The secret to a good salad is always having fresh ingredients, and the freshest vegetables you can get are the ones you grow yourself. But what do you do if you have limited space, such as if you live in an apartment, with no garden at all? The answer is potted vegetables. While not all vegetables can be grown in a pot, some are perfectly happy doing so. So why not start your own potted vegetable garden, save money, and enjoy fresh, organic vegetables?
Before You Start:
Most vegetables and herbs need a deep container to grow in, so take that into consideration. We recommend using 5 to 7-gallon (19 to 25-liter) pots.
It is also important that the container is able to drain properly, so drill ½?inch drainage holes at the bottom (2 or 3 holes will suffice).
Before you fill the pot with soil, rinse it with a gallon of water mixed with one cup of bleach. This will kill any fungus and bacteria in the pot.
It?s recommended that you buy all-purpose soil, as it has the needed nutrients the plants require.
Invest in a bottle of liquid fertilizer to make sure your plants are getting all they need to grow and produce the best veggies.
1. Lettuce
One of the easiest veggies to grow, lettuce seeds will grow almost anywhere, so just sprinkle them in the pot and give them some water. Additionally, you can seed a bunch of different species in the same pot.
Important: Lettuce needs a lot of sunlight, so take it into consideration when choosing where to place the pot.
lettuce, spinach is easy to grow in a pot. Just toss the seeds in the pot and give them some water. The best part is ? you can just trim the plant and it?ll grow more.
Important: Spinach needs good amounts of sunlight, as well as decent drainage.
Easy to grow, just plant the seeds and give them water. When they?re ready, trim the leaves and let the chard regrow.
Green beans are some of the easiest things to grow, so you can make it a project for your kids. If you pick the beans regularly, it?ll keep producing more, for an ?endless? supply of yumminess.
Important: Pay attention to the type of bean you get. If you use bush beans, they?ll require a trellis of only 1 or 2 feet, but if you choose pole beans, you?ll need a 5 foot pole for them to grow on.
Incredibly easy to grow and can produce lovely flowers. The only real downside is that it can take several months for them to be ready for harvest.
Tomatoes do well in pots and, if you want faster results, plant either grape tomatoes or cherry tomatoes. They are climbers, so put in a trellis.
Important: It?s harder to seed a tomato in a pot, so you may want to buy seedlings rather than seeds.
Cucumbers are fast growers, and a fresh cucumber makes for a delicious addition to salads. It’s also great to add mild flavoring to water.
Important: Cucumbers are climbers, so use a sturdy trellis in the pot. If you want to keep it smaller, go with the bush cucumber species instead.
Carrots love a deep pot, but can take as long as three months to mature.
Radishes are fast growers, and can take as little as 25 days to be ready for consumption. After the seeds start sprouting, thin them out, so they don?t compete with each other.
Important: Radishes do not heat, so if you live in a hot area, look for species that are more heat resilient.
Pepper species that are suitable for pot-growing are bell peppers and chili peppers. They require certain conditions to start growing, so you?re better off starting with seedlings.
If you decide to grow regular peppers, it can take up to three months for them to mature, if you?re impatient, then go for mini red bell peppers ? they only take two months.
Strawberries:
Get either the ever-bearing or the day-neutral species for a regular supply of strawberries. Strawberries love a moist soil, so be sure not to let it dry out. Make sure you fertilize the plant every other week.
Pineapples need sunny, warm conditions to grow. You don?t even need to buy seeds ? just buy a pineapple, separate the crown, eat the pineapple and use the crown as a basis. Soak the crown in water for a couple of days, and then plant it in the pot.
