There is something very satisfying about growing your own food and you don’t need an acre of land or a lot of money to do it. With food prices skyrocketing and consumer’s wallets tightening, container gardening is a very economical way to grow fresh produce for a fraction of the cost of purchasing it at the store. Imagine freshly prepared salads and salsas made from lettuces, tomatoes and cilantro grown on your balcony or patio. The luxury of having an endless supply of fresh herbs and vegetables, free of pesticides, is simple and available to anyone regardless of space. With container gardening you can raise a surprisingly large amount of organic produce in a relatively small space.

One of the best things about container gardens is that you can use almost anything to make a container. An unused storage tub or a kiddie pool make excellent choices. You can grow plants in virtually anything that will hold soil, from old tires to plastic two-liter pop bottles. Before heading to the Home and Garden store take a look around the house or garage to see what kind of containers you may already have lying around. Garage sales or thrift stores are excellent places to find inexpensive and unique containers. You might just save yourself a trip to the store and some money along the way. Before getting started all you need to do is master a few basics.

Let’s talk about tomatoes because they are the perfect summer food. Tomato plants adapt very well to containers and can be under planted with herbs such as parsley or basil to yield more product in the same amount of space. Tomato plants need ample room to grow so a 15 gallon container or larger is needed. You may also want to choose both indeterminate and determinate varieties of plants for your garden. Determinate fruit ripens all at once (good for making sauces) and indeterminate plants bear fruit over several weeks. You will find that having both varieties of plants will satisfy your culinary needs.

Once you have gathered and cleaned your containers start by filling them with them with a good quality potting mix. A peat moss-compost based mix will help keep the plants disease and pest free. If you are home composting be sure to mix in some of this nutrient rich soil to your mix. To yield the most amount of fruit you may want to fertilize. Tomatoes thrive when given a fertilizer rich in potassium and phosphorous. They also need 6-8 hours of direct sunlight per day and the soil should be kept evenly moist. A huge benefit to container gardening is that you can move the planters around to sunnier or shadier spots depending on your plants needs, available sunlight and your growing space. Tomatoes should be harvested at peak ripeness. You will know when they are ready by the deep even coloring and the fruit will be firm but will yield to the touch.

Keep in mind that most vegetables can be grown in a container in your backyard, porch or patio. There are initial costs to set up your garden, but once the appropriate containers and materials are purchased, costs to maintain are minimal. Don’t let the lack of space keep you from enjoying home grown vegetables and herbs. Container gardens can save you a ton of money on the same produce you would be buying from the store or farmer’s market and you’ll get a real kick out of saying “it came from my garden” when someone compliments you on your cooking.