Tomatoes like hot sun and moist dirt and as such should be watered every day and if possible located on a south facing exposure. Because they can grow quite tall, having a support stake on hand will keep the tomato plant from falling over. Plant early in the spring season, and in three to four months the plant will produce fresh tomatoes that can be sliced with mozzarella and fresh basil picked from the herb container.
Although they require a bit more floor space and larger containers (i.e. a six-foot diameter plastic kiddie pool), it is also possible to grow vining fruits such as cantaloupe and even watermelon.
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Veggies
With the ever-increasing cost of fresh and organically grown vegetables, container gardeners often choose to grow some of their own vegetables such as pole beans, leaf lettuce, radishes and garlic. Like with vining fruits, many vining vegetables such as squash, cucumbers and eggplant can be grown in containers. There again is where that old kiddie pool can come in handy. Most container grown vegetables, if planted in the spring, will be ready to harvest in 50 to 90 days, depending on the vegetable.
General care tips for all container plants:
- Add pebbles and/or corn cobs to the bottom of the pot to facilitate drainag.
- Water regularly, keep the soil weed-free and check regularly for diseases and insects (which can often be treated with an EPA-approved insecticide or fungicide)
- Add a fertilizer or nutrient solution to the soil
Different fertilizers and solutions will have different directions, so care should be taken to follow any instructions that come with each product.
With just a little practice, a novice container gardener will soon be an expert grower with the added benefit of saving money by avoiding the high market prices for herbs, fruits and vegetables.
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