When the opportunity knocks for finding a homestead to move into, timing may not always be according to your schedule. Even if you move onto your homestead a little late in the planting season, you still have the option of growing a few vegetables in containers.
Depending on the location of your homestead the soil may not always be the best soil to work with. In the south you have Georgia red clay and that can be hard to work with without plowing the ground and breaking it up first. Since timing is going to be an issue, planting in containers is another fast option.
Most of the time people who grow vegetables will have a pile of containers saved up. Also building raised beds is not that hard nor expensive. They take four boards, corner brackets and screws. Most department stores or hardware stores place soil on sale all of the time. Purchasing a non brand soil can work just well as name brands, so go with your own budget. Purchasing soil is not a waste of money because it can be reused.
Whatever you decide to grow in the containers you need to decide what you are going to do with the crop. Try to plant vegetables you will can and use during non growing seasons. Growing summer squash and zucchini can be done in large pots. Most of the time people only eat these vegetables fried but they also make wonderful casseroles and bread if canned.
You can grow just about anything you would like depending on the size of your containers. You would still grow the vegetables the way you do if you were planting them in the ground. They need to be fertilized, kept well watered and often you will need to chase pest away from them. Making organic sprays to keep the bad bugs away is fairly easy. The internet is loaded with different natural options and recipes.
Investing in a rain barrel is a great way to gather water to use for watering your vegetables. You will find on a homestead almost everything is useful. Starting a good compost pile will help your plants a great deal. The vegetables you grow in your containers will taste a hundred times better than the vegetables you purchase at a store because you are growing them organically. Do not forget to save the seeds, dry and store them for next growing season.
Just because you may live in a small space, or you do not have enough time to prepare your land for a full crop, container growing is a great alternative. You never have to be without that fresh, clean taste of vegetables that have not had chemicals or pesticides used on them.
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