Vegetables

 I first crammed a half-dozen oversized heirloom tomato plants into flimsy plastic window boxes on a tiny, wind-swept apartment balcony, I thought I was practicing urban homesteading. Two weeks later, after a sudden July heatwave, my plants were a crispy, wilted mess. The soil had baked into a solid brick, the roots were strangled in…

I first decided to build an indoor vegetable garden in my apartment, my friends thought I was crazy. I didn’t have a backyard, a balcony, or even a sunny south-facing bay window. What I did have was a few empty corners, an obsession with fresh ingredients, and a willingness to figure out how plants adapt…

When I planted my first balcony container garden, I assumed growing food required acres of land and years of experience. My initial attempts were full of trial and error: I planted full-sized heirloom tomatoes in shallow 6-inch window boxes and expected fruit trees to thrive in heavy lawn topsoil. Once I switched to foolproof container…

When I planted my very first container garden on a cramped 4-foot balcony, I made every rookie mistake in the book. I bought oversized tomato plants that outgrew their containers, picked varieties that took 90 agonizing days to yield a single bite, and used heavy topsoil from my yard that turned into concrete after two…

I have personally tested dozens of crops in containers. Some are a frustrating waste of time (skip the giant heirloom pumpkins). Others are incredibly rewarding. Here are the top 30 vegetables, ranked and grouped for your bucket gardening success. The Heavy Hitters (High Yield, Easy Growth) 1. Cherry Tomatoes (Determinate Varieties) If you only grow…

Tomato wilt diseases are among the most frustrating problems for gardeners because plants can appear healthy one day and severely wilted the next. Wilting occurs when a tomato plant loses its ability to transport water and nutrients efficiently. While some cases are caused by temporary stress, others result from fungal, bacterial, viral, or soil-borne pathogens…

  Tomatoes are among the most popular home-garden crops, and also among the most troubled. Fungi, bacteria, viruses, insects, and plain environmental stress can each damage plants, cut harvests, and sometimes wipe out a whole planting. Fortunately, most problems show warning signs first: spotted leaves, wilting, strange coloring, or blemished fruit. Learn to read these…