Sustainability is the order of the day, and more people are aware of the effects of traditional gardening on the environment. The goal of sustainable gardening is to reduce the impact of pesticides, herbicides and excessive energy consumption on our planet.
Many thanks to our guest writer today – on sustainable food growing – James Carpenter from Carpenter’s Nursery
While maintaining a sustainable garden is more of a challenge, it is possible to have one without a ton of work. Here are the easiest foods to grow in a sustainable vegetable garden.
Tomatoes
There are several reasons you see tomatoes in almost every garden including container gardens. One is that they’re so versatile. Use them as the base for a sauce, toss them in salads or eat them off the vine like the fruit they really are. The other advantage is that they’re easy to grow once the seeds have taken root. Many people love cherry tomatoes because they produce fruit so fast. And there’s the fact that they grow vertically, a serious advantage when you have a container garden.
Shallots
Shallots can be grown in pots as long as they receive full sun, and they don’t need much to help them grow. All they need is rich and loose soil to thrive. They can also be a great substitute for onions, but require much less space and care.
Garlic
If you want to start a kitchen garden, herbs are one of the best choices. Parsley and chives make this list, but you’ll get the most out of vegetables that will fill a growbag, containers, or troughs while giving you the greatest flavor per ounce. And the first herb that we find that meets those criteria is garlic.
Garlic needs deep, wide containers with lots of sun. Other than that, garlic is easy to grow. You can harvest a bulb and use it in a meal while the rest of the plants continue to grow. A little fresh garlic will add zing to any sauce, soup or meat dish.
Leafy Greens
Lettuce can be grown indoors as long as the containers receive enough sun. You could also try chard as an alternative. It grows like a weed and will regenerate leaves you chop off. It can even be used in place of lettuce in salads, but it could be added to stews and soups as well.
Another easy to grow leafy green is spinach. It can be raised in containers outside or in an indoor container. It only needs six inches of soil, though more is preferable. It will be ready to harvest in six to eight weeks.
Beetroot
Beetroot is ideal for container gardens because it grows in almost any soil and any climate – it is almost impossible to mess up unless you hide it in the closet. All it needs is a container at least ten inches deep and adequate sunlight.
Choose the right plants for your container garden, and you’ll enjoy as much produce as if you had a garden plot. They’ll also require much less water and energy to be grown, which is a right step towards more sustainability.