Yesterday, we covered container gardening for readers who lack sufficient yard space. Today, Stori Snyder, assistant director of the Hilltop Garden and Nature Center at Indiana University Bloomington, provides additional tips on adding tomatoes and vegetables to the mix.
Juicy Tomatoes
A tomato plant can grow well in a 5-gallon bucket, Snyder says. Plants come in many varieties, although compact ones grow better in containers and require less staking. Cherry and pear tomatoes look great in hanging baskets, she adds. Note: Tomatoes mature at different rates, so organic gardeners may want to select varieties that ripen at different times or that are indeterminate (ripening repeatedly until it becomes too cold).
Vegetables
Carrots and radishes grow quickly. Snyder recommends choosing “companion plants,” which grow well together because one plant provides the soil with a nutrient the other plant needs, and vice versa. Carrots and tomatoes are companion plants, she explains, as are roses and garlic. Basil and tomatoes are a dynamic duo with considerable aesthetic appeal. “They smell fantastic,” she says, and the variety of colors is interesting: yellow tomatoes and purple basil, for example.
If you’re an apartment dweller or have limited yard space, there’s still a way to flex your green thumb: container gardening. Cherry tomatoes draped from hanging baskets, herbs, morning glories and vegetables can thrive in flower pots. And even if you do have space for a vegetable garden, “there's always...
Read: No Room for an Organic Vegetable Garden? Container Garden
Chefs, gardeners and gourmets are passionate about organic heirloom tomatoes. Now, anyone can successfully grow them with hardy plants, a growing kit and just the right amount of guidance.
Windowbox.com is shipping organic heirloom tomato plants nationwide, with complete directions and a 100% guarantee. A single plant costs less than a...
Read: Grow Your Own Organic Heirloom Tomatoes
Rising grocery costs and concerns over toxic pesticides have led many organic consumers to start home vegetable gardens.
The task is easier than you may think, and you don’t need an expansive plot of land to enjoy nature’s bounty. Many popular veggies can grow in containers or compact spaces.
Here are three...
Read: 3 Spring Gardening Favorites
What’s more flavorful than a fresh-from-the-garden organic tomato, plucked directly from the plant?
This summer, more than 43% of U.S. households will feast on the fruits, vegetables and herbs they’ve planted at home, according to a National Gardening Association survey.
Even if space is limited, you can design an edible garden. Many...
Read: Create a Flavorful Organic Landscape
Green Zebras. Bloody Butchers. Big Boys. Polish Linguisas.
Organic gardeners will have a literal field day with these and other tomato varieties at Tomatomania, billed as the world’s largest tomato seedling sale. The event will tour select cities from March 20 to May 23.
If the tour misses your area, you may...
Read: Grow Organic Tomatoes
Tags: gardening, organic gardening, salad, vegetables
