Container gardening is more than a notion! What was a growing trend has become serious business. With national economy continuing to spin in negative space…with more and more people taking charge of their own health…with eco-consciousness at an all-time high, it makes sense to grow your own vegetables.
If you're concerned about upfront cost, we've gathered the best of the best ideas for container gardening on-the-cheap.
Innovative Containers
Wouldn't it be lovely to grow veggies in a hand-painted china container? Lovely, but not exactly cost effective! Here are a few ideas on how to obtain cheap-to-free containers.
• Garage Sales – come spring garage sales, estate sales and block sales suddenly sprout-up like stinging nettles.
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Right Size Container
Congratulations on using your ingenuity to obtain a stash of containers. Now, you need to put every vegetable in his correct sized pot. Here are a few suggestions for vegetables that thrive in containers:
• Broccoli – One plant per 5-gallon container
• Tomatoes - One plant per 5-gallon pot
• Peppers – One plant per 2-gallon container
• Carrots – 5-gallon container, minimum 12" deep
• Squash – One plant per 2-gallon pot. Tip: the pinstriped squash is a conversation starter and tastes yummy!
• Cucumber – One plant per 5-gallon pot
• Onions – 5-gallon wooden planter or pot
• Garlic – needs 8" deep container – hand painted china pot?
Free Seeds or Money-Off Coupons
• Gardening Catalogs – In order to keep ahead of competition, many gardening catalogs advertise through money-off coupons. When you receive your order it will usually include free seed packets.
• Friends or Colleagues – Do you have friends or coworkers who are obsessed with gardening? Consider hosing a seed swap. Have everyone bring a dessert and spare seeds to swap. Brew a pot of coffee and let the fun begin!
• Online Seed Swaps – Check the internet for seed swap websites. Most people will send seeds free, provided you pay the postage.
• Seeds from the Cupboard – Virtually any seeds from your pantry make fair game for planting. Get a few dried beans or peas such as lentils, red beans and chick peas from the pantry. Put in a pot and cover with
When I think of planting seeds, I am often reminded of the story of the boy on a beach. An old man watched the boy from a distance, as he bent down and picked up starfish stranded on the beach. One-by-one, he tossed each starfish back into the open arms of the sea. The old man, jaded by the world, approached the boy and asked why he would even bother. It didn’t matter! It was impossible save them
Container gardens are all the rage these days, and with good reasons. They're beautiful, relaxing, fruitful and even great exercise for their keepers.
With any container planting it is important to make sure the water drains well through the soil. You don't want to lose the soil out of the bottom of the container. You can place landscaping cloth in the bottom. If that is not convenient you can use several layers of newspaper and then put in a layer of small rocks. Either method with allow the water to drain and keep the rich soil in place
I’d make a personal eco-farm that's safe and environment-friendly so that they can grow according to how they properly grow and might do other endangered plants also.
Container gardening is a style of small space gardening in which vegetables and flowers are planted in containers instead of directly in the ground. One reason container gardening has become so popular in recent years is that the containers can be moved around to areas where a person might not normally think of planting a vegetable garden. Patios, stoops, sidewalks and even along driveways are some of the more typical places that a gardener might grow container vegetables. While you can use just about any style of container for growing vegetables, the container must have drainage holes and be large enough to support the plant. But, exactly what IS the right size? Selecting the right sized container for vegetables. There's a lot of trial and
Sadie saw a documentary last week about growing mini gardens of fresh fruits and veggies.
UVI has found this to be an effective and low-cost way of producing high quality yields (Heidemann, n.d.). Staggering the planting allows for the most efficient use of the fish tank effluent for fertility (Rakocy, 2004) Tomatoes and peppers will be grow using traditional fixed beds to allow for trellising; this allows for more higher plant density but requires large labor inputs to train the plants. Plants will be grown from seed to allow for lower production cost and the sale of seedlings as added revenue. This will also allow us to experiment with different varieties to see which best suits our needs. Tomato varieties will be indeterminate to allow for continuous harvest, and will include a mixture of small, medium, and large tomatoes. Hot and mild peppers will be grown, with a concentration on bell peppers, jalapenos, and poblanos. Proper pruning to increase airflow will reduce the incidence of bacterial diseases on tomatoes and peppers (Maisabni, 2009). Use of resistant varieties will also reduce the risk of pest problems.
"Behold, I have given you all the herbs that give seed, and they are found on the surface of the whole earth, and every tree in which there is a fruit yielding seed; it shall be food for you. "Genesis 1:29.
Seed containers hold on trees until in any event the accompanying Summer. There are around 300 suitable seeds for every gram; seeds begin to develop in around 7 days if developed at 25°C with no pretreatment required (Mana gums, Peter McIntyre 2000)
Pre-planting before the plants can go outside is a hassle and mess. You have to get the seeds into a pot, water them appropriately daily,
Tending a small vegetable or herb garden is another way to indulge your spring-gardening creativity. Plant your household’s favorite variety of tomatoes in terra cotta pots. Grow your own peppers for warm-weather salads. Snipping fresh basil from the plot outside your back door could convince you to dump the dried stuff!
Empty egg cartons are great trays for starting seeds. You can use either the plastic or the paper egg cartons, but if you use the paper ones, they can be planted directly into the ground when its time to transplant. When using styrofoam cartons, make sure to poke holes in the bottom for drainage.
There's a place in Svalbard. Norway where they store seeds from all around the world. Its called the Svalbard Global Seed Vault and there are several reasons why this could be one of mankind’s coolest, greatest science experiments. The first is that the seed vault is like a history of human agriculture. It holds different types of seeds from different countries and you can take a step back and track how mankind has taken and grown different foods and plants worldwide. Another reason is that it serves as a fail safe. In the event that nuclear warfare or natural disaster wipes out a good amount of the world's crops and/or people, they will be able to go to the Svalbard seed vault when it's time for restoration. Also, if a country has a type of
Spring Kitchen Decorating Idea #3 Oranges, tangerines, grapefruit, lemon, and limes are all part of the citrus family of fruits. These hardy fruits make perfect edible countertop decorations during the spring. You can display the fruit in pretty decorative bowls or a singular bowl and place them on your kitchen counter or as a spring centerpiece on your kitchen island. Lemons and limes can also be packed into clear floral vases for more compact kitchens in order to save on counter space. Mesh onion or garlic bags could be reused as a way to hold lemons and onions for hanging on the wall during spring as well. Spring Kitchen Decorating Idea #4 Cake plates are great for storing and displaying cakes, cupcakes, brownies, as well as other delicious treats. They can also be used as a decorative piece in your kitchen while empty. During the spring months you can use your cake plate to display plants, flowers, and even fruit. Fresh flowers can have their stems inserted into floral foam as shown here. Small plants can be placed under the glass dome for your own kitchen terrarium. Fruit can be neatly piled in the center of the plate for a delicious display. All of these ideas can bring a hint of spring into your kitchen through the use of your cake
There are many types of vegetables that you can plant in a backyard garden. One type of vegetable you may want to plant to have as an ingredient when cooking is fresh broccoli. There are a few tips to learn if you want to grow big broccoli heads in your garden.