by CHRISTINE REID
Special to All Around Hays

A lot of people would love to grow their own food but have plenty of good reasons why they can’t. “I don’t have a yard,” some say, or “I can’t bend down to work in the dirt,” another might admit. Some people don’t want to till and maintain a big garden, thinking it’s just too much work.

Well, folks, don’t despair! There are ways to cultivate your green thumb and grow your own vegetables without inheriting a farm and a passel of hired hands.

Think outside the garden plot and above the ground. You can grow almost anything in the appropriate container or on a structure, requiring far less space than you might realize.

There are some basic requirements, like well-draining soil and the proper light, along with adequate water and fertilization. Beyond that, the sky, or the trellis, is the limit.

When you think about it, container gardening and vertical gardening are nothing new. People have been espaliering their fruit trees, growing herbs in barrels, raising strawberries in pots and training vines to grow up buildings for generations. And don’t forget “Three Sisters,” the Native American tradition of interplanting corn, beans and squash. The corn provides a pole for the beans to climb up, the nitrogen-fixing qualities of the beans improve the soil and the low-growing squash provides mulch – a useful concept then and now.

Almost any vegetable that will grow in the ground will also grow well in a pot, in a hanging basket or up a frame, like tomatoes, peppers, green onions, beans, lettuce, radishes, parsley and other herbs. You can also grow groups of plants in large containers, like tomatoes and sweet and hot peppers or herbs like parsley, basil and chives. Grow a “soup mix” by putting lemon grass, thyme, parsley, chives and scallions together.

Don’t be afraid to experiment with different plants and growing methods.

Besides using transplants, many vegetables or herbs can be started from seed in the container such as beans, carrots, peas, radishes, cilantro and dill. Or, you can sprinkle the seeds around a plant already in the pot. Pick a container that will give the plant or plants room to grow.

Most vegetables and herbs need full sun, though some need or can handle part shade, like mint. Tomatoes and basil love the sun, but peppers, even the hot ones, do better with some shade, which can be provided by the tomato plant. One way to make it convenient to use herbs in your cooking is to place herb pots on either side of your porch steps, as long as there’s enough light and room. The containers would look nice there and the herbs are just a step away.

If it holds soil and has drainage, almost anything goes for a container. You can use terra cotta, plastic or metal containers. You can use old bake ware or ceramic bowls. You can also use half wine barrels, buckets that cattle feed came in or water troughs. Always make sure that any container you use is safe to grow food in and that it has drainage holes in the bottom. When growing in pots, use a well-draining, nutritious soil mix that isn’t too heavy, which will make it easier to move pots around. Usually plants in containers need to be watered once a day, possibly more often as the weather gets warmer. Hanging baskets, usually smaller in size, tend to need water more frequently than plants in large containers. Use a water soluble fertilizer every two to three weeks when the plants start actively growing.

There are many different ways to grow things vertically. A structure can be simple and inexpensive like a teepee of bamboo poles, lashed firmly together near the top. An edible vine like Malabar spinach can grow up the poles with plants or herbs growing at the base. Livestock panels, either leaning against something or shaped to form an arbor, provide strong support for yard long beans. Or, using sturdy branches, some screws and lashing, you can fashion a rustic tuteur, or obelisk, to prop up vegetables that vine, like cucumbers. There are many simple trellis patterns available on the internet to get you started.

Along with your vegetables and berries, consider planting flowers that attract pollinators like bees, butterflies and hummingbirds. Different salvias, anise hyssop, lantanas, native wildflowers and other herbs like rue and parsley are excellent choices.

For inspiration, check out the California family (www.urbanhomestead.org) that grows food organically on a 66’ x 132’ plot that is located 15 minutes from downtown Los Angeles. With a combination of raised beds, containers and vertical gardening, they produced 7,000 pounds of produce in 2010. They utilize every available inch of space to grow fruit and vegetables. Visitors probably have to be careful, though, not to sit in a spot too long or someone might turn them into a planter!