Container gardening is an excellent way to grow your vegetables. Cathy Isom gives has some tips about growing your own food in small spaces. That’s coming up on This Land of Ours.
Small Container Gardening
When it comes to growing your own food, you really don’t need a backyard or green space to do it. You can still raise fresh, nutritious, homegrown vegetables in sturdy, simple containers.
Container gardening can be done on a windowsill, patio, balcony, doorstep, or any space that will provide sufficient sunlight.
Some vegetables that are well-suited for container gardening are tomatoes, peppers, eggplant, cucumbers, bush beans, lettuce, spinach, summer squash, radishes, and herbs. Other vegetables that can do well in containers if the conditions are right are cabbage, kale, broccoli, and cauliflower.
Almost any type of container can be used for growing vegetables. Simple containers include buckets, baskets, tubs, or wooden boxes, or you can get creative and plant in shoes, recycled sinks, and bathtubs, or even a kiddie pool. Whatever container you choose, you will want to make sure you match the type of plant you grow to the size of the container. And, you’ll also want to be careful about the material your container is made of. Containers are either porous or nonporous. Plastic, glazed ceramic, and dark glass containers are nonporous and hold water better.
After you’ve chosen containers appropriate to the vegetables you plan to grow, and placed your containers in the warmest sunniest spot you can find, you will need to choose a suitable growing medium. A good growing medium will hold water and provide adequate nutrients and physical support to grow healthy plants.
I’m Cathy Isom…