Growing a Suburban Garden

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Story Published: May 31, 2008 at 7:20 PM MST

Story Updated: Nov 20, 2008 at 8:58 PM MST

By Wes Horrocks

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With warm weather finally here many residents are heading outside to work on their lawn and garden. But how do you plant a garden if you don't have a lot of space? April Curtis, with Mckees Garden Center said, "It's really very inexpensive. A lot cheaper than people would think."

Normally neighborhoods and apartment complexes don't leave you much room to plant a garden, but retailers like Mckee's Pet, Garden, and Feed Center and Fred Meyer are trying to make it easier. They say things like large pots and planters are perfect for things like tomatoes, strawberries, and even small flowers.

You just need to make sure the soil is properly fertilized. "Make sure and fertilize it, because there's not a whole lot of soil and those plants will soak up all the nutrients that are there. So you just need to make sure and fertiliize it so they'lll have plenty of food to grow throughout the season," said Curtis.

The best fertilizers for small flowers, and potted plants are something with a lot of phosporus. Fred Meyer also recommends removing old blooms, and brown foliage to help plants grow the entire season.

You should also avoid planting anything that needs a lot of space to grow. Curtis said, "Tomatoes are a really popular one, strawberries are really good too to put in a pot. Those are really good. Corn you probably need a lot of space, potatos probably wouldn't be a good thing to put in a pot."

And as temperatures continue to climb you can make sure your plants are getting enough water by keeping the soil moist. "It's a really good time right now especially because we had a later spring so it's not too hot. So it's perfect to do it right now," said Curtis.

And with food prices continuing to rise, garden experts say that even a few small plants can help you save money on produce at the grocery store.

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