Quick Summary: Keeping container gardens watered while traveling is one of the biggest challenges for balcony and patio gardeners. Solutions range from simple wine-bottle type of spikes for weekend trips […]
How to Water Container Gardens When You’re Away Read Post »
Quick Summary: Starting a vegetable garden begins with assessing your space, sun exposure, soil quality, and water access. Begin with easy crops like lettuce, herbs, bush beans, and radishes. If
How to Start a Vegetable Garden: A Beginner’s Planning Guide Read Post »
Quick Summary: Mini vegetables like ‘Tom Thumb’ peas, ‘Patio Baby’ eggplant, ‘Bambino’ carrots, and alpine strawberries are ideal for balcony and patio container gardens. Most need pots at least 10
Mini Vegetables for Balcony Gardens and Small Pots: Best Varieties and Pot Sizes Read Post »
Quick Summary: Homemade potting soil gives you full control over ingredients but requires space and bulk materials. Commercial potting soil is convenient and consistent. Either way, use sterile mix, avoid
Homemade vs Commercial Potting Soil: (Plus Preventing Damping-Off) Read Post »
Quick Summary: Container vegetable gardening requires good drainage, appropriately sized pots, sterile potting soil, consistent watering, and regular fertilizing. Determinate tomatoes, peppers, herbs, and salad greens are excellent choices for
Growing Vegetables in Containers: 6 Keys to Success Read Post »
Quick Summary: An Italian kitchen garden needs tomatoes (paste, slicer, and cherry types), squash, beans, chicory, peppers, eggplant, kale, broccoli, onions, lettuce, and herbs like basil, oregano, and parsley. Grow
Italian Vegetables: What to Grow for Italian Cooking (Including Italian Herbs) Read Post »
Blueberry plants grown in containers will thrive in the summer but in many climates they will need a little extra care in winter to prevent their roots from freezing. Find
Wintering Over Blueberry Plants in Pots Read Post »
Quick Summary: Blueberries benefit from companion plants that attract pollinators, tolerate acidic soil, and don’t compete aggressively for nutrients. Good choices include heather, fuchsia, strawberries, and herbs like thyme and
Blueberry Companion Plants: Best and Worst Companion Plants for Blueberry Bushes Read Post »
Quick Summary: Grow blueberries in wide pots (at least 20 inches in diameter) with acidic soil (half peat, half potting mix). Choose half-high varieties for pots (Polaris, Northland, Chippewa). Full
Growing Blueberries in Pots: Best Container Size, Varieties and How Long They Live Read Post »
Quick Summary: Grow tomatoes in hanging baskets using small, determinate varieties like Tumbler, Tumbling Tom, or Tiny Tim. Use a sturdy basket at least 12 inches wide and deep with
Hanging Tomato Plants for Baskets and Balconies: Best Varieties and Growing Tips Read Post »
Quick Summary: A complete guide to starting a balcony herb garden. Covers which herbs grow best in containers, design ideas for small spaces, care basics (light, water, soil), and troubleshooting
How to Grow Herbs on a Balcony (or Deck): A Detailed Beginners Guide Read Post »
Quick Summary: Grow bags are reusable for multiple seasons if cleaned and stored properly. After harvest, remove soil, scrub the bag, soak in warm soapy water, rinse, and dry completely
Reuse Grow Bags for Tomatoes: Cleaning, Storage, and Soil Tips Read Post »
Quick Summary: Grow bags offer excellent drainage and air pruning for tomato roots. Use 7-10 gallon bags for determinate varieties, 15-20 gallons for indeterminate. The porous fabric dries out faster
Tomatoes in Grow Bags: Sizes, Setup, and Growing Tips Read Post »
Quick Summary: Potted plants need extra winter protection because roots aren’t insulated by ground soil. Rule of thumb: subtract 2 zones from a plant’s hardiness rating for containers. Hardy plants
Overwintering Potted Plants in Cold Climates Read Post »
We’re all well aware of the benefits of growing your own food: it’s tasty, it’s cheap and it’s fun. But what if you don’t have a big garden to grow
Indoor Vertical Gardening: A Beginner’s Guide to Growing Food at Home Read Post »
Quick Summary: A salsa container garden needs two 24-inch planters: one with a staked tomato, garlic, onions, and cilantro; one with a pepper plant and more onions and cilantro. Choose
How to Grow a Salsa Garden and Make Salsa Roja Read Post »
Quick Summary: Attract butterflies by planting nectar flowers (milkweed, aster, coneflower, black-eyed Susan) and host plants for caterpillars (milkweed for monarchs, fennel for swallowtails). Herbs like lavender, basil, and mint
How to Attract Butterflies: Best Flowers and Herbs for Your Garden Read Post »
Guide for the beginner on growing strawberries at home, whether in a container, raised bed, or in the garden
Growing Strawberries in Pots or Garden: 5 Keys to Sweet, Long-Lived Berries Read Post »
Quick Summary: Six themed herb garden combinations for containers: Mediterranean cooking, Mexican cooking, seafood dishes, craft cocktails, herbal teas, and fresh salads. Each grouping considers which herbs grow well together
Herb Combinations That Grow Well Together in Pots: 6 Cooking Themes Read Post »
Quick Summary: Group container herbs by growing conditions for success. Sun-loving herbs: basil, rosemary, sage, oregano, thyme, lavender. Shade-tolerant: parsley, cilantro, mint, chives. Moisture-loving: basil, mint, cilantro, parsley, chives. Drought-tolerant:
Growing Herbs in Containers: Combinations by Cuisine, Climate, and Use Read Post »
Growing tomatoes in pots can be tricky. Here are some tips to help make your container gardening of tomatoes more successful
Tomato Plants in Pots: Varieties, Pot Sizes, and Growing Tips Read Post »
How to grow Heirloom Tomatoes Upside Down in the Topsy Turvy Planters for growing edibles in city gardens
Topsy Turvy Planter: Growing Tomatoes Upside Down Read Post »
Blossom end rot is a common disease that occurs in tomatoes, particularly if growing tomatoes in pots. Here are tips for prevention and cures
Blossom End Rot in Tomatoes: How to Prevent It Read Post »
There is really nothing that compares in flavor to a homegrown tomato. For those living in urban areas, there are certainly some specific challenges. These but these limitations can often
Growing Tomatoes in Small Urban Spaces Read Post »
