Whether you’re an old hand at gardening but have never grown edible plants, or you’re new to gardening all together, here is a list of plants that are well suited to people who are considering growing something they can eat for the first time.
Photo by GNIKRJ
I’ve linked to growing information from Organic Gardening magazine to help you get your container farming off to a good start. Going organic is really important when it comes to plants you are going to eat because eating chemicals (whether in the form of fertilizers or pesticides) is not very appetizing.
Related Posts:
- Grow Your Own Food So Kids Will Eat Healthily
- Grow Your Own Salad Bowl
- Vegetables and Herbs You Can Still Plant Before Winter
- Vegetable and Herb Companion Planting
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My container veg were a bit deisastrous this year. I shall study the ideas here and try to do better next year!
Sue — Uh oh! Sorry to hear about your veggies. I hope you find useful info here at Life on the Balcony.
I am looking for a small yellow, buttery, early variety of potatoes for planting in a huge flower-pot indoors and on my balcony on sunny days! Any ideas? These will be used for a gourmet meal when mature, and the more exotic the better! Also: I have never had good luck with parsley – I plant and water it but it just never seems to sprout – tried a second brand of seeds, same results! Help dammit!
Uncle B — Thanks for stopping by! You might be hard pressed to find potato seeds this time of year. A number of my favorite seed suppliers appear to be sold out. My favorite variety of yellow potatoes is Swedish Peanut, if you can find them. They are a yellow fingerling potato.
Potatoes need full sun, so be sure to put them in a location where they can get more than 6 hours of direct sunlight a day. Remember that potatoes can take up to 3 months to mature, so be sure to pay attention throughout the time you are growing them to make sure that window is still getting lots of sun (with the change in seasons, a once sunny spot can be shaded, or vice versa). Here is a YouTube video on growing potatoes indoors. This is another source of potato growing tips.
With regard to parsley, Have you tried soaking the seeds in warm water for 24 hours before planting the seeds? Be sure that after planting the pot is in a warm location (like a sunny window) where the soil will be warm (not hot!). The warmth signals to parsley seeds that it is time to start growing. Also, make sure you are using fresh potting soil and a clean pot. Old potting soil or dirt from the garden as well as improperly cleaned pots can harbor fungi, molds, and pests that can make the soil inhospitable for seed starting. I have had a lot of success with making my own seed starting mix from 9 parts Miracle Grow peat (not organic, unfortunately) and 1 part perlite. If growing organically is important, Jen of Muddy Boot Dreams recommends using coconut coir, which can be obtained at a good gardening center.
I hope those tips help! I’d love to hear how your potatoes and parsley turn out.
Rosemary is easy to grow from cuttings – saves buying lots of new plants. Just strip lower leaves and place in potting soil, or the garden. Keep moist until it takes root and starts to grow new shoots. Then just water as needed.
Pink rosemary is a nice change from blue, and pretty as well as edible.
Thanks for those tips Robin!
Just thought I would share the wonder of cherry tomatoes with you!!
You can grow them very well in little space, just give them something to climb onto. They are virtually pest resistant and fruit like crazy!!!
Asterope — Thanks for stopping by! I have a cherry tomato plant going crazy as we speak. I agree that they grow like crazy on very little space, but the reason I left them off the list is because tomatoes can be prone to pests, fungi and other problems and I thought that some beginners would be frustrated by some of the problems tomatoes can have.
The closest potato that I can think of that Uncle B is talking about is a variety called Yukon Gold. I have had two reactions to them. People either love them or they hate them. Doesn’t seem to be any place in the middle. They are a shorter season potato that I grow in northern MN.
Hi,
Good vegetable info, i want to be a veggie,
Thanks
Hi, I live in Athens and wondered whether it was safe to grow organic fruit and vegetables on the balcony. Do they induce toxins from the air?
Regards
Michael
Michael–Air pollution and acid rain can damage fruits and vegetables grown outside, but it harms organic and conventionally grown plants equally. Does Athens have extremely high amounts air pollution? There are small greenhouses that can be used on a balcony. Check them out here.
What and excellent article. Many people don’t realize what all you can grow on a balcony and how much it add to the enjoyment of your home. My one friend grew gourds, corn and vines. It looked like a beautiful jungle! Denise
Thanks for visiting Denise. I’m glad you found the article useful!
So glad to have found this website! We just planted our container veggie garden this afternoon. We have tomatoes, lettuce, pepper, cucumber, eggplant, and baby carrots. We can’t wait for everything to grow! (Keeping our fingers crossed.) Our preschooler is probably more excited than we are because plants bring the promise of bugs.
Agnes–Glad you found me! Your veggie garden sounds fantastic. Keep me updated about your progress. I’d love to see photos. You should join our Flickr group!
Thanks so much for this blog! I have learned a lot from it as a novice gardener. It is so exciting to watch herbs and veggies grow this summer.
Fern,
Is there anything that I can do at this time of year for my garden? I live in DC and it’s pretty snowy outside so I assume that the answer is no, but are there any seeds that I can grow indoors?
One idea for a future post is to create a timeline for things that we should be doing with our garden in preparation for the next season. Love your blog, thanks!
Kamala–Check back next week, because I have some posts scheduled about starting seeds. But the short answer is “yes!” there are seeds you can start indoors now. Do you know your last frost date?
According to the link below, the last frost date for Washington DC is April 10. However, I’ve also heard anectodally that people in my area wait until mid-May.
http://cdmplanning.hypermart.net/frost.html
Any ideas?
Kamala–Do you have bright windows? Also, what kinds of things are you interested in growing? Because there are herbs that will do ok indoors, and of course, there are indoor plants. But if you’re not going to put anything outside until April or May, you probably don’t want to start any seeds meant to be transplanted out there until 6-8 weeks before your last frost date. That means not getting started until the end of February, beginning of March.
Another option for holding you over until then is to force bulbs. You might be able to find some pretty good deals on bulbs like paperwhites and amaryllis now after the holdiay gift giving extravaganza is over.
Thanks for all of your help, Fern! Last year was my first time planting a vegetable garden, and I planted tomatoes, basil, cilantro, mint, and hot peppers. This year I would like to be more ambitious and plant some small zucchini, small eggplant, cauliflower, and maybe some sweet peppers. I have the benefit of a balcony as well as a small plot of land in front of my townhome. I am thinking that I can use that plot to plant some of the larger vegetables.
I would love some advice on whether I should stick to buying plants or if it is realistic to grow vegetables from seeds. I tried growing my hot peppers last year from seed and very few sprouted. I wonder if it had to do with when I planted them — some time in June.
Thanks!
Thanks a lot for this thoughtful advise. I have been looking for the right fruits and vegetables for a balcony garden – and it is all in here!