If you have ever wanted to grow your own ready-to-eat salad garden, but don’t have a yard or plot at a p-patch, then container gardening is the space-saving solution for you. Many vegetables and flowers are perfect for growing in containers, and they do not require very much space at all. Growing food in containers allows you to create your garden however you want, and allows you to easily move and rearrange your crops to whatever best suits them. Many heirloom varieties of vegetables are perfect for container gardening, and best of all, container gardening is much easier and requires much less upkeep than traditional gardening. Kneeling down all day to weed and plant your garden is a thing of the past, and is a great way to dress up your patio or balcony.
When considering what to plant, think about a few things first: What kind of light do you have available? How much space you have to work with? Remember too, that plants that are very tightly packed together compete for nutrients, and are more susceptible to rot and disease because they do not receive proper airflow. After you have assessed the space available, plan out your containers based on the light they will receive. Remember that there is a difference between morning and evening sun, where morning sun is often much softer and best for leafy greens like lettuce, kale and certain herbs like parsley and cilantro, whereas afternoon sun, often much hotter and intense, is perfect for tomatoes, carrots, and herbs like dill, sorrel and basil. Some of the leafy greens can even survive in shade too, or lightly shaded areas, if that is all that is available to you. Edible flowers make a delicious and colorful addition to a salad. Start with nasturtium if you’re unfamiliar, because it’s very easy to grow and the petals have a nice peppery flavor.
Growing vegetables in containers has many benefits too. Weeding is made very easy with containers because it is much harder for other plants and weeds to spread to your containers, and it is much easier to spot them if they are able to sprout. It is also nice to be able to move and rearrange your garden without digging up any plants. Container gardening can be done at ground level in the suburbs, the 30th floor of a downtown apartment tower, and everywhere else in between. It is an excellent way to make sure your eating healthy and eating organic vegetables because you are growing and maintaining their progress. Having a container garden is also a fun hobby that gets you outside and is a great way to keep busy while growing your own nutritious foods. Container gardening also allows you to create smaller gardens within your larger garden. For example, if Italian foods were your favorites, creating a planter garden with a cherry tomato in the center, with basil, oregano, and thyme around it would be perfect. Just step out to your organic heirloom garden, and harvest what you need for whatever you are preparing.