What To Grow In Your Patio Garden

herbs-and-vegetables

Growing your own food can be a great way to enjoy fresh flavor without a big budget. Even if you only have a small apartment balcony you can still grow some of your own food. Here are 10 vegetables that thrive in containers.

Basil

Fresh basil is so much better than store-bought it would be worth growing even if it wasn't productive. Thankfully, basil does wonderfully when grown in containers and can be harvested throughout the summer. Every time you harvest your basil just pick or cut leaves just above a pair of leaves. This will actually encourage your plant to sprout more branches there and become fuller.

Cherry Tomatoes

Especially if you have kids, a cherry tomato plant is a summertime must-have. A single plant can yield more than 8 pounds of tomatoes a season! These plants often get big enough that they'll need to be staked or tied to a nearby post or railing to stay upright.

Kale

Kale is a super hardy green and will tolerate both the cold of spring and fall and the heat of summer without bolting. It does just fine when grown in containers and you should be able to get multiple cuttings throughout the season. You can also find varieties of kale like that bring a little decorative color and texture to your balcony.

Hot Peppers

If you like a little spice a hot pepper plant can be a great choice for your patio. Even a single plant can be incredibly productive and for most people, a few peppers goes a long way.

Radishes

Though they're quite small radishes can be productive container garden crop. Certain varieties of radish mature in as little as 21 days meaning you can get several harvested throughout the season.

Chives

A hardy perennial, chives do just fine in containers. They offer a lot of flavor in a little package and can be cut and used as needed throughout the growing season. Their cute purple flowers also help them do double duty as part of your patio design.

Green Beans

Super productive, green beans often need to be picked at least once a day during the height of the season. They'll tolerate growing in containers and you can choose between bush or pole varieties. If you decide to grow a pole bean variety be sure you provide it with a trellis. Some varieties can grow as tall as 8 feet.

Carrots

Many shorter varieties of carrots can be successfully grown in containers. Just be sure to thin them to the recommended spacing or they will remain spindly.

Rosemary

Rosemary can add a delicious flavor to your food as well as a wonderful aroma to your porch. It's wonderfully tolerant of high temperatures and will add a Mediterranean look to your outdoor living space.

Lettuce

There are many varieties of lettuce available but when shopping for a container garden you'll want to look for a loose-leaf or a "cut and come again" mix. These will allow you to get multiple harvests of small tender leaves. As lettuce prefers cool weather, it often works well if you grow it in the spring and fall with another more heat tolerant crop taking its place during hottest part of the summer.

You don't need to own a farm to enjoy fresh vegetables this summer. Grab some containers, good quality potting mix, and a few seeds to start a garden of your own no matter where you live.

Come in to Homestead Gardens and talk to some of our experts about what herbs and veggies you should you plant this season.Or read more from our blog on how to grow a vegetable garden for spring.