I think it all depends on the plant, I know for a fact that my cannas, elephant ears & hostas grow much better in the ground than in containers. It will be interesting to see what others have to report.
Christine

I get far better production of peppers, okra, and eggplant in containers than I do in the ground. Like 3X the yield if not more. The soil in the containers heats up much quicker, and these plants in particular (there are many others) are sensitive to soil temps.

Well it increases production but my 2nd question is, does container gardening extend the growing season?

I.e. could you do a 2nd sowing for stuff like okra and get a harvest? I realize it depends on what time you'd be planting it. It would basically be a for a late summer/early fall harvest. It would be sown in late July or August, and harvested in about sept.

I'd also like to extend the growing season with cool weather stuff into Nov. (our 'main' growing season is considered until Sept) but I'd like to do container gardening in combination with a hoop house.

Some things will be faster in containers, than plants, that are grown in the ground, and some will be slower. It depends on a lot of factors, like what type of plant, your climate, how stressed it is etc. The type of pot, also has a lot to say.... a white pot will keep the soil cooler than a black pot. A plastic pot will keep moisture better than a clay pot, but the clay pot gives better aeration for the roots. Lettuce in a black pot without mulch, would probably bolt a lot earlier, than lettuce in a mulched white pot, so FAST does not always equal BETTER.

Yes, you can prolong your growing season, by using different plants at different times. Fast growing things like radishes, can be grown next to a slower plant early in the season, until the slow plant starts filling out the space. Just be sure to remove the radishes (or whatever your first crop is) before the "main" plant needs its space - even if it is not yet ready for harvest (it CAN happen)! Then later in the season, you can grow a plant, that grows well in the cooler weather. Many lettuces and Asian greens are good for this purpose. Personally I'm planning to grow mizuna, once the tomatoes are about to be done for the season.

VG

i realize fast isn't always better that if the container heats up too fast, it'll cause hot weather stuff to bolt.

I'm wondering if I can get a 2nd harvest for late summer/early fall using container gardening for warm weather veggies that are quick to mature like okra, cukes, and zukes.

As a general rule around these parts, ALL my plants grow faster in a container verses the ground.

Mike