Growing Vegetables in Containers
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Do you love home grown vegetables but don't have the space to plant them or don't want to deal with all the labor that goes along with having a full blown garden? Consider growing vegetables in containers instead. Vegetable container gardeing is a fun, attractive way to add color to your deck, patio, or sunroom and at the same time grow healthy, tasty vegetables that you can enjoy. Container gardens are a fantastic solution for people who live in apartments and don't have yards, too, since they can be grown practically anywhere you can set a pot.
Although tomatoes and peppers are probably the most common vegetables that people grow in containers, there are a large number of other vegetables that do well in pots too. Lettuce, carrots, beets, peas, beans, pretty much all herbs, broccoli and more can all be grown in a container as can many other varieties of vegetables. The key to getting vegetable plants that grow well in containers is to look for seeds or plants labaled as bush, patio or dwarf varieties. Additionally, what you can grow will largely be dictated by how big your container is.
When choosing a container to grow your vegetable plants in, typically the bigger the container the better your vegetables will do. If a planter or pot is too small the plant will become root bound and die. Another benefit to larger planters is that they tend to hold the moisture in the soil better which means you won't have to water quite as often. Also look for adequate drainage in the bottom of the container that you choose. There should be plenty of drainage holes in the bottom of the pot or else the plant will get too much water and literally "drown".
Most vegetables love the sun, however, since the roots are contained within a pot they will dry out more quickly in the heat than if the vegetables were planted in the ground. Clay pots tend to dry out more quickly than plastic pots which means if you choose to go with clay you will probably have to water your vegetable garden more often. To help the soil retain water you can put mulch on top of the soil. They also make water holding gels that you can also add to the soil to help keep plants potted in containers moist. You should check to see if your plants need water once a day, and if it is hot out check them twice a day. Don't wait until the plants wilt to water them or it may already be too late.
Don't feel like you are limited just to planters and containers that you can buy at the store for creating your vegetable garden, either. Just about anything can work as a container so get creative and consider using old buckets or pails, wooden boxes, rustic wagons or anything that would look pretty with vegetables growing out if it. If you use a non-standard container for your garden just be sure it has adequate drainage. If it doesn't have holes in it you can either drill or cut holes in the bottom of the container to make sure that the soil will have adequate drainage.
If you are planting more than one type of vegetable per container, check to make sure that they both have the same water and sun requirements. If you plant one plant that does well in the sun and one that does well in the shade in the same pot one of the plants will suffer depending upon whether you containers is mostly in the sun or mostly in the shade. However, if both plants love the sun then you can leave the planter out in the sun without fear of killing one of the plants.
Once you have taken care of the basics and have gotten set up, all that is left to do is to care for you plants and enjoy your homegrown vegetables. Have fun!