{"id":14743,"date":"2019-04-15T09:14:40","date_gmt":"2019-04-15T09:14:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.mindful.sodexo.com\/en-nl\/?p=14743"},"modified":"2019-04-29T09:48:39","modified_gmt":"2019-04-29T09:48:39","slug":"easy-ways-to-grow-herbs-and-vegetables-in-containers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.mindful.sodexo.com\/en-nl\/easy-ways-to-grow-herbs-and-vegetables-in-containers\/","title":{"rendered":"Easy ways to grow herbs and vegetables in containers"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Fresh-picked everything just tastes better! Give container gardening a try and harvest delicious herbs and vegetables all summer long.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Gardening in containers\nis an easy way to grow herbs and vegetables if you\u2019re new to gardening or have\nlittle gardening space. Even the smallest deck, porch or patio makes an ideal\nspot for growing in pots. Culinary herbs are especially fun to grow and require\nvery little care, and container-grown greens and vegetables taste better than\nanything you\u2019ll buy at the grocery store. With just a few basic container\ngardening supplies, you\u2019ll be growing fresh and healthy edibles in no time at\nall and eating more mindfully just a few weeks after planting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

WHAT YOU\u2019LL NEED<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Pots and containers: <\/strong>Use 15 cm or larger containers for herbs and at least 30 cm pots for\nvegetables. Tomatoes and zucchini grow well in large tubs or wooden barrels.\nChoose from a wide array of affordable pots: terra cotta, ceramic, resin and\nmore. Drainage holes in pots are essential so the excess water can drain.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Soil: <\/strong>Purchase\na chemical-free planting mix that has some compost and a slow-release\nfertilizer mixed in. Avoid bagged topsoil and don\u2019t use soil from your yard for\ncontainers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Trowel:<\/strong>\nYou\u2019ll only use one tool\u2014a trowel, so be sure to buy one that feels good in\nyour hand. You\u2019ll use the trowel to fill containers and dig holes for seedlings\nor for planting seeds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Container trellis or support: <\/strong>If you\u2019d like to grow a vining vegetable, like\ncucumbers, peas or pole beans, you\u2019ll need a simple support of bamboo or metal.\nMost tomatoes, even the compact varieties, benefit from staking, tomato cages\nor towers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Seedlings or seeds: <\/strong>Buy nursery-grown seedlings or seed packets and be sure there\u2019s growing\ninformation available about the plant, either on a plant tag, seed packet or\nonline. For nursery seedlings, be sure the plant has healthy leaves with no\ndiscoloration or fading, has a short, strong stem and isn\u2019t spindly and shows\nno signs of infestation (check the undersides of the leaves for pests).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sunlight: <\/strong>Choose\na sunny spot for your containers, with at least 6 hours a day of direct sun.\nHowever, patio stones and concrete can really heat up a container and dry out a\npot quickly so you may need to move a container into a partially shady spot\n(under a table or tree) if your seedlings are wilting in the afternoon sun.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Water: <\/strong>Containers\nneed to be watered thoroughly daily with a watering can or hose (terra cotta\ncontainers dry out quickly and may need water twice a day). Be sure to keep the\nsoil moist (not saturated, though) at all times.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Chemical-free fertilizer: <\/strong>Since you\u2019re growing edibles, choose an organic fertilizer to add soil\nnutrients. Follow directions on the packaging to mix and apply fertilizers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

WHICH PLANTS TO CHOOSE<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

With countless choices\nfor herbs and vegetables to grow in containers, simply start with the things\nyou like to eat. An easy rule of thumb: it\u2019s one plant variety to a pot. If you\nlove caprese salad, try growing basil and tomatoes. Ratatouille on the menu?\nThen grow bell peppers and zucchini. If you serve salad at every meal, plant\narugula and flat-leaf parsley. Are you a pickle lover? Grow cucumbers and dill\nand make your own refrigerator pickles.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Almost every culinary\nherb grows well in a container and can add flavour to salads and dressings,\nentr\u00e9es and sides. Try growing basil, chives, dill, oregano, parsley, rosemary,\nsage and thyme. Choosing vegetables to grow in a container requires a little\nmore knowledge because some vegetables may climb and sprawl or require deep,\nloose soil. If you\u2019re just starting with container gardening, try any of these\nvegetables: beans (bush beans are preferred but pole beans will do great on a\nsmall trellis), collards, cucumbers, eggplant, kale, kohlrabi, lettuce and\nother salad greens, peas, peppers, radishes, spinach (smooth leaved, savoy and\nbaby leaf varieties are best for spring or fall planting) and tomatoes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

WHAT YOU\u2019LL DO<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Once you\u2019re past the last\nfrost date, you can get started with container gardening. Research \u201cdays to\nmaturity\u201d for each plant variety to give you a general idea of when to begin\nharvesting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fill your container\nabout 2\/3 full with planting mix. If you\u2019re filling a very large container,\nfirst move the container to its final spot, then add the planting mix.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For seedlings: Using a\ntrowel, dig a hole about 1 1\/2 times as wide as the seedling container and\nabout the same depth as the container. Remove the seedling from the container\nby gently squeezing the sides to loosen the soil and root ball or turn the\nplant upside down, tap on the container bottom and gently pull on the plant\u2019s\nstem. Place the root ball in the hole, fill around the root ball and pat the\nsoil firmly. It\u2019s best to plant seedlings on a cloudy day to lessen transplant\nshock.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For seeds: Read the seed\npacket to determine planting instructions, especially planting depth for seeds.\nFollow the instructions on the seed packet to place and cover the seed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Water the seedling or\nseed thoroughly, until water runs from the drainage holes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Handle seedlings and\nemerging seeds with care. Keep the soil moist but not drenched and keep the\ncontainer free of weeds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In just a matter of\nweeks, your herbs and vegetables may be ready to harvest!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ENJOY YOUR HARVEST<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Growing your own fresh herbs and vegetables nourishes your soul and brings wholesome, fresh flavours to your home-cooked meals. Mindful uses fresh herbs and vegetables in many of its delicious recipes. Try homegrown spinach in this amazing grilled haloumi salad<\/a>. There are plenty ways to use your harvest in delicious dishes.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Fresh-picked everything just tastes better! Give container gardening a try and harvest delicious herbs and vegetables all summer long. Gardening in containers is an easy way to grow herbs and vegetables if you\u2019re new to gardening or have little gardening space. Even the smallest deck, porch or patio makes an ideal spot for growing in […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[108,106],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-14743","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-mind-and-spirit-en-nl","category-mindful-living-en-nl"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\r\nEasy ways to grow herbs and vegetables in containers - Mindful by Sodexo - Nederland Engels<\/title>\r\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"noindex, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Easy ways to grow herbs and vegetables in containers - Mindful by Sodexo - Nederland Engels\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Fresh-picked everything just tastes better! Give container gardening a try and harvest delicious herbs and vegetables all summer long. Gardening in containers is an easy way to grow herbs and vegetables if you\u2019re new to gardening or have little gardening space. 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