One of the reasons I started this project was to prove that you do not need 846 acres to live a more pioneer-like life. I wanted to show that you can live in a townhouse (which is what I lived in when the idea originated), apartment, house with almost no yard space, or any other dwelling and still develop the skills that helped keep the pioneers alive. Particularly gardening. Because, you know. Food.
Having lived in a townhouse with very strict thorough and comprehensive HOA rules for 9 years prior to moving into our house, I know how hard it is to want to be more self-sufficient in your food production yet not have the ability to do it. Fortunately, my husband and I found the best way to get around the rules and limited space.
Container gardening.
Container gardening is absolutely perfect for not only beginner gardeners but also those who can’t plant food or honestly, are too lazy to do it (which is me. Completely. All that digging and raking and shit? No thank you). It also gives you the satisfaction of growing some of your own food without having to deal with pain in the ass HOA board members or having to lose some precious backyard space, although you will have to deal with losing some patio or balcony space. Unless you use a window box and only plant things like herbs and spices. Which is fine, too. Fresh herbs and spices are awesome.
But let’s say you decide to do some container gardening and use a window box for something pretty like flowers or as a trap for Twiddlebugs. First, I commend you on making a good choice. Second, if you’re going to have a container garden, there are some lessons I learned from years of doing it watching my husband that I think will make your garden successful:
- Pick one to two plants. Three at the most. Any more than that and your containers will start to overtake your small space and then it becomes some sort of vegetable jungle instead of a garden. No one wants to battle a rogue tomato plant on their way to work.
- Pick plants you will actually eat. Radishes may be easy to grow but if you’re not going to eat them because you’re not a Fraggle, it’s a waste of money and labor. The point of a garden is to have fresh fruit and vegetables and save money at the supermarket. That doesn’t happen if you’re planting stuff you won’t use. It’s food waste and money waste, and your pioneer friends would be upset.
- Evaluate your space. You’d have to do this with a regular garden, too, but for container gardening, you need to know precisely how much room you have, which spot is the best, and how much sun it does or doesn’t get. This will also impact what plants you grow. If the only spot you have is mostly shady, you can’t grow a plant that needs full sun. So after you evaluate your space and know what you can grow, make sure you’re paying attention to the necessary growing conditions of the plants you select.
- Pick plants that will produce a lot. If you are growing only a few plants, you want them to give you a whole lot of food. Plants like tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, strawberries are known for being great producers. But have a plan for the extras to avoid food waste. Some suggestions: start canning, give some away or sell some to your neighbors in a quasi-farmer’s market setting.
- Get creative. Even if you have a tiny, tiny balcony and don’t want to give up space, you can still garden. Besides using the aforementioned window boxes, did you know that there are tomato plants that grow upside down? You can also grow similar types of plants in one container, giving you variety without the real estate. How about some hanging plants? A little creative planning can give you a good garden and enable you to still have some room.
Don’t forget: even though you’re growing the plants in a container, you still need to water, prep the soil, prune, and do all of the other stuff you would if you had planted them in the ground. Fortunately, it’s not nearly as much work. But it is still work. Work that’s worth it, though. Because anytime you can eat your work, that’s a good thing.
Have you done container gardening? What tips and suggestions did I miss?
I have one small raised bed, which is kinda like container gardening… but it’s not in a very sunny spot so I never get good results! I want to grow tomatoes, but they just don’t get enough sun there. I guess I need to try greens and peas and such?
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According to my husband, lettuce grows really well in shaded areas. Actually, if you look on the back of the seed packets (and the front, too, I think), it’ll tell you how much sun each plant needs (full sun, partial sun, etc).
I really want a garden but my yard is small and my dog poops everywhere so a container garden is much more manageable. I need to figure out how not to kill them though first.
I’m a convicted plant murderer. I’ll have to share the link that Lifehacker had with the 7 easiest plants to grow. And I have the same problem with dog poop. It’s a fun little activity, trying to avoid it.
Love this post. I might tray again with tomatoes in a container this year.
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You definitely should try again. Tomatoes are really easy to grow.
This is helpful. I plan to start my first gardening adventure this summer. Can you help a newbie with the most basic things, like, which are the easiest to grow for gardening dummies, when and how to plant, how often and how much watering, etc. I have no clue about any of this!
I can certainly try to help! Most of the information I have is from my husband and from reading the seed packets, which are actually really informative as far as when to plant, how much sun, and usually they need to be watered once a day.