to 4 leaves, keep 1 plant per pot. Miniature pumpkins are relatively adaptable and easy to manage, and are generally grown on trellises.
Other container ornamental vegetable varieties include red amaranth, Gynura bicolor, celeriac, seven-leaf spinach, purple-leaf lettuce, purple cabbage, small cucumbers, and so on, which are relatively easy to cultivate.
How Should Ornamental Vegetables Be Grown in Containers
Ornamental vegetables are vegetable varieties that have elegant plant form, unusual appearance, and brilliant color, can be eaten as vegetables, and also have strong ornamental value, so they can serve as miniature bonsai. These vegetables are loved by people for their multiple functions of ornament, food, greening, and beautifying the environment, and their market prospects are very attractive. Several common ornamental container vegetable varieties and their cultivation points are introduced below.
1. Container tomatoes.
Choose small varieties, with a plant height of 20 cm and a plant crown of 15 cm. The branches spread naturally to form shade, and the fruits are small and exquisite with good flavor; they can be used as a side dish or eaten as fruit.
This variety can be sown in early spring from February to March, and also in mid-July in summer. Choose a 30 cm × 30 cm flower pot and fill it with a growing medium made from garden soil or paddy soil mixed with organic fertilizer. Scatter 2 to 3 seeds in each pot, water thoroughly, and cover the surface with fine soil; if the temperature is low, cover with film to keep warm. When the seedlings are 3 to 4 cm tall, keep 1 plant and move the remaining seedlings with their root soil into pots that lack plants. You can also first raise seedlings together in a hotbed, and then move them into flower pots when the seedlings are larger. Container tomatoes like sunlight and need full sun; the potting soil should be neutral to slightly acidic (pH 6 to 7), rich in organic matter, well aerated and drained, and heavy clay soil should be avoided. During the growing period, apply light fertilizer frequently, and you can spray the leaves with 0.5% potassium dihydrogen phosphate or a compound foliar fertilizer. Fertilizer and water should be applied in appropriate amounts; if the fertilizer is too concentrated, it will "burn" the leaves and cause wilting.
2. Five-color peppers.
Container five-color peppers are generally strongly pungent and can be used as a seasoning. Their variety types include Cheers pepper, seven-color pepper, Red Eagle, Red Fruit, Mini Eagle, Lucky Fruit, Yellow Fruit, Joy, Purple Jade, Sunshine, Purple Flame, Little Eagle, and so on. The plant is 15 to 30 cm tall, with a spread of 45 to 55 cm. Fruit shape varies by variety, including long conical, conical, and spherical, and so on. Some fruits are initially yellow-green and then turn orange, purple, and red. Some grow downward, while others grow upward; those that grow upward are called "facing heaven peppers." The single fruit weighs 2 to 10 grams; the fruits are small and exquisite and endearing, making this a vegetable with both ornamental and edible value.
Container five-color peppers are generally sown in early spring from February to March, and the sowing and seedling-raising methods are the same as for container tomatoes. At low temperatures, higher warmth-retention measures are required. Keep 1 plant per pot. Five-color peppers like a sunny, warm, and dry environment, are heat-tolerant but not cold-tolerant, and require moist, humus-rich sandy soil; they are tolerant of fertilizer but not of poor soil, and generally garden soil mixed with compost is used as the potting soil. During the growing period, strengthen fertilizer and water management, keep the potting soil moist, and apply light fertilizer frequently; you can spray the leaves with 0.5% compound foliar fertilizer to encourage more fruiting and enhance ornament. If pests appear, you can directly spray the pests with household insecticide, and the control effect is obvious.
3. Miniature eggplants.
Miniature eggplant varieties include gold-and-silver egg eggplant, five-finger eggplant, small ball eggplant, longevity fruit, and so on. The skin comes in colors such as purple-black, white, purple-red, and bright red. In some varieties the fruit color is initially silvery white and turns golden yellow when mature, so the branches look very beautiful with gold and silver hanging from them. Fruit shapes include egg-shaped, five-finger-shaped, spherical, and oval, and so on. The plant is small, 50 to 100 cm tall, with a plant crown of 25 to 80 cm; the fruit is 4 to 6 cm long, 3 to 4.5 cm in diameter, and weighs about 10 to 45 grams.
Container miniature eggplants are grown by transplanting small seedlings or by direct sowing in the pot. It is a sun-loving plant and requires full sun. The potting soil should preferably be fertile loam; clay soil is not suitable. Miniature eggplant is an ornamental vegetable selected and bred in recent years, and a suitable amount of chlormequat can be used to control plant growth. Its cultivation season and growing-period management are similar to those of peppers.
4. Miniature pumpkins.
Miniature pumpkin is an annual vining plant of the genus Cucurbita in the gourd family. The main container miniature pumpkin varieties include Golden Boy, Jade Girl, Longfengpiao, Guapi, Mandarin Duck Pear, Hibiscus Mandarin, Geda, and so on. Miniature pumpkins have unusual fruit shapes and many color combinations: some resemble pears, golden on top and dark green at the bottom; some resemble spoons, with a spherical lower part and alternating yellow-green stripes; some resemble spheres, with longitudinal grooves and blue-green mottled skin, much like small watermelons, and so on, giving them extremely high ornamental and artistic value.
Container miniature pumpkins are generally cultivated in spring, sown from March to April, with 2 to 3 seeds sown per pot; when the seedlings have 3 to 4 leaves, keep 1 plant per pot. Miniature pumpkins are relatively adaptable and easy to manage, and are generally grown on trellises.
Other container ornamental vegetable varieties include red amaranth, Gynura bicolor, celeriac, seven-leaf spinach, purple-leaf lettuce, purple cabbage, small cucumbers, and so on, which are relatively easy to cultivate.