Extra Space in Your Community

Maybe you don’t realize it, but several neighborhoods here in Denver are classified as “food deserts” — which means that in these neighborhoods, you can walk for miles without finding a store that will sell you fresh produce, even so much as an apple or banana. Residents of these neighborhoods get their groceries from convenience stores, which almost never carry fresh fruits or vegetables. At best, they might sport a potato or two, and maybe a few lemons or limes.

In Colorado, according to today’s Denver Post, we rank 37th in the nation in number of supermarkets per person in the state. Naturally, those supermarkets and grocery stores are concentrated in higher-income parts of town. Low income neighborhoods are the areas that are likely to fall within a food desert  – an area devoid of grocery stores. Nonprofit organizations and government agencies are working on this problem, but personally I don’t have a lot of faith that they’re going to make a big difference. I think we need a solution that will help people living in apartments deep in the heart of food deserts right away — or at least this season.

Here’s my solution: container gardening. Often when people downsize from a house to an apartment, they put all their old yard supplies and gardening supplies into storage. Some of those things definitely belong in storage. You can’t do much with a rake or a lawnmower when you move into an apartment. If you have a few large terra cotta pots, though, along with some potting soil, then you’re ready to set up a mini-garden in containers. You can put the containers on a balcony, if you have one, or you can use a windowsill or a sunny doorstep. Almost any vegetable that you can grow in the ground will grow equally well in a container. The best ones to try are tomatoes, peppers, eggplant, green onions, beans, lettuce, squash, radishes, and parsley. You can grow pole beans and cucumbers too, but they take a little more space because of their vines.

To start with, you need a container and soil. Even if you don’t have a standard pot, you can use almost any container that has drainage at the bottom, even a bushel basket. A planter box is ideal, but many ceramic pots work well too. Most vegetables will grow well in a five-gallon container. People have even grown crops in an upended potato bag, which has wonderful drainage. It will help the drainage, as well, if you can put about an inch of gravel at the bottom of the container. It’s best if the holes for drainage are along the sides, about 1/4″ – 1/2″ from the bottom. On top of the gravel, put your soil, which can be potting soil, or a synthetic soil mixture that you can obtain from a nursery or a gardening store. Many container gardeners feel that vegetables grow better in a synthetic soil. Put your soil into the pot, and add enough water to make it thoroughly damp.

Next you are ready to add your seedlings. You can grow your own seedlings from seeds. Egg cartons make a wonderful container in which to germinate seeds. Put them in an area that gets plenty of sunlight, and plant  your seeds about four to eight weeks before you plan to transplant the seedlings into your containers (yes, you’re going to have to make do with lemons, limes and potatoes for a little longer). When your seedlings have two or three leaves, you’ll know that you are ready to transplant them into your containers. And then the real fun begins.

Stay tuned for Part II: Taking Care of Your Container Garden!