STORAGE TOTE GARDENS
A Raised Bed Alternative
Length:  12 minutes
Click here to view. 

NOTE
Of this technique, one viewer commented:
Make sure your totes have a 2 or 5 on the bottom which means they are safe to grow or store foods in. Any other numbers mean the totes are made from chemical recycles that can be absorbed into the soil which will transfer into your food plants.

Consider
Nature is so smart, it put the medicine inside the food.
– Source Unknown

Years ago, a friend invited me to her family farm. We picked, boiled and ate corn right away. Wow! Really fresh food tastes fantastic. With those flavors in mind, I’ve sat and watched beefsteak tomatoes ripen behind my garage, each day knowing how delicious they were becoming.

Now that I know about soil contaminants and, since deer and groundhogs have invaded my ‘hood,’ growing from my ground won’t work. Planting in pots will!

Container Gardening for Food  lists these plants as great to grow and eat from apartment window boxes:

• Bush/Hanging Cucumbers
• Everbearing Strawberries
• Geranium  edible info
• Hanging cherry tomatoes
• Lettuce
• Mint/Lemon Balm
• Nasturtiums  edible info
• Pansies  edible info
• Sage
• Spinach

With a bit more space, these herbs and vegetables grow well in containers:

• Basil
• Cherry tomatoes
• Cilantro
• Eggplant
• Lettuce
• Marigold  edible info
• Oregano
• Peppers
• Pole beans
• Radishes
• Scallions
• Spinach
• Swiss chard
• Tarragon
• Thyme

The Spruce provides reminders for beginning container gardeners, including light and temperature considerations, watering and drainage, soil and more

Michigan State University Extension writes,  Container gardening for food is a not just a fad; growing food in creative ways is here to stay …  Seed companies have kept up with this trend as they keep developing varieties of fruit, vegetables and herbs that will grow in containers … Burpee Seed Company has a number of videos on growing vegetables in containers. Other trusted publications with good videos on the subject are Better Homes and Gardens, Sunset and Farmer’s Almanac.

MSU notes that burlap sacks can work as planters. And, the school offers booklets like:

• Container gardening with vegetables and herbs
• Container gardening in a sunny area
• Container gardening in a shady area
• Click here for more MSU resources, including a free Email digest.