Springtime is just around the corner! Having been cooped up inside all winter (and especially so with lockdown) many of us are eager to spend some time outside. Container gardening Is the perfect activity for this! It's compact, it's rewarding, and you can produce food; what’s not to love? And, studies are increasingly showing that it helps to maintain mobility in seniors compared to non-gardeners.

Getting started with a container garden is incredibly easy. At a minimum, it requires only three things: a container, soil, and seeds … well, AND a sunny spot to sit. Here are some plants that are already proven to do well in containers. They are grouped under the recommended container size—and with some, you can grow more than one plant per container.

1-Gallon Pots

Green Onions - 3-5 plants

Carrots 2-3 plants (make sure the pot is 2 inches deeper than the carrots will be)

Parsley - 3 plants

Radishes - 3 plants

Spinach - 2 plants

Leaf Lettuce - 2 plants

Cucumber - 1 plant

2-Gallon Pots

Green Beans - up to 4 plants (ensure they’re 3 inches apart)

Turnips - 2 plants

Broccoli - 1 plant

5-Gallon Pots

Peppers - 1-2 plants

Squash - 1 plant

Tomato - 1 plant

Eggplant - 1 plant

Some Tips

For the most part, container gardening is super simple; most plants will be perfectly content with a sunny spot and a little bit of water each day. Particularly at the beginning though, be sure to follow instructions for each plant type preferences like seed depth, spacing, and sunlight etc. That—and make sure your containers are not within reach of any hungry critters. Follow these steps and you should be enjoying the fruits of your container garden in no time!

Keep in mind that if this is you second or third year planting in the same pots as before, it is important to rotate plants, planting something different in the pot from one year to the next. And don’t forget the fertilize. The simplest way to do that is get an all-purpose liquid fertilizer, dilute in water in a pitcher or jar to half the recommended strength, and water with a little of this each time you water (after you have watered thoroughly with plain water). Turn your pots, too, a little each day, so they receive sun on all sides.