Even if you have limited space at home, you can grow vegetables to pick fresh for added flavor and nutrients in your meals. Conquer the lack-of-space issue by creating a container garden to grow food on your patio, deck or porch. Use large pots and buckets, potting soil, fertilizer and plenty of water to produce leafy greens, delicate root vegetables and succulent salad ingredients.
Lettuce
Treat yourself to leaf lettuce, head lettuce and mixed varieties when you grow this vegetable in low, wide pots. Sow the seeds in early spring and every two weeks until the hottest part of the summer for a continuous supply of lettuce as each planting matures. Set containers of lettuce in partially shaded areas and harvest in the early morning for crisp leaves to use in salads and sandwiches.
Tomatoes
Reserve the sunniest part of the container garden to grow tomatoes. If you have room for just one plant, grow a variety that has the word "patio" in its name, as that type has been specifically bred to thrive in smaller spaces. Cherry tomatoes, plum tomatoes and the pear-shaped type also produce high yields for eating fresh or using in salad and pasta dishes. The Ohio State University Extension recommends using a pot 20 to 22 inches in diameter for tomatoes.
Peppers
Set the pepper plants strategically through the container garden to take full advantage of the sun's rays. Combine one green, one red and one orange or yellow bell pepper in your garden layout to take advantage of the visual appeal and flavor varieties that ripe peppers add to meals. Use containers that are about 16 inches in diameter for peppers. Hot peppers, like cayenne and jalapenos, can be tucked into sunny corners of the garden to produce spicy accents for late-summer and autumn dishes. If you have an abundance of hot peppers, dry some for a home-grown addition to meals throughout the winter.
Green Beans
The large leaves and delicate blossoms of green bean plants make them a visually attractive plant in your container garden throughout the summer. Planted in late spring, you can begin picking beans to eat in mid to late summer. Optimize your space by growing pole beans with vines that grow up a trellis instead of low-growing bush beans. Vining plants like beans require a container about 20 inches in diameter, according to the Ohio State University Extension.
Spinach
Spinach seeds planted in early spring grow quickly to yield leafy greens within weeks. Spinach thrives best in cooler weather, although the Bloomsdale longstanding variety may be planted in containers every two to three weeks for successive crops into the summer.
Onions
Green onions and bunching onions are suitable for containers and will produce from summer into the fall. Grow several different types, including red onions, to bring variety to the table. Freshly picked onions may be lightly grilled with other vegetables, served in salads and added to meat or vegetarian entrees.
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