Vegetable container gardening is perfect for the apartment dweller who loves squash or a condo owner who has always wanted to grow tomatoes. Thought that you didn't have enough space to grow your favorite vegetables? The reality is that you can.
Even if your garden is just a small container on your patio, you have room to try some of the compact plant varieties that have been released by the dozen over the past few years.
Here are a few varieties to help you get your space-saving garden started. These plants will make full-sized vegetables; they're little plants, but they don't make miniature vegetables.
Little Leaf Cucumber: This compact plant variety got its name because its leaves are only half the size of regular cucumber leaves.
Summerlong Basil: Burpee Seeds claims that Summerlong is "tasty, prolific and unstoppable" and that these vigorous, compact plants almost never go to seed.
Patio Princess Tomato: This tomato plant can fit into a small container and will only grow about 2' tall while still producing an abundance of 2 1/2" to 3'' tomatoes. Patio Princess is a determinate variety, meaning that it will only produce one crop of fruits that will all mature at about the same time. However, this is a bonus if you just want to get your tomato fix and then hit the beach for the rest of the summer.
Peas 'n-a-Pot Shelling Peas: These plants are just out and out tiny. Topping out at just 10'' tall, they produce full-sized 3'' pea pods. No trellising required. Shelling peas are the kind where you need to pop the peas out of their pod to eat them, as opposed to edible-pod peas such as snow peas or snap peas.
Burpee's Butterbush Butternut Squash: These plants only need 1/4 the space that traditional sprawling winter squash varieties need. About nine square feet is as much space as this plant will need in order to produce its bell-shaped fruits. This variety also matures relatively quickly and produces 1 1/2 pound butternut squashes about 75 days after you seed it.
These varieties are all worth a try if you have always wanted a garden but never thought that you had enough space for one.
 | Starting a vegetable garden is a way to save on food costs while providing your family with food that not only tastes better, but is much more nutritious than food that is shipped long distances. |
 | Harvesting vegetables to attain the maximum output isn't always the way to get the most out of your harvest. |
 | A fall vegetable garden is a chance to renovate your garden, or even to start a garden if you didn't have one during spring or summer. |
When it comes to vegetables, nothing compares to the fresh taste of plucking them from the garden to munch raw or cook them right away. Farmer's Markets can come close, but they're usually only held once a week, and not all cities have them. |
The dreary winter months are the perfect time to start planning for your vegetable garden. With the arrival of all the plant catalogues and the promise of the colors of the seasons to come: there is no better motivation. |
