City dwellers don’t despair! You don’t need a large backyard to have a garden full of fresh vegetables. With a few containers, potting soil and a little plant TLC, you can bring a garden to your deck, patio or balcony. To help get you started here are the five easiest vegetables to grow in containers.
You say tomato, we say start this fruit everyone thinks is a vegetable in early spring. Use seeds that have a short growing season and transplant after the last chance of frost has passed. Your tomatoes will need lots of sunlight and a stake or tomato cage to support the vines as the plant grows taller.
Lettuce has a short growing season and works well in cooler climates. But beware, it doesn’t like to be transplanted so it’s best to start these seeds where they are going to remain. Make sure the pot you choose for this green veggie has good drainage and within 6 to 8 weeks, depending on the variety you choose, you’ll have fresh, crisp lettuce just waiting to be tossed in a salad. Pass the dressing please.
We’re rooting for this root vegetable that thrives in a container garden. No matter what type you grow be sure the container you choose is a few inches longer than the length of the full grown carrot.
Beans, beans the musical fruit the more you eat the more you…kids may not love to eat beans but they certainly love the results. They’ll also love growing their own beans which will make them more likely to eat this vegetable that’s filled with fibre. Unlike bush beans that take up a lot of room, pole beans are perfect for container gardens as they are tall and vining – think Jack and The Beanstalk. Like tomatoes, they’ll need a stake for support. Plant, grow and get ready to make some music.
If Peter Piper picked a potted pepper to plant, he’d pick the bell pepper. Start the seeds in late winter/early spring. Peppers love a warm climate and being in the sun so be sure to move the pot around to get as much sunlight as possible. Harvest early in the season if you like green or keep on the vine until they turn a vibrant red.
Sharon DeVellis came to work at the YMC as the Yummy Mummy Club Coordinator after winning Canada's Yummiest Mummy Contest, a contest based on creativity and not on parenting skills (*whew* wipe beads of sweat from brow).
She is now the Senior Writer and maintains the voice of YMC which sounds very similar to the voice in her head. Being crazy is finally paying off.
If you're looking for insight on how to balance motherhood and working while keeping your house immaculate, go visit Martha Stewart's blog. If you're every other mother on the planet struggling while trying to figure it out... go visit The Inside Scoop. [15]