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| Potted eggplant with petunias |
Saturday, June 17, 2023
There is a lot of interest these days in buying local, from neighborhood stores, independent restaurants and produce. It keeps your dollars in your community, supporting your neighbors and local farmers. In addition, food grown close will be fresher and more nutritious. As soon as a fruit or vegetable is picked, it begins losing its nutritional value. What is the most nutritious? What you grow in your own garden. You can't get more local than that!
If you have been thinking about growing some of your own food, there is no time like today to get started. It is not too late to start producing food or herbs and spices in June. Plus, all the stores have their plants on clearance!
You don't need a rototiller or an acre of ground to grow food. Almost any herb, fruit or vegetable can be grown in a pot. Just look for the descriptions like "patio", "dwarf", "small space" for the varieties bred for small spaces or pots. There has been a huge surge of new varieties bred for pots in the last decade. I add trailing flowers like petunias in each pot to make it pretty and attract pollinators. For the size of pot needed and just a few varieties of most popular veggies, see this blog:
I got started with herbs indoors one winter. I transplanted them into my flower bed the next spring. They did great. It gave me the confidence to try some veggies the next spring.
If getting started is intimidating, try herbs to start with. Most herbs thrive on neglect and many are perennials so you only have to plant them once and they come back year after year. Herbs that are carefree and perennial in my garden are oregano, parsley, thyme, and sage. Rosemary and basil also do great but in our Zone 7 garden, they won't survive through to next spring unless you bring them indoors in December.
If you are ready to start with a few veggies, these are the ones I would recommend for getting started in your flower garden or pot on the patio. Eggplant and peppers are pest free and both grow great in a pot. I love growing snap beans vines in a pot or the ground; plant 3 seeds around a trellis to grow on and you'll have snap beans until frost and any extras can go right in the freezer to eat all winter. The last veggie I recommended for your first garden would be a tomato plant. If growing in a large pot, you will need to get a dwarf or patio type as regular tomatoes won't grow well in a large pot. If there is room for a larger tomato in your flower garden, you can plant any kind of tomato and it will be happy.
You can also try summer squash like zucchini or patty pan. If you get bush types, they can be grown in a large pot or a smaller spot in the flower garden. With squash, you will likely get squash bugs and powdery mildew. Production will be winding down by that time so you can just go ahead and pull them. Zucchini produces lots and lots so you will only need one plant producing at a time to feed a family with plenty left over to freeze or dry for winter eating.
Cucumbers are pretty carefree and you get a lot from each plant. Plenty to eat fresh with enough left over to make your own pickles or pickle relish. If growing in a pot, be sure to use a large pot and get the
"bush" type so they stay smaller.
Here are some pointers for growing edibles in the summer. Tips for the summer edible garden
I The biggest mistake a beginner gardener makes? Trying to grow too many things the first time. Pick just a couple of things that you love to eat from the above list to get started. With that experience under your belt, you can add a few more next year.
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