Maximise Your Vegetable Garden Space With Styrofoam Containers

Do you love the idea of having a bountiful crop of vegetables at your fingertips, but finding space to actually grow it in a hurdle?

I am going to show you that do not need a large amount of space or funds to maximise your growing potential with the help of the humble Styrofoam box.

Earlier this year when planting out my vegetable garden space, I made a few rookie errors due to my enthusiasm. The first being I planted my crop of lettuce in a vegetable bed which is too far away from the house for easy picking, and my second was filling up half of my vegetable patch with a long-term crop of garlic that will not be ready until December which has reduced my space for Spring/Summer planting. To combat the space and location problem in my garden quickly and cheaply in the short term I have utilised Styrofoam containers to move crops closer to the house for ease of access (in my case lettuce, herbs, and spinach) and increase planting space in a way that suits my needs. And because the containers are so easy and lightweight to move around, I have been able to move them to a sunny and protected position to get a start on geminating seeds, which will then be later planted out in the garden when the seedlings are bigger.

Planting up your Styrofoam box

Planting up the boxes is much like any other container. Ensure your Styrofoam has drainage holes, if not poke several holes out the bottom big enough for water to drain but not for soil to fall out. As the potting medium I have used a mix of compost and potting mix and have positioned the containers in a sunny protected spot straight onto soil in a garden bed, but if you are placing yours onto concrete, it will be good idea to elevate with some bricks to again allow for drainage. The containers will need watering, lately Orange’s recent rainfall has been sufficient but as the weather warms up, I will need to supplement with the hose.

Problem solving with styrofoam.

I keep  a number of Styrofoam containers for planting and have found that they can solve a number of other logistical issues such as being a good temporary planting fixture if you are renting, increasing growing space if you have a well-lit concreted area, and the bonus is they are free and easily available at your local green grocer or independent supermarkets, and we all feel good for using recycled materials too.

There are a number of other benefits to using styrofoam boxes.

• Lightweight and portable
• Temporary fixture: if you are renting but still wanting to grow some produce
• Can be put anywhere to increase your growing space. Handy if you have a well lit concreted area
• Recycled material: we all feel good for recycling
• Free and easily available: If you keep your eyes peeled at your local green grocer or independent supermarket you may find that they often have styrofoam boxes to give away

So, if you are having a few logistical issues trying to get your veggies growing or are slightly over enthusiastic like myself you might find the solution with recycled Styrofoam boxes. You can get the kids involved in this planting activity too.