“Back to organic” – This phrase is starting to get a lot of attention in our recent society today. People are starting to realize how important it is to live healthy and eat healthy foods. We know eating organic foods like vegetables, fruit etc are much better then eating commercial foods that we can get easily in the grocery store. Organic foods are rich in vitamins. They taste way better than non organic foods. But we have to be careful in using the word of organic.

“Organic” according to Merriam-Webster Online http://www.m-w.com is relating to, or involving the use of food produced with the use of feed or fertilizer of plant or animal origin without employment of chemically formulated fertilizers, growth stimulants, antibiotics, or pesticides.

Okay, for example we spray pesticides to kill the insects. Even though it’s done in small amounts, that’s considered organic anymore. Organic means everything that grows naturally from the source which God has already given to us. It’s from nature to nature.

Because organic foods take more maintenance and care, no wonder they are more expensive than non organic foods. Have you ever imagined eating something that you planted yourself? Oh gosh….. Believe me, once you start doing this, you will feel a new sense of satisfaction in your life. You gain more confidence in life. As usual, we won’t listen to all the different excuses:

• : how? I’m not good at that.
• I don’t have a big yard there’s no way I can do that.
• Well, I don’t have time to do that.
• It’s really difficult and takes a lot of my time.
• why bother if you can buy it easily?
• I don’t have a green thumb.
• I don’t have gardening talent.
• That’s silly. How much money can I save doing that?

Living healthy and fresh starts in our own home. Sometimes I’m so sad to see people who have a huge back yard, but don’t do anything creative with it. They just leave it empty. Every time I pass houses with big back yards, I always speak to myself, “if I had a back yard that huge, I would have a garden where I could grow anything I wanted. I could eat vegetables and fruits from my own garden planted by myself.

Last spring after the last frost, starting from my tiny 5×5 deck, I started growing 3 kinds of tomatoes, peppers, hot chilli peppers, okra, and many kinds of herbs. They turned out really well and I have harvested them a few times. One example: I started growing 2 small seeds of cayenne peppers around May. The 2 tiny little seeds have grown to become 2 big chilli pepper plants. They produce a lot because I keep harvesting them. I made green and red curry paste and put it in a jar so that I can use it several times. I gave some to our friend. I also use it for cooking from time to time. I can’t believe that have more than enough. I am even thinking of freezing some for this winter.

These are a few tips that I can share about container gardening. I’m not a professional, nor do I know a lot about gardening techniques. I don’t have a gardening degree and planting experience that I can put in my resume . Believe me, anyone can do this. Even our kids.The only items we need to have are these : 2 tsp of TLC (tender loving care) , 1tbsp of effort and 2 1/2 cup of your willingness, mix them together and Wualllaaaaaa–you will get the green thumb you always dreamt of.

Okay let’s start…

1. Before you start your container garden, first, think of and plan what kind of vegetables you want to grow in your deck or back yard.
Use a reasonable formula. If you have such a tiny deck, never dream of growing bananas or avocados for guacamole on trees
2. What vegetables do those in your household usually like to eat?.
3. After you come up with a list, filter the items by how easy they are to grow.

4. Check the nature and level of difficulties of each plant, including climate, maintenance and care. You can always read at the back of the package before you buy a package of seeds or a small plant.

These are the best, easiest, low maintenance home grown container vegetables you can grow at home.

One time, I bought several packages of vegetable seeds of many varieties. I started seeding them all in a few containers. I forgot that we only have a small deck. Each day they grew bigger and bigger. They took all of our deck space. My husband likes to sit in the wicker chair to get sun sometimes. Because there were so many plants and containers on the decks, he had to walk really carefully, step up from one side to another like Batman to avoid tripping on them. If you see the movie ” jumanji” you’ll know what I mean. He complained about that because he couldn’t sit on our deck anymore. He told me that I just needed a few monkeys, lions and birds, and it would complete become a real jungle.

5. Based on that experience I remind you not to get overly excited like me
6. Be honest! Sometimes it’s really difficult to grow plants from seeds. But we can always buy small plants from the nursery stores.
7. If you want to grow plants from the seeds, try to grow 3-4 seeds in each container. I like to use small containers with potting mix soil instead of peat moss. When the first baby leaves grow, wait for a few days until all the seeds have sprouted. You can decide which one of them looks the most healthy. Pull out the weak leaves and just leave 2 or 3 healthy strong leaves.

I made a big mistake when I first started my container garden. I used to grow all of my seeds. I put them all in a few small containers. But, that’s wasteful. Honestly we just need a few healthy leaves as a starter. A few seeds is more than enough, unless you want to have a nursery business.

When the time comes to water the baby plants, I like to water them from the bottom. Put the container on a plate full of water. The soil from the container will absorb the water and spread it out from bottom to the top. That’s a good way to avoid interrupting the plants new growth. When you see the soil is moist enough, you can remove the plate.

8. For small plants that you buy at the nursery, repot them into bigger pots. You can buy mix potting soil specially for vegetables that have already been enriched with vitamins. This can feed plants for up to 3 months.
9. Allow for space from one pot to another. Don’t put them close to each other because each plant has a different structure and immunity toward disease and insects.
10. A little extra maintenance and care is needed when plants are small. But please not too much

I love gardening very much. In my country (Indonesia), growing plants is very easy. Just throw the seeds somewhere in your yard or pot and they start growing. The soil is fertile. But here in the US, the soil texture is so different. I had a tough time trying to grow my container garden at first. Most of the time I didn’t know what they needed and wanted. If I watered them regularly, they became yellow. Or If I watered them once every 3 days they became dry. I never gave up hope. I tried and tried and tried. I thought maybe they need a little extra care but that’s a big mistake. All of my plants were really stress out and slowly passed away because I gave them over TLC. If they could talk, maybe they would say “oooh, here she is again!. Stop touching me please!” I failed so many times but I never gave up. We learn from our mistakes and mistakes make perfect. I finally learned that plants need a quality time just like humans. Everything has to be in balance. Not too much and not too little. Medium will do.

11. Water the plants regularly but don’t over water them. When you see that the top soil is dry, it doesn’t mean that deep down is dry. It’s wise to double check because if you over water them, the leaves start getting yellow and they fall down.
12. Check if there are bad yellow leaves. Always cut the bad ones because it can spread.

I name all of my plants. Every time I come out on my deck, I call them by their names. For example: “Hi Juliet! how are you today?”. I know it sounds silly, but I like to have fun in small and simple things like that! No need to be too serious about life. Just relax and enjoy it. It’s strange; they seem to grow better and produce more.

13. Harvest Time! enjoy good eating and save $$$…

If you are like many people all around the world, you love the idea of cultivating, feeding, and watering, your own garden. Afterwards, you want to be able to sit around your garden with a cup of tea and enjoying all that hard work, as the flowers begin to bloom. However, if you do not have a yard, it makes it all but impossible to create your dream garden.

So many people want to grow their own garden, however, they simply do not have the room, rather they live in an apartment building or a zero lot line home, which creates a problem with a garden.

Do not worry, there is a solution just for you, consider container gardening. This type of garden was designed for those without a yard wanting a garden, to have just that.

The great thing about container gardening is that you can use a variety of different containers. You simply have to use your imagination. If you are wanting to have a garden, but have no yard, you could create a beautiful garden with things such as cement blocks, hanging baskets, clay pots, or window boxes.

You could also use things such as cast iron tubs or wheelbarrows to take the place of a yard that simply is not big enough. There are so many options when it comes to contain gardening, it is only limited by your imagination.

While, you can use most anything for your container garden, you should avoid any containers that have been used to store chemicals, as well as treated wood. This could lead to the sudden death of your flowers and lead to failure of your container garden.

Of course, you will want to take the following into consideration when you are ready to begin container gardening, in order for it to be successful.

First, with any container that you choose, you need to ensure that it has adequate drainage. It may be necessary for you to create holes in the container to help this along. You should also make sure the containers are placed on a raised surface, not upon the floor, to ensure for the best possible drainage.

You should also ensure that which ever containers you choose, they are appropriate in size for the plants you choose. You want to prevent the roots from overgrowing the container.

If you are looking for fresh veggies, you could consider container gardening with vegetables. This requires a process that differs from that of flower gardening. Talk to an employee at a supply store in your area, they can help you in choosing the right containers for the vegetables you are wishing to grow.

Many people love container gardening because it provides you with a garden that is portable. You can move your garden anywhere you please, giving it adequate sunlight, if you have the room to move it.

Soil and watering are also very important in container gardening. Compost mixed with loam or potting soil will best serve the purpose. Either allows for proper drainage and growth. Any other type of soil does not provide adequate drainage and is far too heavy.

For container gardens, they generally dry out at a faster rate than other types of gardens. When container gardening, you will need to water the plant two to three times daily. This depends on where you live, of course.

Summary:

For people who love gardening but have no space to pursue their hobby, container gardening is the solution to their problem.
About the Author

Brooke Hayles
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