Do you dream of eating fresh, homegrown fruits and vegetables all year long? Does this dream seem impossible because you have a tiny yard, live in a region with long and harsh winters, or live in an apartment or other home where you simply cannot have an outdoor garden? It is not impossible! There is a solution, and it is container gardening.
Container gardening is just what it sounds like-growing fruits, vegetables, and herbs in pots or other containers.
You may have seen hanging tomatoes, strawberries, and even blueberries at the store or on television, but there are so many other things that can be grown in containers too.
For instance, fruit trees can be grown in large pots, such as ten or fifteen gallons. There are two ways to grow fruit trees in containers. One way is to buy dwarf trees, which will never get very large. Otherwise, trimming the roots regularly will keep the branches from getting too large.
Melons can even be grown in containers. As with fruit trees, there are dwarf varieties of the melons, which may be easier to start with than full-sized melons.
Like strawberries and blueberries, other berries can also be grown in containers. However, they probably will not produce as much fruit as bushes planted outdoors.
Vegetables, too, can be grown in containers. Even larger plants, like corn, can be grown in containers. The size of the container is determined by the size of the roots.
Herbs are well-adapted to indoor gardening because they can grow in smaller pots. Also, several varieties can be grown in one container, depending on the size (just be sure they are discernible). Herbs can grow well in a windowsill.
Here is a table with a list of needed container sizes for some plants, and here is another. These are definitely not complete lists, but they provide a good start.
These plants can be grown outdoors, indoors near a window, indoors with a grow light, or any combination of the three. The best way to use natural light for indoor gardening is to place the plants near a south-facing window. This gives the plants the most direct sunlight.
While it is more than possible to grow plants completely indoors, allowing them to be outdoors at least part of the time makes pollination easier because insects can do it. If pollinating by hand, an electric toothbrush can be useful.
Living in a place with long and cold winters or having little or no yard does not have to rule out having a garden with fresh fruits, vegetable, and herbs. One can have homegrown fresh produce all year long with an indoor container garden. As an added benefit, having greenery in the home can be beneficial to one’s health.
Sources
Container Herb Gardening
Indoor Grow Light
Vegetable Gardening in Containers