Between the shrinking economy and our ever-expanding American waistlines, the homegrown, no-fuss patio garden is back.
Moline resident Jennie Sharer is a convert. Her salad in-a-window box ensures fresh lettuces are sure to please her growing family. Jennie uses a little patio space to grow a few favorites. “I keep it pretty simple,” she says. A window box of butter leaf lettuce and another of spinach perch on the shady railings of her patio. Both are ready to go two or three weeks after planting, so you can re-plant during the growing season. “If I just want fresh lettuce for a sandwich,” Jennie says, “I can cut it, and it’ll come back once at least.”
Gardening experts agree that it’s much easier to grow fresh food in urban gardens without committing to those old-fashioned large Victory gardens our grandparents depended upon over a half century ago. There are a number of varieties that thrive in small spaces with limited sunlight.
Jennie Sharer’s approach is both straightforward and simple. She estimates that it takes only about half an hour to set the containers up in the spring, then a few minutes a week to water. Weeding is a minor task, she says: “Nothing like a regular garden.”
Bright ideas for dark spots
Plants you can eat won’t grow in day-long, dense shade. But if you can get a few hours of sun, or if spots of sun poke through the shade throughout the day, you can grow a number of lovely edibles.
Salad and Leafy Greens:
- Lettuces
- Cress
- Endive
- Spinach
- Kale
- Collards
- Chard
- Mustard Greens
- Kale
- Beets
- Radishes
- Broccoli
- Cauliflower
- Peas
- Brussels sprouts
- Beans
Sun-worshippers
Sun-loving plants can be grouped in a single container, too.
For example, a patio container can easily hold cherry tomatoes, cucumber, parsley and chives. The plants grow well together and yield wonderful salad ingredients well into the fall.
Typical sun-loving veggies include:
- Peppers
- Squashes
- Eggplants
- Tomatoes
How to Grow Good Things in Small Containers
Most country-lane travelers have seen washtubs, old wheelbarrows, or more conventional terra cotta containers holding ornamental or functional container gardens. Size matters: for larger vegetables like eggplants, you should try to use at least a five-gallon-or-so container.
Your kitchen garden will grow in just about anything that holds and drains fertile soil. At a minimum there should be a drain hole in the container’s bottom; many meticulous container-gardeners put their soil on a layer of gravel or other loose material to prevent overly soggy roots. Keep in mind, you’ll have to water your containers much more frequently than you would in-the-ground crops: Check daily, don’t wait until the plants are drooping or wilting.
Herbs for all seasonings
Fresh basil is a wonderful summer delight – one that is fairly easy to move indoors for the winter. Chives, lavender, parsley, mint, and thyme are also good container-grown herbs.
When winter comes, most all of those container-grown herbs can come inside to make winter dishes savory, too. Next year, Jennie plans to try a rosemary plant outside, then bring it in for the winter. “If you think about it, that sprig of fresh rosemary at the grocery store is four or five bucks,” Jennie observes, “and it’s going to spoil because it’s already cut. My friend has a little rosemary plant she brings in, and it’s practically an ornamental, too.”
Interesting links:
- Container Gardening 101 – from GardenGuides.com
- Ten Tips for Great Container Gardens
- Five Best Herbs for a Container Garden
