Introduction: Mini-Garden Beds

We moved last summer from a house that had 12 acres of land, 5 raised beds and a huge garden space. Our new place is MUCH smaller on the outside, so we had to get creative in making a garden. My brother Matthew and I wanted to make 2 container gardens. I decided on a salsa garden, and Mat did a flower garden.

Step 1: Pots or Planters

You HAVE to have a place to plant your seeds. We found some great little planters at Southern States and bought our BlackCow composted planting soil and seeds there as well...

Step 2: Dirt & Seeds

Fill your container ALMOST to the top - leaving a little room for water (& mulch). Your seed packets give clear instructions on how close to plant the flowers & vegetables apart. We planted ours a little thicker (so we can thin them out later if we need to.) We would rather have TOO many things growing, than not enough.

Step 3: Get It in the Sun!

Your seeds will do best in full sunlight. Until the threat of frost was over, we kept our planters in front of a window... but once it warmed up, we had a terrific spot ON TOP of the roof of a covered walkway! It will take a few days before the seeds will germinate (begin to grow) AND they grow at different speeds! The tomatoes took the longest to come up - while Mat's flowers grew VERY quickly!

Step 4: Two Weeks In...

Just 2 weeks after planting, the floweres are working hard!

Step 5: 3 Weeks In

Tomatoes STILL had not broken through the surface yet... plants are all looking healthy though!

Step 6: 4th Week

Tomatoes finally popped through. Peppers are looking healthy. Cilantro is looking pretty good. Matt's flowers are all looking GREAT! Now - we just keep an eye on the plants and make sure they are thriving. Not too much water. Bring them in if there is a threat of frost (weird weather this spring in NC)... and ENJOY your Mini-Container garden!

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