I have used-on and off-big flower pots, variable success...

Considering how deep the rubber-maid container is I would think you could grow some root crops in it. But just make sure there's plenty of room for them because they'll compete with eachother for nutrition. You definitely want to throw some redworms in there too.

Thank you, sam...

Actually, I referred to those as an indicator of size. I will be using decorative containers because I think I will have to disguise the garden in order to avoid the neighborhood pc-yardies (not that there are many, but this is Austin, after all....)

I think a regular kitchen wastebasket that is tall might be a good candidate for depth. I can decorate the outside of it with papier-mache & poly to make it look like some more expensive jardinieres...

Belloc
what did you grow?
(roscoe, I can see you lurking over there! And I can smell what you are smoking! *lol*)

Cucuмbers! Yes, I forgot to list those. I may grow the pickling kind, for sweet gherkins....

I think I will place a tall container at the outer corner of my garden space that is most visible from the street and put a "Joseph's Coat" climbing rose in it on the street side and some marigolds with it, to make a shrine for Ste Therese to overlook the garden and disguise the utilitarian nature of it all.

The marigolds are useful to my supplies because parakeets need the vitamins in their petals (you find them as an ingredient in some of the more expensive brands of seed) and roses are good for rose-hips tea and jelly (high in vitamin c)

Then another container with the cucuмber vine to shade my dining-area window. Do cucuмbers need very full sun? My exposure is east, with partial light shade starting right around noon because of the height of my building.

oh, BTW: I have begun painting my dried orchid blossoms with the encaustic beeswax paint and it is working beautifully!

I may finally be able to turn my orchid hobby into a resource  by making jewelry from the blossoms.

Thought I did, but guess not-was afraid of over-watering too...

my thoughts too, or switch to something less needy and more hardy.....

I have a small apartment with a patio.  I have a lot of family experience with "kitchen gardens", but now I am looking at the full urban scenario.

So, how much actual food can I produce out of no more than half-a-dozen containers? No bigger than those 18-gal plastic bins you can buy for storage?

What foods should I attempt to grow? Will potatoes or carrots or other root veggies do well in a container?

To start this thread, Let's start figuring out how much of each food we need per year, for one person.

Basic survival foods that I will try to grow:
potatoes
yams
carrots
beets
cabbages
onions
garlics
strawberries

Just a starter list. I won't try them all, but some from this list. Anyone else out there playing with container gardens for food?

Also wondering about the feasibility of keeping a pet hen. Would one lay eggs?

I grow root crops in containers and have tried almost everything on your list. We have a large concrete yard which is mostly covered with large plastic plant containers now! Potatoes are perfect for container growing because they thrive in "vertical" conditions- they don't need much floor space, just lots of "layers" of compost to develop in. A tall plastic bin with some holes drilled in the base for drainage is ideal and if you keep topping up the layers of compost/soil for every six inches or so of growth, you can get a bumper crop. After three or four months you just tip the whole bin out and pick up the taters.

Carrots are a bit more tricky because of their need for light soils so it is important to get the right compost. They also need full sun in order to do really well in containers.

I'm not sure what beets are in the US- beetroot here is a smallish dark purple root vegetable which grows like carrots only easier. They grow fast too. I remember something about sugar beet being a bit like spinach though? Leafy veg like spinach and kale do well in containers, and some can look pretty enough to double as ornamental plants (or con the neighbors!).

Onions and garlic are very easy to grow in containers although for onions I would advise a "grow-bag" or a large wide container rather than a deep one. The roots don't go that deep. Also buy "sets" of onions rather than onion seed as they are easier to grow. Garlic is particularly good in containers and can be planted in winter to develop slowly and "harden off" in time for a summer crop. No need to buy special bulbs, just get any full head of garlic from your local grocery store and break into the individual bulbs to plant. A container approx. 12" square will take about six bulbs and produce six full heads of garlic.

Strawberries are fine in pots if you have a lot of sun and a bit of space but are not really efficient if you are looking at "survival" growing rather than just making the occasional cake or batch of jam. If your space is limited you'd be much better going for root crops. One potato will give you more energy than a strawberry!

My favorite crops ever are the peas/beans group- I grew sugar snap peas and mangetout last summer and I couldn't believe the yield I got! From one container (maybe 18" square) and about six seeds I got a huge, very attractive sugar snap pea plant which cropped very heavily week after week. I was able to pick pods sufficient to accompany a family Sunday dinner every week for about a month and a half. The more you harvest, the more the pods grow! While nearly all of the plants need some form of support, they are so pretty they look like ornamental sweet peas, especially if you grow the varieties with unusual coloured pods.

Tomatoes also do very well in pots as long you water them with a vengeance day in, day out over the summer.

You might also think about buying dwarf fruit trees, such as apple, pear, sweet cherry or plum. Blueberry bushes also thrive in containers and the berries are so rich in vitamins they are worth the wait.

Don't forget herbs for taste and/or medicinal purposes (no, not that kind of herb Roscoe! ) such as St. John's Wort for headaches. These can grow on your windowsill rather than taking up space outside. We grow bell peppers and baby aubergine (eggplant) on our sills.

There are photos of our container garden here :)

I forgot to mention.... you can plant dahlias and harvest and eat the roots!

You can also eat the bulb of the Florence Fennel.