Growing Vegetables in Containers

Don’t let a lack of space stop you from growing fresh vegetables. Even if you only have a small yard or live in a condo or apartment you can enjoy fresh and tasteful vegetables from your own garden. Most people think you need a big gardening space to grow your favorite vegetables, but you don’t. Picking the right type of vegetable and a variety of containers you can grow succulent vegetables too.

When choosing your vegetables look for varieties that will grow well in small places. Choose bush beans instead of climbers. Choose from the many determinate tomatoes out on the market. You are not limited just to determinate varieties, you can also grow indeterminate tomatoes like Brandywine, Celebrity, Better Boy and many more. With the indeterminate varieties will have to install a trellis. There are many dwarf varieties of vegetables on the market.

 

Chocolate Flower

photo by Lisa Bird

Berlandiera lyrata

Appearance: This very aromatic plant has bright green, flat spreading leaves with shallowly lobed edges.  The flowers are daisy-like, with green center and light yellow petals.  The underside of the petals have maroon markings on them.

Habitat: This plant is very drought tolerant and blooms profusely throughout the season.  The flowers have a wonderful chocolate scent are are edible.  Chocolate Flower prefers full sun and needs very little water.  Found on the Western plains to northern Mexico, in dry rocky soils.  Hardy to Zone 4.

 

Growing Red Currants in the Home Garden

Though our growing conditions can be challenging at times,  a wide variety of fruit can be grown here with minimum amount of care.  One of my favorite is Currant (Ribes species).  I love growing them in my home garden, because they are not readily available in the supermarkets.  They are full of anti-oxidants, minerals and vitamins. 

Currants can be used in pies, cakes and jellies.  There are three different types of currants red, white and black.  I grow Red Wilder Currants because it a good plant for the home gardener, it is vigorous and a heavy bearer.

Currants grow here very well because they are winter hardy from zones 3 to 5.  They are a low growing deciduous shrub which can reach heights of three to six feet.  They prefer fertile, well- drained, moist and cool soil.  Keep the soil moist and cool by adding four inches of straw.  They do well in partial to full sun. 

 

Spreadfruit Goldenbanner

Written by: Carey Harrington     

Photo by: Lisa Bird                                                                               

Spreadfruit Goldenbanner

Thermopsis divaricarpa

 

Appearance:  Spreadfruit goldenbanner is a yellow-flowering perennial that grows from 12-to-36″ tall. The leaves are hairy underneath, and the bright yellow flowers occur in clusters, resembling the flowers found on garden pea plants. This plant is often found growing in large groups. Blooming can start as early as March and continue through late summer.

 

Habitat: It is found in the plains and foothills, and can be seen in a wide variety of environments, from gravelly roadsides to stream bottoms and meadows. It grows in full sun.

 

Landscape suitability:  This plant is worth trying in dry or wet sandy soils in the garden. Its bright yellow color can be an attention grabber!  Be aware that it does spread from seed and can quickly form a large patch.

 

Sources:  Native Plant Master Manual, El Paso County; Colorado State University; 2008

               Guide to Colorado Wildflowers, Volume 1, Plains and Foothills; G.K.Guennel;

                               Westcliff Publishers; 2004

 

Springtime Vegetable Planting

As a springtime snow gracefully fell on my garden beds today my mind drifted to the vegetables I had just planted.  The snow mixed with rain, was a welcome sight for my vegetable garden.  Some of you may be asking, what kind of vegetables can be planted with such bizarre weather occurrences?

Actually, there are quite a few cool season vegetables that can be planted right now.  Though, our last frost date is not until around May 15th, cool season vegetables can be planted in the garden now.  Cool season vegetables are ideally suited for the cool weather we are experiencing now.  The cool season vegetables are frost-tolerant and their seeds germinate in cool soil temperatures.