A container garden is something anyone can do, even if you live in an apartment. You can grow a variety of plants in the containers including herbs, tomatoes and peppers. Here are some great herbs that you can plant, collect the seeds and then replant next year.
Basil – annual
Rosemary (upright) – perennial
Thyme – perennial
Oregano – perennial
Sage – annual
Chives – annual
Parsley – annual
Mint – perennial
Cilantro – annual
If anyone has any great tips on having a container garden, please share! I haven’t done this in years but I would definitely like to do it now.
Be sure to catch up on all the previous Let’s Save Some Money posts.
We live in the FL panhandle and I usually kill everything I try to grow. However I do have a garlic chives plant in a pot that a dear friend gave me 8 years ago. I never have to water it, I just bring it inside when the temp. is below freezing. It grows happily through the spring, summer, and fall here. We also have a rosemary plant that is actually planted into the ground. Even with our sandy soil and never watering it, the plant is more like a small bush now. It also seems to do all right in the winter. Hopefully this year I can at least add a few more herbs. They are so expensive to buy.
My tips I agree you need to water a lot!!!! Oh and don’t let anyone tell you you can’t grow it in a pot. I grow green beans, peas, black beans, raspberries, spinach, peppers, tomatoes, zucchini and even a lemon tree. It really helps shave some off my spending and there is nothing like fresh veggies.
We have been having so much fun with our garden – enough that we planted an apple tree and will plant raspberry and blackberries this fall as well.
My #1 tip? Let the kids do all the “harvesting” – I’m fascinated at how food they pick but have refused to touch at all if it came from the store is now delicious to them to eat! We gave each of them their own square to plant and take care of and they have been having a blast.
Here’s a picture of ours – it’s small but it’s our first year too….
http://www.morethanthemulberries.com/2010/07/our-garden.html
This is the first year my husband grew a container garden. He put three herbs in one big container and some fruits/veggies in another.
Here is what we’ve learned:
Parsley is pretty much like a weed – put it in it’s own container next time
Buy a larger leaf basil next year – it takes forever to chop up little leaves
Strawberries need more space – put them in their own container next time too
Be patient with the peppers, especially the red ones.
Most important, just like Jess said…WATER, WATER, WATER!! Those herbs love moisture. So do the veggies, but the herbs really need it daily, sometimes twice a day.
Most important—-WATER!!! If your garden is in a container it will dry out faster, even if it has been raining you need to check it often. Tomatos all do well with container gardening….and kids love the little cherry ones.
For container garndening here are my 2 tips
Plant marigolds with the tomatos as it will help keep aphids away
I save my used coffee grounds and egg shells and mix it in with my soil
Thanks for the tip with the marigolds. We planted a bunch of tomatoes and most have been destroyed.
We also use egg shells to spread around the edge of our garden and flower beds. We place them into a bowl and have the kids smoosh them until they are little pieces. They help to keep the snails and slugs out of the garden.
We also use egg cartons to start our seeds off before planting them into the ground. Just poke a little hole with a sewing needle to filter the water.
Hey Kristin,
Chives reproduce and spread. The come back year after year.