No Yard, No Problem: Grow A Container Garden

By using containers, you can grow nutritious edibles, no matter where you live.
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There's no match for the convenience and taste of fresh vegetables and herbs picked straight from your own backyard garden.

But even if you don't have enough land to grow a traditional garden or your yard has poor growing conditionslike deficient soil or lack of sun, you can still enjoy the fruit of the harvest by planting in containers.

That's what Ed Thralls, urban horticulturist, discovered nine years ago when he started planting vegetables in plastic buckets. While his shade-filled yard would be welcomed by most on a hot summer's day, Ed's plants longed for the sunny rays that help them grow and produce fruit. Pesky nematodes (microscopic worms) in the soil were also a problem.

"By planting in containers I have more control over growing conditions. I can make sure my plants get enough sunlight, and adequate water and fertilizer so they can reach peak production," Thralls says. "Starting with a clean potting mix makes it easier to keep bugs away too."

Many of the vegetables grown in a typical garden will do well in containers during Florida's long growing seasonfrom September to June, whereas in other parts of the country the containers can be brought inside or placed in an enclosed porch during cooler months. Depending on where you live, you can grow radishes, lettuce, squash, carrots, chives, beets, broccoli, peppers, tomatoes, mint and parsley, and much more.

Aside from producing delicious fresh foods to eat, container gardens also can be used to decorate a balcony or patio, or brighten up a porch or doorstep. Imagine an attractive pot on your patio cascading with tomatoes and garlic chives, a window planter box filled with flowering herbs, or cucumbers flowing from a hanging basket above your porch.

Follow these tips from the experts and start planting your container garden today:

1) Location is key. The best spot for your container garden is the sunniest one. Fruit-bearing plants generally need several hours of full, direct sunlight each day. You can grow plants inside near a window or on a screened-in porch if there's enough sunlight.

2) What to grow. Make the most of your container garden by planting vegetables that take up little space and produce fruit quickly, or produce over a period of time. Radishes and beets grow from seed and are

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