Growing your own fruits and vegetables is a great way to provide healthy food for your family. However, for many of us, the idea of planting a garden may seem out of reach, because of the cost, time, space or experience needed to grow a successful garden. The truth is, anyone can grow a garden for very little money and time, in most any space and with little or no experience. Container gardening is a simple and inexpensive way to grow food. Supplies such as potting soil and seeds can be purchased using your EBT card. Garden containers can be purchased or re-purposed from things that you may find around your home or community.
One great way to re-use a container for your garden is to re-use gallon beverage containers. Many different things come in these containers, including milk, water or juice. There are many different ways to use them for gardens. Below is one way to make your own garden container:
- Thoroughly rinse out the container and remove the lid.
- Using a nail, make several holes in the bottom of the container for drainage.
- Using a box-cutter or sharp knife, cut the top of the container, leaving only the handle attached.
- Fill the container with potting soil and plant seeds according to the instructions on the seed packet.
- Using a spray bottle, thoroughly cover the soil with water.
- Cover the garden using the top half of the container.
- Place in a sunny location and keep moist.
- Once the seeds have sprouted, remove the cover and keep watered.
Helpful hint: Lettuce, spinach and many herbs can be grown easily in these containers.
For more information on getting started with container gardens, click on the following links:
- Video: Container Gardening: An Easy Way to Grow Your Own Food
- Video: Container gardening presentation
- Growing Vegetables in Containers
- Types of Containers for Growing Vegetables (including what types of plants can be grown by container size)
- Growing Greens and Herbs in Recycled Containers
- Lettuce Cup Terrariums
