Containing garden enthusiasm

If you want to grow veggies and herbs but don’t have a yard, no worries. You can grow produce in containers on a deck, patio, or balcony, and reap a hefty harvest of fresh food for your dinner table. Plant breeders know that after taste, home gardeners want a high yield in a small space, so they’ve developed varieties that can grow in a small area, and even flourish in containers. Here are six simple steps to get you started.


When you’re ready to begin potting up vegetables and herbs, opt for transplants – seedlings that have already been started – rather than starting from seed. Bonnie Plants has a wide variety of veggie and herb transplants, many of them compact varieties perfect for containers, available at garden retailers nationwide.

Use a premium quality potting mix. Don’t skimp here – a quality mix holds moisture but drains well, giving plant roots the perfect balance of air, moisture, and stability. Read bag labels to look for quality ingredients such as aged (composted) bark, perlite, lime or dolomite, and sometimes moisture-holding crystals. Quality potting mix stays fluffy all season long – it does not contain actual dirt that would compact with frequent watering. Read More