Don't have a big backyard for your garden? No worries. Container gardening is a great way to grow plants in and around your home or apartment. Balconies and patios are perfect places for your pots of peppers and other veggies. No outdoor space at all? Place containers inside on a sunny windowsill. Prefer low maintenance? Grow a cactus!
Container gardening allows doting gardeners to pay close attention to each individual plant, and arrange them according to their sunlight needs. Planting certain plants together in the same container can encourage your own mini-ecosystems. For instance, oregano repels insects that bother broccoli, and it can also enhance the flavor of your home-grown beans.
Container gardening allows even the urban apartment dweller to go and grow green. It feels pretty satisfying to serve a salad grown on your very own balcony.
Take Action / Next Steps
See what kind of containers are best used for each plant at Agrilife
Learn how to pot the perfect plant in our gardening section on Container Gardening
Did you know you can save up to 30% of your weekly grocery bill by growing your own vegetables in your garden and in
containers?
According to Business Pundit, if your garden is big enough and productive enough, you can save as much as 30% off your
weekly grocery bill. It could be due to the recession, but there is a rampant and rising interest in growing your own food
at home. The sales of vegetable and herb seeds went up by 40% just last year, which has been double the annual growth for the
last five years.
Did you know eating home-grown and organic vegetables protects your own personal health?
Over 400 different pesticides can be used in non-organic farming and the residue can be found on the everyday foods we eat
from the grocery store. If you grow your own fruits or vegetables, there is no need to worry about the poisons of
pesticides! For more information on pesticides, please see: Avoid Common Pesticides.
Did you know that by growing your own vegetables you are eating seasonally and reducing food mileage?
"Food mileage" refers to how much energy has been spent on getting the food that you eat from the ground to your table.
By growing your own vegetables, you are not only saving money, but cutting down energy use and improving the environment.
11% of CO2 emissions from the UK, for instance, are solely attributed to air-freight transportation of produce.
Did you know growing your own vegetables organically protects topsoil from eroding and it protects you from the
contaminated runoff?
According to the Environmental Protection Agency, over 38 states within the United States have contaminated topsoil, which
leaves a residue on the produce that you buy from the grocery store.
