Urban Vegetable Gardening

Rural populations can supplement their grocery bill with small garden plots; however, Urban dwellers don’t have this luxury. Vegetable gardens for Urban dwellers is still a possibility. Almost any vegetable can be grown in a container: tomatoes, peppers, eggplant, potatoes, beans, lettuce, carrots, and radishes. Vine crops like squash and cucumbers also do well in containers. Containers can be old washtubs, wooden boxes or crates, gallon sized coffee cans even five gallon buckets. Living in the city does’nt mean you can’t have your own vegetable garden.

Depending on the crops you select the size of the container will vary. Most plants require containers that allow at least 6 to 8 inches of soil for adequate rooting. Smaller sized containers, like coffee cans, are generally ideal for crops like carrots, radishes and herbs. Use medium sized containers like 5 gallon buckets for tomatoes or peppers. Vine crops like beans and potatoes will need something larger such as a washtub. Soil depth and spacing requirements are listed on the seed packets and once your seeds have sprouted you can thin the crop suitable for the container.