Wednesday, January 22, 2014

No Gloves for Your Green Thumb this Winter


What is container gardening? Container gardening is a portable way to garden that can be done all year round. Plants that are regularly grown outdoors can be grown indoors to make sure that you can enjoy fresh fruits and vegetables all year. Vegetables are normally grown in 3-5 gallon containers and placed in a kitchen or an area that receives adequate sunlight. Fresh herbs can also be grown in much smaller containers.


            It is important to eat fresh fruits and vegetables all through out the year. During the winter months it may be hard to find local, fresh vegetables, and purchasing out of season veggies never taste as good.  Container gardening allows you to keep your favorite produce in season all year round! It is also a great alternative to plot gardening if you are living in an apartment, dorm, or have limited mobility. The benefits continue! Having a living plant in your environment can improve not only your air quality, but your mood and your stress levels too! Harvesting something that you’ve tended to is a great feeling. It makes grocery shopping cheaper when you are growing what you’re eating.  Container gardening should produce edible yield quicker and for more of the year than conventionally grown outdoor plants because of their mobility, and there is much less risk of pests ruining your harvest.
Container gardening requires minimal space. Herbs are very small and can be placed in a window sill and watered as necessary, while other plants like greens or potatoes may need a little more room to grow. You can start your container garden from scratch by planting kitchen scraps such as onions, garlic, or celery For a how-to visit. You can also purchase potted vegetables and keep them indoors or start your indoor food supply from seeds. Some important things to remember when creating your personal farmers market is to make sure that the container has drainage holes so that the roots won’t be sitting in stagnant water. Remember to move the plants to maximize sun exposure. You may consider purchasing a full spectrum light bulb if you do not have strong sunlight in your home.
Container gardening can be easy, fun, and really useful! Start small to try it out and then expand your garden! Explore the many delicious benefits of growing your own food.


I harvested Swiss chard from my garden for this recipe:

Indian Spiced Chickpeas and Greens
Serves 2

  • 2 cups Swiss chard, chopped
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced
  • ¼ cup tomato sauce
  • 1 tablespoon water or broth
  • ½ teaspoon ground cumin
  • ¼ teaspoon ground coriander
  • 1/8 teaspoon ground ginger
  • Pinch of salt
  • 1 cup cooked chickpeas
  • 1/8 to ¼ teaspoon garam masala
  • few dashes of garlic powder

  1.  Steam chard until it is bright green and slightly softer, about 3-5 minutes. Set aside on a plate.
  2. Combine garlic through salt in a skillet and cook over medium heat for 5 minutes. Add chickpeas and stir to coat, adding another tablespoon water if necessary. Cook until warm. 
  3. Remove from heat and stir in garam masala and set aside for a few minutes. 
  4. Plate chard and sprinkle generously with garlic powder. Top with chickpeas and serve. Garnish with cilantro
Recipe adapted from The Happy Herbivore.

This is a guest posting by Lydia!
Lydia is a junior studying Nutrition at Miami University, she is an intern at Grass Roots Nutrition and has a love for cooking and eating. Her favorite vegetable is kale she loves to eat it for breakfast!

1 comment:

  1. Whitney English, To Live and Diet in L.A.January 27, 2014 at 7:39 PM

    Yum! That chickpea dish looks amazing. You may have just inspiring me to start a container garden :)

    ReplyDelete

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