We are now living in the bizarro timeline and food is just going to get more expensive, so all of us should be thinking about brushing up our gardening know-how. I started gardening in 2020 and I am still an amateur, but I can tell you a lot about how to start and nurture a plant from seed to get a lot of yield. I am also a cheapskate, so I can share tricks on affordable options.
Start a small container garden and before you know it, you will have enough to share with your neighbors. Or don’t, you know? I’m not here to tell you what to do. I’m here to tell you how to do what you want to if what you want to do is what I’m doing, you know what I’m saying?
The Plant
First, decide on a plant that bears fruit, root or leaf you would love to eat. I can speak from experience, you shouldn’t grow rutabagas if you think they’re disgusting, especially because most people would agree with you and you won’t be able to get rid of them.
For real, though, you would be surprised how many delicious fruits and vegetables are easy to grow, and can be grown in pots on your patio if you are an apartment dweller with no ground to work in. Radishes can thrive in pots and arrive ready to eat (greens and all) in the space of a month or so. It is also really easy to grow bush beans, snap peas, many varieties of peppers (hot and bell), and even certain varieties of squash and eggplant in containers.
Some vegetables fare better when the seed is planted directly outside after the first frost, including beans and greens, radishes, carrots, cucumbers and all the herbs. It is actually really fun to grow snap peas: you just drop them in the ground and they sprout like fairytale magic. All of these come in varieties that are suited to growing in containers, just check the seed packet and it will tell you.
If you want to grow tomatoes, peppers or eggplant — baby, we are in Zone 5A. Our growing season is not long enough to grow the entire plant from seed after last frost. Getting a seedling from a local grower will give you a great head start. Seedlings that have been grown under greenhouse lights and hardened off (meaning they have experienced outdoor conditions already) will be hardy and ready to plant after Mother’s Day.
You can find them at local nurseries, but it’s also worth scanning local Freecycle and Buy Nothing groups. A lot of people who start seeds at home end up with many more plants than we can fit in our gardens, and we are very willing to share our bounty for cheap or free.
The Pot & Dirt
Once you choose your plant, you need to find a pot that is big enough for the plant’s roots to spread out (don’t go smaller than 18 inches across for most vegetables, larger if you can find it) that has adequate drainage so the roots don’t get soggy.
You can find pots at any garden store, but I like to check the Habitat for Humanity ReStore or Crowded Closet first, because they will be way more affordable. I have also found many excellent pots on the side of the road, so keep your eyes peeled. You can also repurpose old industrial buckets and recycling bins — anything that is at least 18 inches in diameter with good drainage holes will work.
The quality of your dirt is important. You don’t need to spend a lot of money, just be aware that container gardening requires dirt that isn’t thick and compacted like top soil (otherwise your roots will get squished). You can buy a bag of container soil at any garden store, and it’s usually not super expensive (Theisen’s has good deals). If you want to mix your own you can (compost mixed with peat moss and perlite will typically do the trick), you just might end up with a lot of dirt you don’t have space for.
When to Plant
Make sure to keep your seedling indoors in a sunny location until after our last frost date, which this year will be April 28 (according to the Old Farmer’s Almanac, a recommended resource for gardeners). Many plants can’t take frost and will often die completely in the cold or be injured badly enough that they don’t grow to their potential for the rest of the summer.
If your plant is outside and there is a surprise frost after April 28, try to bring it inside if you can. If that is not possible, cover it with an old bedsheet or some burlap and drag the pot as close to your building as you can. You can get plastic cloches at the Dollar Tree which work well for small plants. Be careful about using plastic sheeting; if plastic comes in contact with the plant during a freeze it can end up doing more harm than good.
Water & Sunlight
Plants in containers need to be watered more often than plants in the ground, so plan on watering them at least once every other day depending on the weather. Also, make sure the plant is in a spot to get enough sunlight. Most plants need six to eight hours of direct sunlight a day in order to thrive. If your patio is cement and gets really hot, put some wood underneath the pot to keep the soil cool so the plant’s roots don’t scorch.
Fertilizing
Get a simple, cheap, all-purpose fertilizer from the store (or ask for some in a buy nothing group, people usually have extra) and follow the directions on the box. You just want to make sure the plant is getting adequate nutrition to bear fruit.
When you are growing a vegetable in a pot, the plants can’t connect to the earth to get nutrition in their roots, so you need to be thoughtful about fertilizing. As you hang out with your plant more, the two of you will start to vibe and you can tell when the plant needs an assist (the leaves will dry or look curly, or the fruit will be shaped weird, for example).
Pruning
Some plants need to be pruned a little to encourage growth and fruiting. In the case of a tomato, for example, you would need to check and see if your variety is “determinate” or “indeterminate.” A determinate variety will grow only so big and will produce their fruit all at once. An indeterminate variety will continue to grow throughout the summer and will bear fruit continuously until the first frost (in Iowa City that will be Oct. 13, again according to the Old Farmer’s Almanac).
You can use your hands to prune or a clean pair of scissors. If you want to get fancy you can buy pruning shears anywhere from Dollar Tree to Earl May. Just be sure to wash them after you use them.
Congratulations, you’re a farmer! Now go get some overalls! You’re Iowan; it’s your birthright.
This article was originally published in Little Village’s April 2025 issue.
