If you’ve decided to grow vegetables, then congratulations! It feels great to be able to cook up your harvest and serve real homegrown veggies. However, if you don’t have a lot of yard space available, you’ll have to consider another option. Pots aren’t just for flowers these days! Potted plants have the benefit of having a better watering system that’s more efficient for your water use and the plant, and you’re able to move and relocate your plant however necessary to give yourself more space and to give the plant better sunlight. However, you’ll have to learn how to grow vegetables in a pot, since it’s a little more different than just planting a flower.
Bring Home The Right Container
Your first problem is finding the right container. Look at the plants that you want to start growing, and consider the space they’ll need. You don’t want to cramp them, but there’s no use in getting a container that’s too big since it’s just a waste of space and resources.
You’ll also have to consider whether you want ceramic, glazed, resin, or other media. Don’t pick a clear container because the sun will be able to shine through and burn the roots, but otherwise, you can use whatever container that suits you. Some people even use storage containers! As long as it has the right drainage, it should work.
Get The Right Soil
While you might just want to use the soil in your backyard, sometimes you can’t because it’s got too much clay or sand, or just doesn’t have the nutrients. You can mix in growing media to help make it perfect for your plants, or you can buy potting soil, which is already prepared to give potted plants the best nutrients they need, without overwhelming them. It’s recommended to mix in a small percentage of your dirt anyway to help the plants accumulate to their habitat a bit better, and to help you from spending more on potting soil. If you want, you can also mix in things like perlite, manure, and peat moss to help the soil drain better and the roots absorb moisture and nutrients better.
Fertilizer
While fertilizer isn’t as important, it is something to look into. If you have the right soil, you won’t need to fertilize your plants as much. However, if you do plan to fertilize to encourage your plants to grow or fruit, you’ll need to look carefully. Most fertilizers have three numbers, explaining the amount of nitrogen, phosphate, and potash, respectively. Some fruits like high nitrogen, others like a balanced fertilizer. Almost every gardening website will be able to tell you whether your tomatoes like a balanced or unbalanced fertilizer, and what numbers to look for. If you want a simple, all-purpose fertilizer, get one that says 10-10-10 on it, and you should be good to go! Be sure to look up when to fertilize your plants, since it varies with the species.
Have you tried to grow vegetables in a pot?
