How to Grow Your Own Microgreens at Home

I’ve been really excited about growing my own microgreens at home. It’s super easy to do even if you don’t have garden space.

Also, it’s a great way to save money by producing some of your own food at home. These tiny greens sell for big bucks at the store too.

Here is information on growing microgreens the easy way:

Craftzine.com blog : Grow Your Own Microgreens at Home

You can grow fresh & healthy microgreens right in the comfort of your own home. All you need is a sunny window sill and a few simple materials. Depending on what you decide to grow, you could manage to have weekly or biweekly crops of …

Publish Date: 04/08/2010 13:00

http://blog.craftzine.com/archive/2010/04/grow_your_own_microgreens_insi.html

Microgreens: Growing these veggies can be beneficial for your …

Growing Microgreens? Here’s some tips to help you along the way to ensure that your lettuce, endives, beets, herbs, onions, chives, and all of the like grow to their potential. … Your home for gardening tips, advice and discussion. …

Publish Date: 04/26/2010 13:45

http://gardeningchannel.com/tips-for-growing-microgreens/

How to grow microgreens and sprouts at home | Chicago Botanic …

Benjamin Carroll shows us how to grow microgreens and sprouts at home. It’s a quick and easy way to get fresh healthy food even in winter! View the.

Publish Date: 01/29/2010 12:19

http://www.chicagobotanic.org/grow/adult_education/how-to-grow-microgreens-and-sprouts-at-home/

Other folks are excited about microgreen too. Here are some tweets about microgreens:

By tracysheridan at 05/29/2010 12:02

By Healthsh at 05/28/2010 21:04

There are some great video tutorials about growing microgreens too:

Here is another microgreens video:

Enjoy growing microgreens at home! It’s a great hobby that produces quality food to eat!

Removing Pet Stains With a Carpet Steam Cleaner

One of the biggest problems you will face when steam cleaning your carpet is pet stains. What should you do about them? After all, you can hardly call a carpet clean if it has a dark stain from when your puppy or kitten had an accident a few months back. And so when you’re looking for a steam carpet cleaner you really need to think about which ones will be able to handle this job and get those tough stains out.

Try Natural Products First

Of course, before you ever use your steam cleaner you should consider whether the stains can be removed with simple detergents and other stain removal substances that you already have. You will be amazed at how many stains can be eliminated totally with natural things like vinegar or lemon juice. If that doesn’t work, you can try alcohol. They also make special enzyme solutions specifically for cleaning up after pets. It’s always a good idea to get as much cleaning done as possible, whether with these products for stains or with a vacuum for dirt, before busting out the steam cleaner.

Here is one tip that works surprisingly well for pet stain situations. As soon as you can after the stain is made, mix together a single teaspoon of normal store-bought ammonia with ½ cup of tap water. There are a few ways you can apply it to the stain. For instance, you could put it in a bottle and spray it on. Or you could just slowly pour it on directly. It’s your choice, but remember not to soak the backing of the carpets in the process. Once you’ve carefully applied a layer of the liquid to the entire area of the stain (and maybe the area around it, for good luck), get some tissue or paper towels to dry it up.

Steam Cleaner Works Well on Old Pet Stains

It goes without saying that if the stain has been around for a while, you may have more trouble, but don’t worry. Even old and hardy pet stains can be removed if you use the right products and refuse to give up.

It should be clear by now that one of the most important things to do is to make sure your carpet cleaner machine also offers a cleaning solutions specific to pet stain problems. Don’t neglect this during the shopping process! Examine different brands like Hoover to find the best steam carpet cleaner available that will do the best job cleaning your carpet and making your home and life healthier and more comfortable.

Choosing the Right Carpet Cleaner the Easy Way

Many people are convinced, completely convinced, that carpet cleaning is hard. These people will even pay hundreds of dollars to have someone else do the carpet cleaning for them. The truth, though, is that the real difficult part of carpet cleaning is finding a good carpet cleaning machine. Once you have a good steam cleaner or other machine, the worst part is over and you can relax because these machines are easy to use.

Take the Advice of Someone You Can Trust

A dry extraction system can be effective on some stains and dirt. These work by spreading a detergent and then vacuuming the dirt up. Dry foam carpet cleaners, by comparison, applies a foam to the carpet and then sucking up the foam with a wet vac. Upright steam carpet cleaners, meanwhile, look like big vacuums. They spray a detergent deep into the carpet fibers for a maximum clean before extracting all the liquid and dirt into a built-in tank.

Go to people you trust and ask them what carpet cleaning products they recommend. They may share some ideas you never would guess. Even better, go online and look for the carpet cleaners with the best customer reviews. This is often a good indicator of the quality of the carpet cleaning machine and whether it will work for you.

Clean Carpets Mean Better Air Quality in Your Home

Since one of the main benefits of carpet cleaning is improved health for you and your family, you also want to make sure that the carpet cleaner you select doesn’t use dangerous, toxic chemicals. Done right, with the best machine and detergents, you can eliminate unhealthy dirt and dust in a positive way. Your house will look cleaner and your lungs will thank you for the improved air quality!

With a good system, it is possible to clean your carpets well on a regular basis, so that your floors are never dirty again. If that sounds like a great way to live for you, what are you waiting for? As we head into a new season, this is the perfect time to get started on carpet cleaning. And if you take the advice above to heart then finding a good carpet cleaning machine won’t be a hassle–it could even be fun.

Steam Cleaner Vacuum: Hot Water Power Machines

Lately it seems that stores have been flooded with all kinds of hot water extractors for carpet cleaning. This of course includes small canister types, which have a hose and a nozzle. It also includes a carpet cleaning machine called an upright steam cleaner which resemble and are used similarly to a typical household vacuum cleaner.

How do they work? In a nutshell, a steam cleaner vacuum shoots a combination of hot water and a detergent out onto the carpet, which does most of the washing. Then all the liquid is sucked (“extracted”) back out into the carpet cleaning machine. Some of the machines get a little fancier, adding features like brush rotation to really get at the dirtiest parts of the carpet for a penetrating deep clean.

Not Your Mother’s Carpet Cleaner

As you might expect, the carpet steam cleaner has come a long way since its inception. Many of the first machines had a hose connected to some water supply. You hooked the hose up to a container of detergent and the two fluids were combined when you opened the valve. Some people still use these today, but most prefer the newer self contained cleaners.

The canister steam cleaner is one such machine. These have a standalone hose, but built-in tanks and motor. You hold a nozzle in your hand and wave it around to get all parts of your carpet. Ultimately, canister steam cleaners suffer from the flaw of inconvenience. Unlike other carpet cleaning products they’re hard to store and hard to start using. In particular, trying to move them–say, from your garage or closet to your living room–is much harder than it should be.

Upright is Your Best Choice

What’s the alternative, then? For most people, it’s the self contained upright steam cleaner. These are like the ones mentioned earlier in this article, that work a lot like a vacuum cleaner. You could think of them like a vacuum cleaner “times 100″–just as easy to use but with so much more power. (Even so, let’s not insult the vacuum too much. It’s still an important part of effective carpet cleaning and should be done first to get the most obvious dirt.)

An upright steam cleaner includes a tank, motor, nozzle and so on–all built in to the main machine. You just grab it and push it slowly around the floor for a deep, high quality clean that lasts ages. The cleaning detergent is funneled automatically to a nozzle where it is sprayed and brushed vigorously into the carpet. And to cap it all off, they usually also include a detachable brush and nozzle that you can use when the need arises.

Now You Can Clean Your Carpet on a Whim

Whether you go with an upright steam cleaner or something else, here’s a parting tip: Carpet cleaning is best done regularly. You might even work it into your routine and do it even when the carpets don’t look dirty yet. With upright steam carpet cleaners it’s more than easy enough to do as often as you like and it’ll lead to more effective carpet cleaning in the long run–as well as healthier lungs for you and your family and cleaner and longer-lasting carpets for your home.

Carpet Steam Cleaning Tips

What is the secret to a clean carpet? A carpet cleaning machine like the Hoover SteamVac f5914900 is often the most effective answer. Most people are surprised by just how easy these machines are to use and how inexpensive they are to buy.

House Rules to Keep Dirt Out

Carpet cleaning machines are easy and effective but like they say, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. Why not make some house rules about dirt? You could have people wipe their shoes on a mat before coming inside, or even have them take their shoes off completely.

Doing these simple things can seriously reduce how dirty your carpets get in the first place and make your life easier when it comes time to use the carpet cleaning machine.

Deal With Carpet Spills With a Carpet Steam Cleaner

Also, act quickly if you spill something on your carpet. Most small spills can be cleaned up with water, vinegar or inexpensive cleaning products that you can get at the store. Different products work best with different types of spills. For bigger or more serious spills, you may want to grab your carpet cleaning machine and give the spot a once-over, but this isn’t always necessary. The main thing to remember is that the sooner you clean up a spill the simpler it’ll be to keep your carpets clean.

Vacuum Often to Keep Dirt Under Control

Now, it’s easy to get so excited about carpet cleaning machines that you forget about the boring old vacuum cleaner. But the vacuum is an important part of effective carpet cleaning. Don’t forget to vacuum thoroughly on a regular basis with a quality machine. Do it from multiple angles to make sure you get all the dirt. Later on when you pull out the carpet cleaner, you’ll be glad you already got the big stuff with the vacuum.

Home Carpet Steam Cleaners To the Rescue

But in the end, these are only partial cures. To completely clean your carpet you’ll need what’s called a deep cleaning. You can hire someone to do that for you, or you can use your own deep cleaning machine. Many people opt to pay someone else to clean their carpets because they mistakenly think it would be hard to do themselves. Nothing could be further from the truth.

Prolong Carpet Life With Steam Cleaning

Did you know a clean carpet lasts longer and stays in better shape? Replacing a damaged carpet is costly and time-consuming, so avoiding this from the start is a great decision. But the benefits go way beyond this and can dramatically improve your quality of life. Carpet cleaning is a great step toward better health for you and your family–and there’s nothing like a clean house to brighten your mood.

Hoover f5914900 SteamVac with Clean Surge Review

I have to admit that when I ordered my Hoover f5914900 I was both excited and nervous.

My carpets had not been cleaned in a long time and they really needed help and fast. I hate renting those monster steam cleaners from the grocery store and the so-called professional carpet cleaners don’t always get the job done very well (I’ve had bad experiences with various services).

So I was asking a lot from the f5914900 but based on the huge number of reviews at Amazon I felt like the Hoover f5914 900 steamvac clean surge might be my answer!

I Really Love This Machine

Before I tell you all the nitty-gritty details about the Hoover f5914 900 first let me assure you that my steam cleaner arrived in record time and boy did it get the job done!

My husband and I had a really fun time using it. We started in the foyer because that was a really high traffic area and I figured if the Hoover f5914-900 could handle this job it will handle anything.

What a joy and what fun to see all of the dirt in the dirty water tank! If it’s getting all this dirt out then it must be getting the carpet really clean.

And the handle-mounted trigger releases a surge of cleaning fluid onto the carpet for extra deep fiber cleaning. It also has strong spinning brushes that scrub the carpet fibers.

What a Difference

But the real thrill is comparing the part you’ve cleaned with the part you have not cleaned yet. What an amazing difference. The stains and smells are gone!

We did the entire front of the house the next evening – it was a breeze and really impressive.

So I definitely love it and consider it one of my best purchases because now I’m living in a house with clean carpets I feel good about. This means less allergens, less toxic junk that comes in from outside and no more embarrassing dirt.

From Now On – Clean Carpets For Me

And best of all I can keep them clean. I plan to do the traffic areas monthly and everything else twice a year. It’s that convenient.

I can promise you that if you get one of these (and be sure it’s this model) you will never regret it.

Hoover has done a great job making this job as easy and mess free as it can be. The details and features of the Hoover F5914-900 SteamVac with Clean Surge are as follows:

“The powerful 12-amp motor combined with five spinning brushes that operate at either high or low speed lift the usual dirt and grime out of carpets.

By pulling on the trigger in the comfortable upright handle, this deep cleaner releases the included carpet/upholstery cleaner and hot tap water.

For more stubborn stains or for high-traffic areas, this SteamVac also has a Clean Surge feature, which sends an extra blast of cleaning solution into the stain by simply pressing a button on the handle.

When cleaning is complete, release the trigger and the SteamVac forces hot air into the cleaning path so you can do a few dry strokes over the stain.

This deep cleaner has two separate water tanks to keep clean water apart from dirty water.

The top tank holds the detergent and 1 gallon of hot water and automatically mixes the two so you don’t need to get your hands wet.

The lower tank holds the dirty solution picked up from the carpet and unlatches to easily pour out into a sink or toilet without spilling.

For cleaning stairs or upholstery, this deep cleaner has a long 8-foot hose and a special stair/upholstery nozzle that scrubs out spots.

Other features of this deep cleaner include:

A brush indicator, which informs you that the brushes are spinning;

An on/off foot pedal; a handle release pedal;

A 27-inch wraparound cord.

The Hoover SteamVac is covered by a full one-year warranty.”

Source: Amazon.com

Hoover f5914900 SteamVac with Clean Surge is a fantastic steam cleaner and I would recommend it to anyone. I would be very surprised if the professional carpet cleaners manage to stay in business. I know I won’t be needing their services anymore and you won’t either if you get one of these power-cleaning machines.

Articles related to Hoover f5914900 SteamVac:

• Hoover Vacuum F5914900 Sale – Hoover Vacuum F5914900 Sale. Powerful 12-amp motor; deep cleans with hot tap water and carpet solution, Five spinning/scrubbing brushes clean carpets, upholstery, bare floors, Clean Surge feature gives extra burst of cleaning solution …

Wire Closet Organizers: Low-Cost Storage Solution

Organizing a closet doesn’t have to be ridiculously expensive.

In fact, wire closet organization systems are designed to be both cheap and high quality. They have many benefits, and depending on your situation may be exactly what you need.

Let’s say you have a lot of things to store but you don’t expect to be using the same closet for very long. A wire closet storage system gives you an ideal mix of portability and stability. The different components are designed so you can easily move them around and reimagine your closet as often as you like, and so you can quickly remove the whole system if you have to move. Of course, this makes them perfect for college dormitories and for apartments.

Wire Closet Storage Systems

Wire closet storage systems come in a couple types. Some are installed by mounting a track inside the closet wall and placing the wire closet shelving or baskets lengthways on it. The good thing about this set-up is that it’s easy to change later and to fine-tune to get it just right. Plus, you end up having to make less holes in the wall. Other wire closet storage systems work by mounting the different products to the wall separately using screws, braces and other accessories that are easy to locate in most stores.

Do you have something heavy you need to store in your closet—a collection of thick books, for instance? With a few exceptions, wire closet storage systems are sturdier than other systems and are built to hold anything. There are exceptions to this though, so be careful to check individual products for maximum weight limits. The last thing you want is for your closet organization system to collapse.

Wire Storage: Not For Sweaters

Be warned, however, that wire storage is simply a bad idea for sweaters and some other kinds of clothes. Why? Well, the wires leave marks sometimes. Consider whether this might be an issue with the things you need to store before you decide on a wire closet organization system.

Now, of course, style is an important quality in any closet organization system. When some people hear “wire” they think it will be ugly. Nothing could be further from the truth. You can get wire closet organization kits in many attractive colors, with epoxy coatings, matching any closet decor. If you can’t find the color you want, you can always get a can of spray paint and recolor them in minutes.

Wire Closet Organizers are an Inexpensive Solution

Wire closet organizations systems are high quality, stylish and they work amazingly well, but of course the important thing is price. This is where wire systems really stand out. If you dream of getting creative and organizing a closet that you can be proud of, but have a budget to stick to, go with wire products. They’re sold online and in most home improvement outlets.

You can get your chaotic closet under control right away. Think about it. That depressing mess doesn’t have to be in there. With a wire closet organization system, you clean it up fast and inexpensively.

Easy Closet Organization Tips

So you’ve decided to organize your closet. That’s pretty big all on its own–most people think a lot about closet organization but never actually make up their minds to take action.

Now that you’ve decided, though, you might already be feeling overwhelmed. Don’t worry, with a few good tips you’ll be well on your way to closet organization heaven. Here’s the first thing you should know… it doesn’t matter how big a closet is. What matters is what you do with the space you have!

Divide and Conquer Your Closet

Divide the job up into tiny chunks that are simple to do on their own. If you get too wrapped up in the “whole” of everything that’s involved in closet organization you can quickly start to feel like you’ll never get done. Remember the Japanese concept of Kaizen. Just pick one tiny thing to do each day and before you know it you’ll be done.

Step one is getting rid of what you don’t need. In order to figure out what you need and don’t need, take everything out of the closet. Look at each thing individually. Be as brutal as you can when it comes to purging old things you don’t need.

This may be very hard for you. There are people who can throw stuff out without a second’s thought, but most of us aren’t like that. Remember, if you really want to keep something you can. Especially if it has sentimental value for you. Closet organization should always be a happy thing.

Keep Only What You Love in Your Clothes Closet

If you’ve got a lot of clothes think hard about how much of it you actually wear. A good rule is that if you haven’t put it on in the last twelve months, it can go. Also, look for stuff that no longer fits you. It can go too.

You’ll probably find that you’ve shoved some things into the closet just because you didn’t know where else to put them. Now that you’re dedicated to closet organization, it’s time to take these things and find a better place for them, somewhere other than the closet. Closets have a very specific role in your home and you should remove anything that seems out of place in it.

Whatever you decide to get rid of you, put aside for now. There are lot of options for what to do with it all, including throwing it out, donating it or putting it in garage storage. But that can wait. As for the things you decided to keep, gather all of it together and put it in a nice container somewhere else in the house.

Design Your Dream Closet

Next, sit down with a pen and paper and write down everything you’re going to want in your custom closet design. Let’s say you’re crazy about hats. If you’ve got lots of them, you’ll need to dedicate a lot of space for that. You might decide to dedicate some closet shelving just to your favorite novels. Anything goes here–it’s your closet after all.

Once you know what you need to put in the closet, get out a measuring tape and find out how wide and deep it is. This will help you estimate just how much closet shelving, racking and other closet accessories to set up.

Now you can think about what style you want to go for. Here you also need to consider what you’re willing to spend. It’s easy to go crazy buying the coolest and most expensive closet organization products but set a budget. Once you’ve decided on a style and budget you’ll have a better idea what materials you’ll need to buy.

Basically, closet organization is about two things. The hard part comes first when you throw out everything that isn’t important to keep. The fun part comes last but it’s well worth it–that’s when you get to be creative and organize what’s left.

The Best Closet Organization System for Your Lifestyle

Closet organization is all about making an investment in a happier, more productive future. Think about it. You could easily be using the very same closet years from now. Understanding this, it shouldn’t surprise you that organizing a closet usually requires an investment in time and money too. Whether or not it pays off–whether you end up with a beautiful clutter-free closet–depends on the closet organization system you use. Let’s take a moment to talk about systems for effective closet organization.

A Closet for Your Lifestyle

Many kits and systems are available, but I want to emphasize that you should only purchase the one that fits your needs. This is important because what works for other people won’t necessarily work for you. All of us have an individual “style” that we feel most comfortable with. The system you come up with for organizing your closet needs to take that style into account.

You might find that one of the existing closet organization systems is a perfect match for your organizational style. But then again, you might not. In this case you might be better off coming up with your own closet organization system. How? Well, there are a lot of possibilities.

The Unique Closet

One idea is to buy individual closet organization products and mix them together as your own system. But this isn’t easy, especially if you’re trying to get everything to fit together just right. If this idea appeals to you, though, keep one thing in mind. Make sure all the closet organization products you pick come from just one company! Otherwise you’ll get a real headache trying to get everything to work together.

Build Your Own Closet Kit

But a simpler and more fun alternative is to craft a closet organization kit of your own making. It’s the same basic idea as mixing together individual products but with some major differences–and major advantages.

What you do is this. Get in touch with a company who provides custom closet organization kits. Send the company an email describing your closet. Include pictures so they can see what they’ll be working with. They’ll send you back some mock-ups of what they think you should do. If you agree with the closet organization plan they give you, then they make and ship it to you.

You’ll have to put a little more thought into this, obviously, than you would just buying a closet organization system at the store. But in the end it’s usually cheaper and you get a better fit for your particular closet and personal style.

Getting Help With Closet Organization

Let’s say you like the idea of a custom closet organization kit, but think it sounds overwhelming. Consider finding a closet organization consultant. This is a person who does this kind of thing all the time. The downside to this option is that it costs way more money. The upside is that it costs way less in time and energy. A good consultant will drop by your house and examine the closet in person. They’ll talk in depth with you about what you want. They’ll even have it installed for you.

With all these options for closet organization, the idea is basically the same. You want a neat, well-organized closet that makes you smile every time you look at it. Achieving this goal is so empowering. It’s really worth the money and effort it takes to do it right. What are you waiting for?

How to Grow Delicious Strawberries in a Container Garden

I have had great success planting and growing strawberries in my container garden. You’ll find that it’s easy to plant and grow delicious sweet red strawberries on a patio, deck or balcony.

Strawberry shortcake, chocolate covered strawberries, strawberry jam, strawberry smoothies, strawberry pie, strawberry cake, strawberry muffins, the list could go on and on…

Is it any wonder that the strawberry is one of the most beloved berries of all?

And the best part is how easy it is for you to have your own pots of strawberries right outside your door – just waiting for you to enjoy them in the best way of all – fat, ripe, and sweet – freshly picked and eaten with only a quick rinse of water.

It’s easy to grow strawberries in containers but keep a few guidelines in mind:

- Buy strawberry plants from a garden center or an online garden merchant in the spring and plant them as soon as possible after receiving them.

- The method of planting strawberry plants is very important for a successful strawberry crop: The point where the root meets the first leaf stem is the “crown”. Plant so that the crown is exactly at the soil line. Don’t cover the crowns with soil. (If you do this right the hardest part is over!) If you are using a strawberry jar add a bit of soil to the bottom of the jar – insert strawberry plants (from the inside to the outside of pot) in the lowest holes. Add soil and keep going in this manner. Plant a few plants in the opening at the top.

- Keep strawberry plants watered, give them lots of sunshine, and use a good organic fertilizer regularly.

- Harvest your berries as they ripen. Store them in a plastic bag in the refrigerator and don’t wash them until just before using.

Once you have learned to plant strawberry plants you will enjoy experimenting with the many healthy and delicious ways to use your fresh, organic container-grown strawberries!

Grow Container Garden Salad Greens the Easy Way

My all-time favorite for the container garden is salad greens.  It’s so easy to grow various types of lettuce.

Here’s what I do:

First decide how many heads of lettuce you need in a week. Let’s say you want four heads of lettuce every week.  Make four holes in the soil of your properly prepared container.

Drop 2-3 seeds in each hole. (You actually only want one lettuce plant per hole but I use extra seeds just to be safe – thin with scissors if you end up with several sprouts.) Cover the seeds with soil and mist gently with a spray bottle of water.

Then every 10-14 days repeat this procedure with another container.

You’ll have a steady supply of fresh salad greens each week and it will be exactly the right amount. No more waste!

Bonus Tip: Lettuce is a cool-season plant so choose seeds that are heat resistant. Also, as the days get warmer move your containers to an area protected from the hot afternoon sun and always give your lettuce plants lots of water and fertilizer.

Container Gardening Guide 101

An attractive and thriving container vegetable garden can be yours. In this container gardening guide I’ll give you all the information and tips you need to get started now. It’s fun, it’s easy. So let’s go…

Step 1 – Choose Your Veggies

What do you want to grow in your container veggie garden? The only rule is to choose vegetables that you actually like to eat – it’s one of the benefits of being a grown-up. There are many varieties of vegetables that have been developed especially for container gardening. Look for descriptive words like “bush,” “compact” or “dwarf” when buying vegetable seeds or transplants (small plants ready to put directly into the garden). It’s fun to start seeds indoors yourself (or in a mini greenhouse) about 8 weeks before it is expected to be warm enough to transplant them outside into your containers. (Note: Use this guide to grow herbs, strawberries and flowers in your container garden too.)

Tip: Plan to plant an extra pot or two of veggies to share with your friends.

Step 2 – Choose Your Veggie Planters

Gardening in containers is easy (you don’t need a PhD from a horticulture university to be successful – all you need is a little basic knowledge) but one of the most important factors in your gardening success is choosing appropriate garden planters. Nearly all vegetables and herbs will do well in a 5-gallon pot (12″ diameter and 12″ depth) but plants with shallow roots, like salad greens, will grow well in 6-8 inches of depth.

Use light colored pots for veggies that prefer cool temperatures (like lettuce and cabbage) and dark colored planters for heat loving plants (like tomatoes). For tall growing plants, choose pots made of heavy material like terracotta or add a layer of clean sand to the bottom of the planter for added weight and planter support.

Choose colors and styles of planters that compliment your house and yard. There is a large selection of beautiful garden planters available to suit any taste and budget. Consider self-watering garden planters for extra convenience and a sure water supply for thirsty plants on hot summer days. Some plants will do best if supported by a trellis or stake attached to the garden planter.

Tip: Share the fun and help a friend get started in veggie gardening.

Step 3 – Add Soil to Your Containers

The soil for vegetables that are grown in containers must be lightweight, loose, and hold moisture well. Regular soil is too heavy, compacts easily and should never be used in planters. It is important to choose a “soil-less” soil mix developed specifically for gardening in containers. These soils are various mixtures of vermiculite, perlite, peat moss and other nutrients.

The soil can be reused the following year by adding special soil boosters that replenish lost nutrients that vegetables require. Another benefit of using lightweight soil is that your planters will be easy to move around – one of the main advantages of container gardening is its portability.

Now for the fun part. The next step in our container gardening guide is…

Step 4 – Plant Your Veggie Garden

Follow the directions on the seed package to determine the best time for planting in your area based on your gardening hardiness zone. Use a zone finder tool to determine your zone by zip code and be sure to make a note of your zone number.

Many gardeners will sow seeds directly into garden planters for quick growing veggies like greens, but purchase transplants for longer maturing vegetables like tomatoes. After planting your seeds, spray soil lightly with a mister and cover pot with plastic wrap to retain moisture and warmth. Keep the soil moist at all times. When the seeds sprout, remove the plastic cover but continue to water very gently – remember they are baby veggies and need loving care.

Other information about the plant’s requirements (spacing, etc..) can be found on the seed package. Try to give each plant the conditions that they prefer. This is easy to do with container gardening – you control all of the environmental factors (soil, sun, water etc…).

Tip: Remember to add your favorite herbs, small fruits (like strawberries) and flowers (nasturtiums and dwarf marigolds are nice) to your veggie planters.

Bonus tip: Plant salad greens around the base of your tomato plant. By the time the tomato plant in the center needs the space you will have harvested the greens.

Step 5 – Fertilize and Water Veggies

Your veggies need to be watered daily and fertilized on a regular basis. Fertilizer is the key to abundant produce and healthy plants. Fertilizer replenishes the nutrients that plants need and that are washed away every time you water your containers. For best results look for complete organic fertilizers that are recommended especially for container gardening and fertilize according to the package directions.

Avoid using liquid fish emulsion fertilizer – cats and raccoons love the smell. (A special note about herbs: Herbs need less fertilizer than vegetables. So after the initial planting, you will not need to add fertilizer again.)

Watering must be done daily and more often on extremely hot summer days when the planter soil is likely to dry out quickly. Be sure you have free flowing drainage holes in your garden planter. Elevate veggie planters on bricks or wood to allow drainage and to protect surfaces. Consider watering aids and time-savers like self-watering planters, water-holding crystals that are added to the soil mix, and drip-irrigation systems designed especially for gardening in containers.

Tip: Put a layer of peat moss on top of the soil in each planter to help retain moisture.

Step 6 – Give Your Veggies Sunshine

Most vegetables require 6 hours of sunlight daily. Leafy vegetables like lettuce will do fine with somewhat less light. If necessary, putting planters on casters makes it easy to move your plants from areas of limited light to more sunny areas. Group pots of heat-loving veggies together in the warmest spot on your patio and cluster vegetables that prefer cooler temperatures in areas that are sheltered from the hot afternoon sun.

Garden design is a great opportunity to create a garden that is productive, creates useful extensions of your living space and is pleasing to look at. A potting bench can even be used as an outdoor buffet for family dining on the patio or deck.

Tip: Get your kids involved in gardening. Even kids that don’t like veggies will eat the baby carrots they grew themselves.

Step 7 – A Daily Gardening Schedule

Your new vegetable garden is very low maintenance requiring few supplies or tools, but you will need to water daily, fertilize regularly and be sure to harvest your veggies and berries as they ripen (the fruit of your labor). Herbs can be snipped and used as needed, either fresh or dried.

Most important of all, is to enjoy the time you spend in your garden – getting your hands in the soil and working with nature is relaxing and also provides a satisfying sense of accomplishment.

Tip: An attractive planter of salad greens or herbs makes a healthy and thoughtful gift.

It’s that easy. You’ll soon discover that there is nothing like the taste of fresh, just-picked vegetables from your own thriving container garden.