Do you think you need to have a big back yard to grow some beautiful flowers and vegetables? The answer is no. Even an apartment dweller with a tiny balcony can enjoy fresh produce and salad greens grown in pots and containers.
Choose your seeds wisely and plant together one fast-maturing crop with a slow-maturing vegetable. For example, radishes, spinach and lettuce grow quickly and will be harvested before celery, broccoli or peppers, which are slower-growing vegetables that will then take over the space the first crops have vacated. A feeding of liquid fertilizer will help your second crop mature. When you purchase your seeds, watch for those developed for small spaces, with words such as pixie, patio, dwarf, or baby as these will grow well in containers or other small spaces.
Plant beans and cucumbers in a container and provide an attractive trellis for them to grow vertically. A balcony railing or even a wall can be used. Make sure the container is big enough for the plant to develop roots and that water can drain out as your plants will not like to become water logged. But be aware that containers need frequent watering and in hot weather you may need to check them two or three times a day to ensure they are not drying out.
Placing a coffee filter or a few small rocks over the drainage hole in your pot before you add the dirt will ensure the water will run out but not your soil. Choose decorative and attractive containers and which will enhance the appearance of your space. Remember dark-colour containers can absorb heat which may damage the roots of your tender crops, so purchase light shades or consider spray-painting existing pots. More information and ideas about container gardening can be found at www.mastergardenproducts.com/gardenerscorner/smallspacevegetablegardening.htm.
Many vegetables like six hours of sun each day so you’ll have to experiment with different types, and eliminate those that don’t do well, purchasing them instead at your local farmer’s market. Because of your limited space, you will want to plant just a few seeds of everything, but repeat the process every two to three weeks. Known as succession planting, this method of reseeding frequently throughout the growing season ensures that you have fresh produce throughout the summer.
Tomato plants are easily grown in pots as well. They can also be placed in hanging baskets, window boxes, or planters. Get some good advice from your local garden centre concerning the best type of tomato to grow and ask about the different soil mixes that are most suitable. Choose the biggest pot you can for the space you have available to allow for good root growth, and place two or three plants together. A great video explaining how to grow tomatoes in containers can be found at www.5min.com/Video/How-to-Grow-Tomatoes-in-Containers-18630212.
Be sure to pot up some herbs into small pots that you can bring inside once fall comes. Parsley, thyme, rosemary and sage are just a few varieties that can be grown from seed, allowing you to enjoy fresh herbs in your cooking right throughout the year. As well, many varieties of flowers can be grown in small spaces, such as pansies, marigolds, petunias and nasturtiums. Experiment today with different vegetables and flowers in a variety of pots so you too can enjoy your own garden.
