Container gardening has become more popular as limited space and the versatility of growing indoors and outdoors has become main stream. No place to dig a garden? You can still grow your own vine-ripened tomatoes and other crops. All you need is a decent size container, potting soil, and a suitable spot such as a deck, patio or a corner that gets at least a few hours of full day sun. Container gardening is an ideal technique for those in urban situation such as apartments. Let’s take a look at ideas to start a vegetable garden using containers.

Container Gardening: How to Start a Vegetable Garden

Image via: Agnieszka Bladzik

Choose bigger pots for container gardens

The greatest challenge of growing vegetables in containers is watering as soil tends to dry out faster in pots than in the ground. But as larger volume of soil won’t dry out that fast, it is advised to choose the biggest pot possible. You can mix compatible plants in a single container if you may desire. Also, make it certain that any pot you choose has holes so that excess water can easily drain away from the soil.

We like these helpful container gardening resources to get you started:

Container garden kit

Container gardening tips book

Pots for container gardens

How to grow vegetables in pots

Container garden ideas

Begin with harvesting vegetables that are easy to harvest and takes up little space such as lettuce and other salad greens. The best part? They can grow in containers even when accompanied by flowers or in partly shady areas. Alternatively, you can consider growing tomatoes in hanging baskets or other pots at a spot where they will get lots of sun. But remember they take some work. We recommend beginning with smaller varieties of tomatoes like cherry tomatoes.

We love these 121 container gardening ideas from Southern Living.

Creative ideas for vegetable garden design

No matter which spot you choose to start your vegetable garden, you can boost the style quotient of that area by using colorful, bright pots. Containers in shades like orange, blue, and yellow will help to instantly add interest to your space. You can also get creative by using recycled containers such as wine crates especially for small varieties like lettuce and carrots. To add more visual interest, select containers in different sizes and create a grouping.

How to choose the right area for your vegetable garden

While patios and porches might be the best spots for container gardening, we have some more ideas for you. For instance, you can tuck large containers into your flower or landscaping for an instant mini vegetable garden. Or how about arranging a collection of pot grown herbs by the kitchen door for easy snipping? We even love the idea of planting herbs in glass jars and placing them on sunny windowsill.

Have a look at these tips for creating a small vegetable garden from Country Living.

Apart from the obvious- joy and bounty, one of the biggest advantages of container gardening is that you skip the backbreaking task of weeding and amending soil. So, use the ideas above to set up your own vegetable garden and get off to a good start.

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