Growing your own food can be fun and financially sound. But not everyone is blessed with a large bit of land or even the enthusiasm to create a whole garden. Coming to the rescue is container gardening. Not only can you have a garden in a small space, but you can move the containers around as needed to change the look of your garden.
Most seeds and seedlings will happily grown in a container garden as they would directly in the soil, so there is no need to feel intimated by container gardening. So, the first step is to decide exactly what you would like to grow. Some plants are easier to grow than others. Tomatoes, for example, are hearty and grow easily. So do peppers, strawberries, herbs, swiss chard and others.
Look for varieties that grow well in small spaces. Some plants can be seeded directly in the containers outside, while others will need to be started indoors.
Next, decide what you would like to use as your containers. You can use standard terra cotta pots, or get creative. You can also go frugal with containers that you may already have on hand. Try restaurant-sized olive oil cans (get them free for the asking), plastic buckets or containers, galvanized buckets, or even an old wheelbarrow. Just make sure that you container has adequate drainage, either through holes you have drilled in the bottom of the container or through the use of a good layer of pebbles.
You’ll want to arrange your garden to work well in two areas. You should keep in mind the amounts of sun and shade each of your garden plantings will require. You can also arrange your garden with the aesthetics of the individual plants, so that it all works well visually.
Enjoy your bounty!