The First-Time Gardener: Container Food Gardening: All the know-how you need to grow veggies, fruits, herbs, and other edible plants in pots (Volume 4) (The First-Time Gardener's Guides, 4) by Pam Farley

“Straightforward instructions, matrices, photos, and illustrations make this one of my new favorite gardening books.” —Seira Wilson, Amazon Editor Growing your own fresh, organic food in containers is a great way to begin your gardening journey! This friendly guide includes everything you need to know to get started. What’s holding you back from growing your own food? Are you nervous about having enough space? Do you question whether or not you have the time to make it happen? Are the growing conditions you have a little questionable? Is your budget at a bare-bones minimum? Then container gardening is the answer to all of your concerns! With a minimal investment in time, money, and space, and The First-Time Gardener: Container Food Gardening at your side, start your very first garden in containers, instead of in the ground. You just may find you’re capable of growing fantastic yields in spite of all your initial hesitations. Container gardens can take up as much or as little room as you’d like. They’re portable, so you can locate them wherever conditions are optimal for plant growth. And, you can Read more

From the Publisher The Advantages of Container Gardening Grow Anywhere Seriously, container gardening is like magic. Living in a tiny duplex? Floating along the river on a houseboat? Sitting by the window of your 32nd-floor apartment? No problem. You can have a garden! All you need is a pot, seeds, and soil. Beautiful Container gardens are beautiful, no matter your aesthetic. You might choose sleek and modern containers, use wood and metal for a rustic look, or go vintage with upcycled antiques. Some gardeners use a stunning container plant as a focal point for their traditional garden. Portable Having portable plants comes in handy, sometimes when you least expect it. If your landlord cancels your lease—pack up the garden, move, and keep on growing. Is a freeze or a hailstorm coming your way? Bring your plants inside to protect them from the weather. Containers make it easy to grow food everywhere. Accessible Container growing is a great solution for gardeners with physical limitations. Set planters on a bench to reduce bending and stooping, or place them on a table that a wheelchair user can roll right up to. Tall containers and planting boxes allow you to grow many different plants on a small patio. Plant a Smoothie Greens Garden Green smoothies are a great way to get the day started. They’re packed full of nutrition and are an easy way to get lots of fiber and vitamins while you’re on the go. It’s easy to grow the greens for your smoothie and save lots of money while you’re at it. When you’re shopping for seeds or plants, look for varieties that are mild in flavor. You can harvest all of these by the “cut and come again” method, which means you pick a few leaves from the outside of the plant. The rest of the plant will continue growing so you have a nearly endless supply of smoothie ingredients. What you’ll need: CONTAINER SIZE: 7 gallon (32 L) LOCATION: Full sun/partial shade FERTILIZER: When planting and three months after PLANTS: • 6 spinach • 2 kale • 2 chard • 1 dandelion Tomato Homegrown tomatoes are a summer classic, and there are many types that thrive in containers. It’s fun to sit on the patio on a summer evening and munch cherry tomatoes right off the vine. Plum or slicer tomatoes will need a cage or trellis; compact cherry tomato plants typically stay small. Use a large, deep container and water consistently to prevent blossom end rot. Summer Squash There are many colorful types of summer squash, and their large seeds are easy for kids to plant. Compact bush varieties work best in containers. Harvest every couple of days when the squash are small. They will grow from a normal size to gigantic seemingly overnight. Lettuce There’s no better feeling than heading out to the garden and picking your own salad for dinner. Head lettuces and mesclun blends alike are great for containers. Lettuce has shallow roots, so don’t let the soil dry out. How to Water a Container Vegetable Garden I’ve seen a lot of folks spray the hose around for 3 or 4 minutes and declare that their watering chores are done. This gets the leaves wet but doesn’t do much forthe soil where the water is needed. Plants need strong roots, and this means watering deeply so the roots grow down. Light watering causes shallow root growth, which equals weak plants. LOW AND SLOW When watering your containers, think low and slow. Put your hose or watering device low to the soil, and let the water run slowly into the container. Why water the soil and not the leaves? Plants absorb very little water through their leaves—water must go into the soil to be used. Putting the water at the soil level allows it to run through the entire soil mass, which encourages roots to grow down. Plants with deep roots are better equipped to withstand drought, wind, and other stressful conditions. Slow watering allows time for the water to reach the soil throughout the container. Have you ever seen soil wash away during a heavy rain? That’s what can happen if water is quickly blasted from a hose sprayer. When watering seeds or seedlings, it’s very important to water slowly and gently. The force of water from the hose can wash the seeds right out of the container! After a low-and-slow watering session, you should see water seeping out of the drainage holes. This means you’ve wet the entire soil mass, which is good for the plant and also helps with soil leaching. Soil leaching gives soil a thorough rinse, which helps wash away damaging buildup from fertilizer salts. If your containers have saucers or drip trays, come back and empty them about 30 minutes after watering.