The Fun Way to Garden: Gardening in Pots

Due to the economy, I am often thinking of new ways to save and stretch a dollar. Grocery shopping has gotten particularly difficult. Prices seem to rise every week and that means eliminating a lot of the unnecessary items, such as, chips and sweet snacks. This is a good thing. However, I also find it hard to add lots of fresh fruits and vegetables, and this isn't so good.

So, I have been considering gardening. As a child, my parents grew just about any vegetable that one can think of and even had a few peach trees. No, we didn't live in the country, but, in the heart of the city with a large yard and a vacant field on the side. I assume the city government didn't mind my father using the lot, cause it required no city maintenance.

Although, I have the yard for it, I don't want to deal with plucking a lot of weeds and the many vermin that gardens attract like, rats and snakes. Therefore, I am opting to go the gardening in pots route. Because I have a large porch, which gets plenty of direct sunlight, I am well on my way to having the perfect garden.

However, I first need the perfect pots. Plastic pots are the best. Although clay pots are beautiful, they are very heavy and over time, not so durable. I have found that the best containers to use are large 5 gallon paint buckets. If you don't have access to any, the hardware store sells them, and they are often less expensive than regular large planters, and definitely more durable. Plus, if I need to move the container, I can use the handle to pick it up, and at the end of the season, I can just pop the lid on. With a water-proof pillow, I now have a sitting spot until spring. However, most any plastic container can be used, just make sure there is proper drainage and large enough to support root growth.

Even though I grew up with a garden, and sometimes helped out, I am still very much a city girl and have no desire to have a large crop. So, to keep it simple, I will choose the few vegetables that I eat on a regular. Vegetables that grow upward are best. Items like melons, root vegetables, like potatoes and onions, don't grow so well in pots, because there isn't enough room for root growth and expansion. However, tomatoes, shallots, lettuce, peppers, cucumber, radishes, and many others do quite well in pots. A little research and talking to the salesperson at your favorite hardware store, should enlighten you to what grows best in pots and your area. And the most exciting part is experimenting and learning from year to year, thus, making each garden better than the last.