Brilliant Ideas! Steal this One!
Growing edibles like veggies, flowers, and herbs are gaining popularity. Why? Because it’s easy! Edibles you grow yourself are healthier, taste better, and, in many cases, are cheaper than buying them at the store.
Not everyone has the space or desire to grow a large vegetable garden. Container gardening means anyone can grow crops, even in a small space.
What You’ll Need!
To successfully grow vegetables, fruits, edible flowers, and herbs, it’s essential to provide the right conditions. These plants require at least six hours of direct sunlight each day for optimal growth.
For soil, I recommend using Fafard’s Urban Garden Container Mix. This mix comprises sphagnum peat moss, black earth, coconut husk fibre, Biosol compost, lime, and organic fertilizers. It creates an ideal growing environment for your plants without the hassle of preparing your soil mix.
Additionally, feeding your container gardens is essential. A good option is Fafard’s Vegetable Organic 4-3-7 slow-release fertilizer. Simply sprinkle a few pellets on the soil surface, and as you water, the nutrients will break down and be absorbed by the plant roots.
When selecting a container for growing vegetables, ensure adequate drainage holes in the bottom to remove excess water. Cover the holes with a landscape fabric to prevent soil seepage. Water your containers daily, and if the weather is hot and dry, consider watering twice daily. Remember, the container soil should be kept moist, not wet. And most importantly, remember to wait until the chance of frost has passed before setting out your vegetable containers. In our area, this usually happens after the long weekend in May. This patience will ensure the best start for your plants.
Vertical Tee-Pee Trellis Vegetables in a Container
You can grow vegetables vertically using just a couple simple items: a large container, container mix, seeds, bamboo stakes and twine.
How to create a Vertical Tee-Pee Trellis !
Select a container with a minimum depth of 12 inches. Fill the container with garden container mix, leaving about two inches of space at the top. Tamp down the soil to eliminate any air pockets.
Next, take your bamboo stakes and place one on each side of the container: the north side, the south side, the east side, and the west side. Push each stake into the soil to a depth of at least six inches.
Then, place a few seeds on the soil near each stake. Gently push the seeds into the soil to a depth of about ½ inch, then cover them with soil.
Next, pull the tops of the bamboo stakes together so that they meet. Wrap all the stakes together with twine about three inches from the top. You have now created a teepee structure.
Thread twine from each bamboo stake to the next to create a web for your vegetables to climb. As your seeds grow, guide the vines and stems toward the twine and, if necessary, tie them to the web for support.
What can you grow in a Tee-Pee Trellis?
- Beans (bush, pole, green, or string beans)
- Cucumbers
- Zucchini
- Small squash varieties
- Peas (green, sweet or snow peas)
- Nasturtiums
Veggies in a Galvanized Trough
I have designed raised vegetable gardens for clients using galvanized troughs. It’s a simple way to grow vegetables when the yard soil is of poor quality and a great way to mature clients to enjoy gardening.
How to Create a Raised Galvanized Trough Garden!
One of the main advantages of this type of garden is that you don’t need to dig, cultivate, or remove soil before planting. Large galvanized trough gardens are becoming increasingly popular. What exactly is a galvanized trough? Galvanizing is the process of applying zinc to steel to prevent oxidation, corrosion, and rusting. Galvanized troughs are commonly used for livestock feeding. You can find galvanized troughs at your local hardware or farm supply stores. If you decide to use one (or more), make sure to place it on ground level because once it’s filled, it is difficult to move.
I recommend placing the trough a few inches above ground level using pressure-treated 2×4 planks or concrete pavers. This elevation will allow air circulation beneath the trough and provide a space for water drainage. Be sure to drill drainage holes in the bottom of the trough; you can create holes every 12 inches using a quarter or half-inch metal drill bit. After drilling, cover the holes with landscape fabric to prevent soil from seeping out.
Depending on the depth of the trough, add a layer of 2 to 3 inches of gravel for drainage at the bottom of the trough. Cover with a layer of landscape fabric. Fill halfway or more with screened topsoil, and tamp down the soil to eliminate air pockets. Continue filling the trough with garden container mix until the soil reaches about 2 inches from the top. Firmly tamp down the soil again to remove any remaining air pockets. After tamping down, you may need to add more soil to ensure the level is 2 inches from the top.
Ready for Planting
Select vegetable seeds that are quick germinating and fast growing for the best results. Remember to place taller plants behind shorter plants so tall plants do not shade short ones. You can place seeds or seedlings directly into the soil. Try out these vegetables, listed by height:
- 4-5” chives, lettuce, salad greens, radishes, basil
- 6-7” peas, bush beans, onions
- 8-9” carrots, swiss chard, leeks, peppers, parsley, rosemary, spinach
- 10-12” beets, potatoes, dill, lemongrass, green beans
Make Sure to check your vegetables daily. Trough vegetables require more water than inground vegetables, so water daily and sometimes twice daily when the weather is hot and dry for the best-growing results.
The Edible Flower Container
Edible flowers in containers may not be for everyone; however, I realize I spend too much money at the local store when I want to purchase them. Many flowers are safe to eat, and several flowers from culinary herbs are also edible. Edible flowers can enhance salads, beautify desserts, add colour to entrees, and can be sugared. Why not give planting an edible flower container a try?
How to create an Edible Flower Container!
Choose a large container for planting a variety of flowers. I recommend using a container that is at least 12 inches deep and 20 inches wide to provide ample space. Ensure that the container has drainage holes at the bottom. You can cover these holes with landscape fabric to prevent soil from seeping out when you water. Fill the container with container garden mix, which promotes blooming, making it perfect for planting flowering annuals.
Most edible flowers can be purchased in cell packs and transplanted directly into a container. I love Rainbow Swiss Chard so I would use it as the middle focal point for my container. Around the swiss chard I would plant any of the following:
- Nasturtiums (Tropaeolum majus) produce edible flowers great for salads or as decoration for entrees
- Pansies (Viola X wittrockiana) flower petals are edible and highly decorative
- Calendula (Calendula officinalis) edible flower petals
- Chives (Allium schoenoprasum) the little florets of the flowers can be separated and scattered in salads
- Basil (Ocimum basilicum) wait for basil to flower, flowers great sprinkled over pasta
- Radish (Raphanu sativus) let radish go to flower, flowers are spicy-hot great for soups and salads
- Rose (Rosa spp.) flower petals are edible however you need to remove the bitter white base
Harvesting Edible Flowers
Before venturing out to harvest a bunch of flowers, remember that some are poisonous. Please identify each flower before using it, and do not use flowers sprayed with pesticides or chemicals. Pick edible flowers in the morning before the heat of the day. For the best freshness, keep them on a dampened paper towel inside a sealed container in the refrigerator.
Something for the Kids! Rubber Boot Containers!
What do you do with rubber boots the kids have outgrown? Turn them into vegetable and herb containers.
Small rubber boots make fabulous, fun container gardens that are colourful and easy to do with kids. Wash out old rubber boots well, then poke some holes in the sides for drainage. Fill with a container mix to about 1 inch from the top of the boot. Tamp down the soil to make sure you remove air pockets. Add more soil if needed. Then plant with simple vegetables, edible flowers, and fragrant herbs. Give these plants a try from seed or cell pack:
- Mixed greens
- Chives
- Parsley
- Pansies
- Nasturtiums
- Strawberries
If you cut out the toes of the rubber boots, you can insert herbs like:
- Basil
- Parsley
- Thyme
This is a great way to get kids outside in the sunshine. Perhaps your kids will be our next generation of master gardeners.
Use your imagination! Growing vegetables, herbs and edible flowers is easy and fun for everyone!
Lexi Dearborn