Do you wish you had the space to grow some veggies, but you are stuck in a city apartment? A sunny window sill is all you need to grow a few salad greens. If you have a balcony or a front stoop, you can add some tomatoes. Lots of vegetables grow well in containers. If you don’t have access to a garden supply store, look online. You can buy everything you need, even soil, from the comfort of your living room couch. Whether you’re searching for clothes or vapor supplies online, take a break and browse some of the many online gardening sites for ideas.
Window Boxes
You can plant a whole salad garden in a window box. If there is a removable planter inside the box, take it out, remove the soil and rinse the planter well. Fill the planter with potting soil or compost or a mixture of the two. Water the soil, scatter the seeds on top and cover them with a thin dusting of soil mix, and then press gently to ensure contact. A mixture of different colors and textures of lettuce, such as different shades of red and green with flat or ruffled leaves makes a nice display. Add a pot of chives to add some oniony zip to your salad.
Patio Containers
Many plants grow very well in containers and if you have a little bit of sunny space on a porch, balcony or patio, you can grow a nice little garden. Cherry tomatoes are real champions when it comes to container gardening, but there are plenty of others as well. If you give them something to climb on cucumbers and pole beans can be grown in containers. A pot of mixed herbs works well. Miniature peppers are a beautiful as well as a nutritious addition to your container garden. A good rule of thumb is that small plants, like lettuce and herbs, need small pots, while big plants, like tomatoes and peppers, need large pots.
Hanging Baskets
If you don’t have floor space, think vertical. Cherry tomatoes, many herbs and strawberries all grow well in hanging baskets. Be sure to position them high enough that people won’t bump their heads, but not so high that it is difficult to water them.
Regular Care
Your container garden will need to be watered every couple of days, and you will need to add some fertilizer because plants in containers get hungry. Fish emulsion, manure tea or liquid seaweed provide lots of nutrients and should be added once a week. Even containers can get weeds so keep on top of any intruders.
With a bit of care and effort, you can have a beautiful garden in containers. Give this easy method a try for a season of color and good eating.
