7 Alternative Ways To Grow Vegetables

The underlying message in this piece is that you don’t need to have a conventional kitchen garden before you can grow vegetables. These seven ideas are mainly different sorts of containers that you can use to make growing a few plants as easy as possible. The one exception is number two which would require a considerable effort before you could even think about planting. See what you think of these ideas which are described in an article which I found on the Gardening Channel website.

There are creative ways to maximize what you can plant in your vegetable garden regardless of size.? Take a look at each of these creative ways to grow vegetables and decide which one will work for you. ?Let us know if you try one and send us a photo.

1.) Vertical Garden

Give your plants the support to grow upward, this allows you to limit the footprint that your plant occupies. ?Vegetables that grow well vertically are cucumbers, tomatoes, ?peas, pole beans, squash and melons.? To take advantage of unused space, you can also plant pots along the fence and grow smaller plants like strawberries or herbs.
Grow on Herb Garden on Your Fence
You can plant along a fence, wall or use a metal cage. ?You can read more about how to build your own metal cage or trellis in this article.
To learn more about using a trellis to maximize growing space see this article?from Rodale?s Organic Life ?or?this article from Balcony Garden Web.? If you want to mix in some flowers with your vegetables, there are many flowers that grow well with vertical support like Hollyhocks,?Bougainvillea,?Blue Moon Wisteria, Morning Glory,?Campsis Radicans (Trumpet Vine), Honeysuckle and Clematis.

2.) Keyhole Garden

A Keyhole garden is a specific shape of raised-bed garden with a secret ingredient in the center, compost. The compost in the middle nourishes the plants around it. ?It works well in dry climates. ?The shape of the garden makes reaching both the compost and the surrounding plants easier. ?It can be round or U-shaped.
Keyhole Garden
Photo is from this video on building a keyhole garden in Uganda.
The walls around the outside can be made from stones, metal sheeting, bricks or cinder blocks. ?Some people line the interior of the key with wet cardboard or newspapers before they add soil.

See more at Gardening Channel