Growing your own food at home is immensely satisfying. It tastes better, and is healthier. And it’s a lot easier than you think.
Vegetables aren’t particularly expensive to buy, unless you prefer organic produce. Typical vegetables you buy are cheaper, because they cost less to mass-produce. But the problem is they are laced with harmful insecticides and chemicals.
This article is intended the people who understand the benefits of organic vegetables, but don’t want growing them to be difficult.
You don’t need to mass-produce food. You might be surprised of the satisfaction you get from what you grow in a small pot. So don’t be discouraged if you don’t have much space to grow plants.
The basics – for complete beginners
When I started out, I had a very basic understanding of how vegetables grew. So I won’t presume you know this. I’ll explain the very basics. Feel free to skip this part.
The vegetables begin with a seed. Often they will grow in any type of soil, but different vegetables prefer different types of soil. You can have sandy soil, moist soil, loose soil, and so on. Don’t worry, I’ll make it easy for you below.
Usually a few days after you first plant the seed, it will sprout. You will see poking through the soil. At this point, is particularly vulnerable to pests such as snails and slugs. But dealing with them is not difficult. And besides, you can easily sprout seeds indoors.
Mostly you can let your plants grow without much attention. Just make sure they have enough water, and aren’t being attacked by pests such as snails. The good news is it’s not difficult to deal with any problems, and you need to only to glance at your plants once every few days.
If is the correct season, your vegetables will start to grow after a few months. Then you can harvest and eat them.
Some vegetables have seeds inside them, which you can use for the next year’s harvest. Other vegetables often need to be left to complete a cycle, and then generate more seeds. So there are some varieties situations, but it’s really not complicated.
Selecting the right pot for each vegetable
Plants will grow in just about any part. But for them to grow well, you need to consider what works best for your particular plant.
Pros & Cons of Types of Pots
Ceramic: These are great looking, and come in every size and colour you could want. The only problem is they are expensive. But if you only buying five or so, then they are worthwhile. They insulate your soil well, which prevents your plant overheating and dehydrating.
Plastic: You can easily by hundreds of plastic pots for next to nothing on eBay. Usually they are black, that I suggest avoid them because black pots get very high during the summer. This is because black absorbs sunlight much better than white. It won’t make a difference if your pots are in the shade.
Wooden: Wooden pots a visually appealing, and provide good insulation for soil. But they can be prone to write, which in turn can poison your soil. Although this isn’t a problem if you don’t over water plants, and let your soil drain properly.
How big should the pot be?
The size of your pot depends on what you were growing. Most vegetables require reasonably loose soil, which allows the root system to expand. This in turn provides more nutrients for the plant, and inevitably healthy vegetables. The listed vegetables below explains each of the requirements
1. Spinach
In the right type of soil, spinach grows almost the entire year. Although it depends on the type of spinach.
Planted in early spring, when you no longer have frosty mornings. If you still see price on the grass in the morning, wait a little longer.
- Pot Size: 5-gallon
- When to plant seeds: When frosty mornings stop, in early spring.
- How plant seeds: 5 inches deep, and 7 inches apart.
- Water frequency: Right after planting, then 2 times a week. Do not heavily water it.
- Sun exposure Half sun, half shade.
- Life cycle: Re-plant each year.
- Harvest time: pick as you need when leaves are mature.
2. Lettuce
Lettuce is super-easy to grow, and it grows fast. The only problem is if it isn’t cared for, it can be attacked by bugs. For this reason I fully cover it in super-fine mesh. If you do this, make sure there aren’t gaps.
- Pot Size: 5-gallon
- When to plant seeds: When frosty mornings stop, in early spring. Although you can plant it anytime in warmer climates, provided it doesn’t get too hot.
- How plant seeds: 5 inches deep, and 7 inches apart.
- Water frequency: Right after planting, then 2 times a week. Lightly water.
- Sun exposure Half sun, half shade.
- Life cycle: Re-plant each year.
- Harvest time: Pick as you need when leaves are mature.
3. Onions
Onions mostly grow underground, so they are highly tolerant to pests. Use loose soil. If your soil is highly compacted, growth will be restricted.
- Pot Size: 5-gallon
- When to plant seeds: When frosty mornings stop, in early spring.
- How plant seeds: 5 inches deep, and 7 inches apart.
- Water frequency: Right after planting, then 2 times a week. Do not heavily water it.
- Sun exposure Full sun (no shade)
- Life cycle: Re-plant each year.
- Harvest time: pick as you need about 90 days after planting.
4. Spring onions
These will grow in a pot, and re-seed themselves each year. They are great in cooking.
- Pot Size: 5-gallon
- When to plant seeds: when frosty mornings stop, in early spring.
- How plant seeds: 5 inches deep, and 5 inches apart.
- Water frequency: Right after planting, then 2 times a week.
- Sun exposure Half sun, half shade.
- Life cycle: Once a year it will grow seeds. Just take off the seeds and shake them into the pot.
- Harvest time: pick as you need.
5. Peppers
Peppers are awesome because they’re one of the healthiest foods in the world. There are many types. Do some research on which you prefer. There are variations that are not spicy at all. And some types are super-spicy, so you don’t need to grow much.
- Pot Size: 5-gallon
- When to plant seeds: One month after spring starts.
- How plant seeds: 5 inches deep, and 10 inches apart.
- Water frequency: Right after planting, then 3 times a week.
- Sun exposure: Full sun.
- Life cycle: Replant each year. Use the seeds from your harvest.
- Harvest time: Pick whenever they’re mature.
6. Carrots
Carrots also grow underground, so they don’t need much maintenance, or protection from pests.
- Pot Size: 5-gallon (with loose soil).
- When to plant seeds: One month into spring.
- How plant seeds: 5 inches deep, and 5 inches apart.
- Water frequency: Right after planting, then 3 times a week.
- Sun exposure: Full sun
- Life cycle: Re-plant each year. Let one plant continue to grow until it produces seed for the next year.
- Harvest time: Start picking the larger plants after 100 days. Usually if they’re big enough, you see the top of the orange part.
