Potted Gardens

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If you think you don't have enough room to grow a bit of food, watch this clip and think again. I don't usually click through to links, but seriously, click the link and watch the video. Next thing you know you'll be googling bee keeping and urban homesteading.

We just wanted to share a few tips about small space gardening to encourage you to start where you are - no matter how tiny your living space or your garden-knowledge - and grow something that you can use. There just aren't many satisfactions like eating the fruits of your own labors.

Get inspired about urban gardening (rooftop or container) here. And here.

A good place to start is with some potted herbs. Who doesn't want to snip some fresh basil for their pasta sauce? Tips here.

Things to keep in mind for potted veggies/herbs:

- use a lighter potting soil, regular garden soil will be too heavy and hinder root growth
- potted plants will need more water than plants in the ground
- drill holes in the bottom of buckets/pots to allow for proper drainage and consider placing pots up on blocks to increase drainage.
- allow plenty of room for roots (5 gallon buckets for things like peppers, tomatoes, beans, etc. Smaller pots (with 6-8 in. of root space) for shallower root plants like radishes, carrots and kitchen herbs.

Along these lines, click on over to Cottage Industrialist and print out her awesome calendar (Jan-June, July-Dec). Colorful and well-designed and each month includes a list of things to plant at that time of year!