Vegetable Gardening: Tips for Container Gardening

Its getting to be that time of year again. Time to plant some seeds in the ground and grow some food. It may be a daunting task for some people, at least the idea is. It's really a very simple and fun way to spend a few extra minutes each day.

Container vegetable gardening is one of the simplest ways to start a vegetable garden anywhere. Containers can be set up in most spaces, from large porches to small apartment balconies, as long as you have a little sunshine.

When starting your container vegetable garden, you should calculate how much money you would like to spend on your garden, and how much work you would like or would be willing to do. Most gardens can be made very cheaply and require little work each day.

Most containers can be bought at your local hardware or home improvement center. there are numerous sizes and designs available at varying prices. Choosing from the many sizes and materials is the hardest part of all. Here's a tip: If you have a very sunny area, choose a container that is made from plastic, not ceramic, as the plastic container will not absorb the heat as well and won't dry out your plants precious roots. Ceramic or pottery type containers work well for cooler areas without direct sun light for less that 5 hours a day.

If you feel like you want to make your own garden vegetable container, then a window box made from wood can serve you very well. Place some gravel in the bottom of the container to allow for drainage and drill several small holes into the bottom of the window box. Usually the box dimension are 4 feet long, 1 foot wide and 1 foot deep. These dimensions will support most plants in a container vegetable garden. DO NOT build your window box from pressure treated lumber. The toxic chemicals found in the wood will leach into the soil and can cause the plants to die or to be leached into the plant themselves! A good wood that doesn't rot is cedar, and its aesthetically pleasing to the eyes as well.