How To Start A Container Garden: Beginner’s Guide
While I love my raised garden beds and my backyard in-ground garden, I love my container garden on my back deck the most. I can grow several pounds of food in a small space and they are easy to manage. Most of all, I love that my kids like to get involved with my container garden. They each will take a container or two over the growing season to water, weed and harvest. Starting a container garden is a simple and effective way to start growing your own food, even in small spaces. Today, I’m going to share with you how easy it is to get started. Let’s go!
What to Plant:
When trying to decide what to plant, it’s first important to think about what fruits, vegetables and herbs you like to eat or cook with. My family personally eats lots of tomatoes, bell peppers, strawberries, blueberries and onions so that’s what I plant. I encourage you to make a list of what you want to grow, then assess how much space you have for containers. If you only have room for 2-3 containers, then I would pick the foods you will eat the most to plant.
Where To Find Seeds or Seedlings:
If you have time to start the seeds indoors before planting them outside, that’s the best. You can start your seeds inside using a seed starter tray with grow light system. If you don’t feel comfortable starting your plants from seeds, then get seedlings from a local nursery or big box store like Lowes or Home Depot. You can find at most stores in the garden department or online.
What Type of Containers To Use:
The type of container you use depends mostly on what you are growing and how much space you have. Below are some of my favorite containers but you can really use anything as long as its deep enough for what you are planting.
Get The Right Soil:
When using containers, the soil you use matters. You want a soil that is made for containers and pots because its lighters and helps the water drain properly. In most cases, its better to make your own soil mixture but you can buy it from the garden center near you. If you want to make your own, here’s a recipe:
More Tips To Be Successful:
Container garden can be an easy way to get started with growing your own food. Here’s a few more tips and things to keep in mind. First, read the back of the seed packages to see what kind of sun your plants need. Most vegetable plants will need 6-8 hours of full sun. Next, make sure you have an easy way to water your container plants. You should also make sure they get fertilized on a regular schedule. Lastly, the easiest way to keep track of the information related to your container garden, is to get a garden planner. If you are looking for a great resource about growing food in general, then I highly recommend the Old Farmer’s Almanac Vegetable Gardener’s Handbook. It’s full of helpful information for gardeners of all types.
I hope this helps you get started with growing a garden in containers. If you have any questions, I would be more than happy to answer them.
Happy Homesteading!
