My 6 year old is really interested in gardening and I thought it would be great if we had a container garden this year. But I don’t even know where to start. I would love some recommendations from my readers. I know this would be a GREAT way to reduce our budget.
Please post your tips and recommendations.
Also check out the discussion about this on the Facebook wall.
I love to container garden. I save so much money. I usually buy my pots at Family Dollar or at Big lots. They have really nice plastic ones that you can clean out from season to season. I put lettuce & green onions in my flower boxes. Tip on green onions. When you buy green onions at the grocery store. After you use the tops put the white part with the roots directly into the flower pot. It will send up fresh green shoots in about two weeks then I just cut off what I need. For cheap starter soil. Buy cheap potting soil at biglots and then add a bag of composted manure. It has the added nutrients to kick start your plants. I also grow “patio tomatoes” which don’t need alot of root space and plant basil with them they like each other. I plant my cucumbers in pots and let them climb up our staircase. Here is a link to my container garden pictures. I haven’t uploaded my new ones for this spring. The nice thing is you can put them outside on sunny days and drag them in at night if their is a frost. We also leave a 5 gallon bucket in our shower and while the water is getting hot it fills it up. We use it to water plants. Garlic and Eggplant are easy to grow too. https://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=186055&id=612036951&l=417f9578d9
I’m a huge gardener and I do most of mine in the ground, but a friend of mine swears by Earthboxes. Last year, she had a great harvest but lost her job and couldn’t really afford to buy another box, so we found instructions on how to make one for a fraction of the cost: http://www.seattleoil.com/Flyers/Earthbox.pdf
This is almost fail-proof :)
I have wanted to do this for so long. But I am afraid of planting in plastic containers. I don’t want to add anything unhealthy to my produce! Any suggestions as to how not to? Thanks for all the great info!
I have planted in plastic containers. To plant in a plastic container it needs to be 5 gallons or more. Drill holes around the bottom, not the actual bottom, for water to escape. Then plant. Make sure you water and fertilize like you would any other potted plant.
I think one of the easiest things to start with would be a big tub of leaf lettuce. It’ll grow fast and be rewarding for the kids to watch. It likes cooler weather…I’m not sure exactly what your climate is like but you very well might be able to start it right now. It’ll be easily accessible (just pick enough for tonight’s salads or sandwiches) and since organic salad greens are expensive at the store, you’ll actually be saving some money. I’ve also read that commercially grown lettuce holds pesticides more readily than some other types of produce, making it more important to buy (or in your case, grow!) organic. If you buy a seed packet that has a blend of varieties, you’ll be able to make nice salads and it’ll look pretty on your deck/patio. Good Luck!
We plant cherry tomatoes, cukes, green peppers and basil in containers every summer, I really dont have much advice other than make sure they are adequately watered, containers need to be watered more than plants in the ground. Happy Gardening!
I love my garden and it does save us a ton! I was working on planning it last night (even though there’s still snow on the ground here in PA) because I grow my own seedlings. I see that you already have lots of good suggestions so I doubt I’m adding much, but definitely use a good quality potting mix and make sure the container is large enough. You can do all sorts of goodies in containers– tomatoes, peppers, strawberries, even potatoes (they sell potato bags for this). I will second the comment I saw about containers needing a lot of water. Good luck!
I came across this article in my local newspaper yesterday about garden containers! Hope this helps! :D
http://www2.tbo.com/content/2011/feb/27/BANEWSO9-grow-yourself-a-box-of-veggies/
I do square foot gardening as well and love it. you can probable check their book out at the library. Grow a salad garden. You can do that in a pot. I like to get a mixed leaf lettuce seeds and plant them in one pot, cut as you use them and they keep growing. Then do a couple heads of broccoli and califlower, they keep growing after you cut as well. I like to plant fun stuff for the kids as well, we have done loofahs and bird house gourds. Lots of fun! your kids will eat it if they help you grow it. Let them pick some seeds.
Krisitn- In the current issue of “Family Fun” magazine there was a section devoted to this very thing. There are few really simple, family/novice-friendly, great ideas in there! I want to say March issue…Happy gardening!
Does anyone have any suggestions about growing a container herb garden? I really want to grow one this year, but have had very little success with herbs outdoors due to the extremely short growing season in my area.
I think the best thing I have learned about gardening in general through lots of trial and error is to chose plants that grow well in your area. Be sure to check the hardiness zone for your area and select plants that grow well in your zone. http://www.usna.usda.gov/Hardzone/ushzmap.html. Watch the sun light requirements. I always forgot to do that when I select my plants and end up with a lot of burned up little plants.
I would love to follow your container garden adventure this year. I REALLY want to try too.
I’m sure your library will have some books that you can check out to do some research before you start.
Always start a container garden with good compost and fertilizer,I use Cow manure and make my own compost,You can grow just about anything in a 5 gallon bucket,Rule of thumb never let your container garden dry out,Containers need more water more often then ground or raised gardens,To get more for your money head to the library and get some books or try the site Davesgarden.com,Full of great info,Good Luck.
I grow tons in containers. Tomatos, cucumbers, peppers, herbs. My best advice
Save your egg shells and used coffee grounds and mix it in with your soil (they add nutrients to the soil)
Use a mix of potting soil and dirt
Plant marigolds around your tomatos to help keep the aphids at bay
Tomatos also like wood ash (if you have it) just sprinkle it in the soil.
Those are great tips. Thanks!
We start6ed a garden for the 1st time a few years ago. We did containers, and I managed a very small ground garden in the yard. I was amazed at how easy it was!! Just water frequently, especially when it is hot, and ours was pretty much self sufficient. I found that our zucchinis grew like CRAZY and took over lots of other plants…they killed my green beans b/c the leaves grow SOOO big, and the vines ended up growing over half my patio, so keep that in mind with vining plants. Same thing happened last year w/ the pumpkins.
We started our plants from seeds. I took the kids w/ me to pick them out, b/c I wanted them to like what we were planting, and wanted them to want to eat what we grew. We started them indoors in a seed tray, then transferred the small plants to bigger containers, then some into the ground, and the others into bigger containers. They all came out great!! Start early!!! That way, if any plants happen to die on you, you still have time to replant!!! And don’t buy too many seed packets!!! You will be shocked at how many pants you can get out of 1 packet of seeds!!!! Good luck!!!
We’re trying this too. We got some upside down tomato plants to hang from our shade arbor and I got some little Veggie Tales seed pods with Parsley and Basil. I got them at Lowe’s with the $10 off of $50 coupon I got from Vocalpoint. I figured I’d get some little pots at the Dollar Store or something. Or I’ve heard of growing things in old plastic tubs. I’ve got a black thumb, so we’ll see how it goes. Good luck!
Container gardens require lots of regular watering. If you have a little space to try an in ground bed, I’d highly recommend the square foot gardening method. A four foot by four foot square will yield plenty of produce for a beginner. Building a raised bed is super easy.
http://www.squarefootgardening.com/
http://lifestylelogic.blogspot.com/2010/04/diy-raised-garden-bed.html
My family really enjoys planting different types of tomatoes. They usually use half wine barrels. They have also planted some strawberries and potatoes in the barrels. Sunset magazine (or website) would give you some great tips on what to plant when and what would work in a container. They also gear things based on the area of the country you live. Good luck and let us know how it goes.
We are going to be doing a container garden this year as well and we have planned a tomato plant, lettuce and a cucumber plant! Although, this is our first year so I really don’t have any advice except encouragement! :-) I did notice at walmart though on the seed packets that some of them said “compact plants” which indicates they are good container plants. Good luck!
A few years ago I purchased a blueberry bush from Gurneys and we keep it in a pot on the deck…….the kids love to watch it grow and get excited when it comes time to pick the blueberries. (Gurneys often has specials that show up in the Sunday coupon inserts.)
If you are looking for hanging plants ~ Strawberries (everbearing) are awesome and you can bring them inside before the first frost and they will keep growing and producing in the winter.
I have in the past planted a single tomato plant inside a 5 gallon bucket. It is great for decks and the great thing is you can move the bucket to where the sun is, if what you plant needs lots of sun. Of course you need to be careful once tomatoes start going.