If you do not have a garden plot, you are the perfect person to start growing vegetables in containers.

Grow Vegetables in Containers

Growing Vegetables in Containers: Choose your Containers

Do not think you are going to be stuck with plastic pots on every window sill and balcony ledge. The only restraints on choosing your containers are the size of your plants and your own imagination. Even if you have a garden, you can decorate by container gardening. Try any of the following containers to give your vegetables (and décor) a little personality:

• Glass or plastic soda bottles
• Plastic or cardboard milk containers
• Decorative vases
• Tea pots or coffee urns
• Fishbowls
• Egg cartons
• Drinking glasses or tea cups
• Ceramic bowls
• Mop, paint or storage buckets
• Cast iron Dutch ovens (not non-stick aluminum)
• Window boxes
• Barrel halves
• Canoe or row boat

If you cannot drill holes in the bottoms of your containers for drainage, fill the bottom with rocks. Use pea gravel for small containers and larger rocks for bigger containers. You do not want the roots to rot from staying too moist. Fill your container with potting soil. Plant your seeds or seedlings.

Growing Vegetables in Containers: Choose your Plants

Roots need room to stretch. If you chose a small container, choose a plant which will be a small adult with shallow roots. Egg cartons are great for herbs like parsley with one seed per cup. If your herb gets too big, you can move it to a washed laundry scoop, soda bottle or drinking glass. Fishbowls are good for larger plants like peppers. Barrels will support vines, if you put up a trellis or cage for your vine to climb. Barrels and boats can be home to many plants. Be sure to plant them far enough apart so the adult plants will not be crowded. Buckets grow terrific tomatoes, eggplants, carrots and parsnips. Plant your spinach in a ceramic bowl.

Growing Vegetables in Containers: Choose your Location

Shed some light on the subject, all plants need light. Make sure your container is in the sunlight, or under artificial light, enough hours each day for your vegetable to survive. Sunny spots beneath windows are great for growing vegetables in containers indoors. Try a window box lined with beets for pretty color. Balconies, staircases, patios and porches make great locations for containers. Line up different colored buckets with broccoli and red cabbage along steps. Place a barrel of cucumbers by a railing or fence where they can climb. Fill a canoe with lines of carrots and parsnips and place it beneath a tree where it will get six to eight hours of sun. Add mint to the boat for sweet-smelling foliage. Plant a few zinnias to attract bees and butterflies for more vegetables. Show off your green thumb with a tea pot of chili peppers surrounded by tea cups of rosemary as a centerpiece under your dining room chandelier.

If you do not have a yard to plant a garden, you can still eat healthy and decorate like a professional by growing vegetables in containers.