Vegetable Gardening Tips: Growing Your Greens In Containers
If you long to grow your very own vegetables but you’re surrounded by concrete or live on a piece of land too small for a vegetable garden, don’t give up hope. One answer for you may be container vegetable gardening. Container gardening allows you to grow vegetables on patios, tiny balconies or the rooftops on high-rise buildings and with just a few exceptions, the same methods used in regular vegetable gardening is also applicable to container gardening.
The best containers the can be used for container vegetable gardening are those which are light, portable and often free.
There’s no need to spend a lot of money on expensive containers made of wood or pottery. You can of course, as you wish, but half the fun is in finding unique containers you can use your vegetable garden. Drainage holes can be drilled in the bottom to keep the plant roots from sitting in water and small containers can be grouped inside larger containers such as larger tubs or wooden crates to keep them from blowing over. Containers should set on small blocks or bricks to help with drainage and prevent mold from growing beneath them.
Preparing the Lighting
You can place your containers almost anywhere as long as there is sufficient of light. Vegetable Gardening needs a lot of sun and while plants prefer full sun all day long, you can make up for some loss of light by growing them against a light colored wall that heat and reflects light onto the plants. You can also place light reflective material at the back of your vegetables to help them optimize the exposure to the sun. Also by turning the containers during the day helps to expose the whole plant to the light.
A important thing you have to consider in vegetable gardening is the type of soil you will need for your containers, which should be light weight, and drain well. The best soil you can have is actually a soilless mix which is light weight and allows roots to grow faster, allowing for larger plants and more vegetables. Most vegetables like to be grown in soil at least one or two feet deep, and larger plants need more soil so t when planning out your vegetable garden.
Space Considerations
To make full advantage of limited space, stair step your container vegetable garden on benches, or use boards placed on cement blocks or a step ladder to create your own mini terrace. You can even make a fabulous garden setting with vegetable plants if they are mixed or grouped in with a few flowers. Various species of vegetable plants could also be grown in hanging pots, such as lettuce, small cucumbers and even tiny cherry tomatoes.
So if you’re a green thumb at heart, wishing you could do a little Vegetable Gardening even with a city life, you can make it a reality with container gardening. It can take some added work and creativity, but what true blue gardener ever let a challenge stop them?