I love planting this time of year
because it helps usher in new flavors, scents, nutrients and tastes into my
kitchen. For those of you who might be thinking you can’t grow because you live
in a small space or don’t own your home, no worries, I’ve got tips for you too!
We just moved into a new house and will be planting into pots this season!
Growing at home comes with a
plethora of advantages, but my fave is being able to enjoy round after round of
my favorite fresh greens, lettuce and root veggies. All will easily grow in
containers and pots. Container gardens are awesome for new green thumbs, those
trying to maximize space and a great way to exhibit vital energy in your decor
scheme!
If you have space and time,
raised beds might be an option for you as well. When I go on a Garden Eats run
to help a client decide, we always suggest a raised bed option when space is
available. The unique So-Cal landscape allows for so many raised-bed and
graduated feature gardens.
Nutrient-Dense Soil=Happy Plants=Healthy
YOU!
My number one reason to suggest
growing in containers and raised beds is that you can control the
nutrient-balance of your soil. Planting into the ground isn’t a terrible idea,
but you might not know what’s been lurking beneath or what can make it’s way in
through the ground water. You’ll be happy to hear that the supplies to get
started are actually quite basic and easy to procure:
●
topsoil
●
compost
●
non-treated containers or Foodmap containers (pictured)
●
Ho, large shovel & hand shovel
●
watering can or hose with flow control
●
boards, nails and hammer if building a raised bed
●
organic seeds or plants of your choice (marigolds if
planting a raised bed)
What Should I Plant?
Now that you’ve got all of your
tools, let’s decide what you can plant. Today we’re going to focus on planting
into containers, but if you want to learn more about raised-beds, you can find
me here.
While we enjoy a great variety of produce in our kitchen, I like to grow what
we enjoy eating the most of. Another great way to grow is by choosing
financially- choose to grow whatever ends up costing you the most at the
markets.
With these things in mind, here
are my faves on-rotation right now:
●
red lettuce
●
romaine
●
swiss chard
●
kale
●
carrots
●
beets
●
turnips
●
garlic
How To Grow C A R R O T S
Carrots will grow about ¼ to ½
the size of the pot they are placed in. You can grow a variety of orange, white
or purple- all do well in So-Cal. You’ll want to plant these now. They look
nice in different size pots and arranged along a patio.
To Plant:
●
Mix fresh light soil with sandy soil thoroughly and
almost fill your pot
●
Dig in about one inch, fill in with compost, drop
seeds and cover
●
Carrots like full sun and good drainage so be
mindful when choosing pots
●
Water every day early in the am or later in the day,
but not in high sun as the leaves will burn
●
Harvest late in the day for the most balanced taste
With so many growing choices,
please let us know what your fave veggies and fruits are so we can highlight
those growing tips for you here!
Have a lovely weekend!
--- Christine!
Leave a Reply