{"id":6435,"date":"2010-07-09T09:00:51","date_gmt":"2010-07-09T13:00:51","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.nybg.org\/wordpress\/?p=6435"},"modified":"2011-04-11T11:52:55","modified_gmt":"2011-04-11T15:52:55","slug":"good-food-can-begin-in-a-container-garden","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.nybg.org\/blogs\/plant-talk\/2010\/07\/exhibit-news\/good-food-can-begin-in-a-container-garden\/","title":{"rendered":"Good Food Can Begin in a Container Garden"},"content":{"rendered":"

Chef Keith Snow Grows His Own; Shares Secrets, Tips<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/td>\nKeith Snow is a TV host, cookbook author, and creator of<\/em> Harvest Eating.com<\/a>; he will present cooking demonstrations at<\/em> The Edible Garden<\/a> on July 11.<\/em> <\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Many Americans want to take part in the harvest revolution and eat foods grown at home to ensure freshness, good taste, and reasonable cost. But what if you live in an apartment building\u2014are you out of luck? Actually, no. Many people who live in urban areas around the country are taking part in the local food craze by growing food in containers.<\/p>\n

Before you run out to the nursery to get started, consider whether your balcony or rooftop can handle the weight and whether your building permits it: A large container of wet soil can weigh 50\u2013100 pounds or more. Multiply that by the number of containers you\u2019d like, and check whether your site can handle the extra load. (If regulations do not allow for you to grow outdoors, you can certainly grow herbs indoors near a sunny window.)<\/p>\n

Once you\u2019ve resolved where to place your plants, you\u2019ll need to decide what to grow. Some plants are perfectly suited to containers, others are not. I like to advise people to create a kitchen garden in containers that can produce herbs, lettuces, tomatoes, cucumbers, eggplant, and peppers. These crops can thrive in containers and provide a lot of food and recipe diversity.
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\nGrowing herbs is a must, because homegrown herbs are less expensive and fresher than store-bought herbs. I suggest growing basil, thyme, oregano, chives, parsley, and sage. These will cover most of your culinary herbal needs, and they are all easy to grow. Some of the woody herbs such as thyme and oregano can overwinter outdoors in a pot and come back strong the following year. If they have southern exposure, they may produce just about all year long.<\/p>\n

When it comes to tomatoes, a 10- to 15-gallon pot with a few stakes is all you need to harvest beautiful tomatoes all season long. I like to plant cherry tomatoes, grape tomatoes, plum tomatoes, and a few types of heirlooms.<\/p>\n

Lettuces are also a snap to grow, but keep in mind that they do not like too much sun or heat. Toss lettuce seeds into your container (I like half whiskey barrels), water, and wait 7\u201310 days for them to sprout. You can continue to harvest lettuce by cutting it about 2 inches from the soil; it will keep growing and growing, providing tender greens for weeks on end.<\/p>\n

What you choose to grow and how well you succeed is also dependent on available sunlight. Tomatoes, herbs, and peppers need 6\u20138 hours of direct sunlight to thrive. Daily watering is also important in keeping potted plants stress-free and happy, which equals a good harvest.<\/p>\n

When it comes to soil, I prefer making my own using the following ingredients, with percentages indicating weight ratios.<\/p>\n