Lizz Shepherd - The Complete Guide to Growing Vegetables, Flowers, Fruits, and Herbs from Containers

The Complete Guide to

Growing Vegetables, Flowers, Fruits,and Herbs

from Containers

Everything You Need To Know Explained Simply

By Lizz Shepherd

A few years back we lost our beloved pet dog Bear, who was not only our best and dearest friend but also the Vice President of Sunshine here at Atlantic Publishing. He did not receive a salary but worked tirelessly 24 hours a day to please his parents.

Bear was a rescue dog who turned around and showered myself, my wife, Sherri, his grandparents Jean, Bob, and Nancy, and every person and animal he met (well, maybe not rabbits) with friendship and love. He made a lot of people smile every day.

We wanted you to know a portion of the profits of this book will be donated in Bears memory to local animal shelters, parks, conservation organizations, and other individuals and nonprofit organizations in need of assistance.

Douglas and Sherri Brown

PS: We have since adopted two more rescue dogs: first Scout, and the following year, Ginger. They were both mixed golden retrievers who needed a home.

Want to help animals and the world? Here are a dozen easy suggestions you and your family can implement today:

• Adopt and rescue a pet from a local shelter.
• Support local and no-kill animal shelters.
• Plant a tree to honor someone you love.
• Be a developer put up some birdhouses.
• Buy live, potted Christmas trees and replant them.
• Make sure you spend time with your animals each day.
• Save natural resources by recycling and buying recycled products.
• Drink tap water, or filter your own water at home.
• Whenever possible, limit your use of or do not use pesticides.
• If you eat seafood, make sustainable choices.
• Support your local farmers market.
• Get outside. Visit a park, volunteer, walk your dog, or ride your bike.

Five years ago, Atlantic Publishing signed the Green Press Initiative. These guidelines promote environmentally friendly practices, such as using recycled stock and vegetable-based inks, avoiding waste, choosing energy-efficient resources, and promoting a no-pulping policy. We now use 100-percent recycled stock on all our books. The results: in one year, switching to post-consumer recycled stock saved 24 mature trees, 5,000 gallons of water, the equivalent of the total energy used for one home in a year, and the equivalent of the greenhouse gases from one car driven for a year.

Dedication

To my beautiful grandmothers, Nellie Fullerton and the late Helen Fowler, and to my children, Arianna, Miranda, and Leo.

Introduction

Container gardening is a fun and easy alternative to outdoor gardening for many people who want to grow their own food and flowers. Growing fresh fruits, vegetables, and herbs at home throughout the year is a healthy alternative to surviving on processed food. However, for many people, gardening outdoors throughout the year is not possible, whether due to apartment living, limited yard space, or physical limitations. Thankfully, container gardening offers an alternative to anyone with these limitations.

Quite simply, container gardening is the process of growing plants in containers. Although many container gardens are started indoors because of space or climate limitations, you can also grow plants in containers outdoors by placing the containers in your yard, on your driveway, or on a porch or balcony. Virtually any outdoor area can be accessorized with the right container and a beautiful, thriving plant.

For many people, container gardening is about the very best use of available space. With the use of plant shelves, hanging pots, and other space-saving container arrangements, many types of plants can be grown in a small space. One small balcony can house dozens of plants, produce, and flowers.

Container gardening has been used for centuries. The ancient Romans used container plants to decorate their balconies and rooftops and to provide ready food sources. The ancient Egyptians and Babylonians also used containers to grow plants for food and ornamental flowers and trees.

What Container Gardening Can and Cannot do for You