Container Vegetable Sprouts
Vegetable gardening is a fun and healthy hobby, and even if you don’t have a large plot of land, you can still grow food in a small kitchen garden on your balcony. Once spring comes, and you plant your vegetable seeds, expect to see some sprouts within a week or two. Some common vegetable plants that can be grown in containers include beans, potatoes, cucumber, peas, lettuce, herbs, garlic and tomatoes.
Most plant seeds will sprout within the week. If you live in a colder climate, you may want to start your seeds inside where it is warmer (seed-starting kits or mini-greenhouses are good for starting seeds indoors). You can take the approach of just tossing some seeds into a plant container and seeing what happens; or you can research each plant to see how to sow the seeds. Some seeds need to be planted at colder or warmer temperatures, near the surface or deep down, what time of year to plant and grow them, etc.
When it comes to plant seeds, make sure they are as fresh as possible. Older seeds may not sprout. If you have older seeds in your seed collection, don’t throw them away. Give them a try. If they don’t sprout within a week or two, gently move a little bit of the dirt around to see if there is any growth. Some seeds will just rot or disintegrate. Other seeds will just never sprout. In this case, you can use the dirt for another plant. Growing vegetables in a balcony kitchen garden is easy and rewarding, as long as you have enough light and can keep pests at bay. Aphids are a common garden pest, as well as tomato hornworm caterpillars (especially if you’re growing tomatoes or potatoes in your balcony garden). Keep an eye out for pests and try to get rid of them as soon as you spot them. With each plant you plan to grow, research if there are any plants that can grow nearby that repel pests. Marigolds, for example, will keep tomato hornworm caterpillars and other pests away because of its odor.
