Container Veggies - Not necessarily a no-brainer!

Planting veggies and herbs in containers is not some kind of revolutionary new idea, at least not to most of us. It actually makes a lot of sense because veggie gardens tend to be in the back corner of the yard (supported by Ball consumer research data AND common sense) away from the place where people cook (grill and kitchen). But a container of herbs or cherry tomatoes will be harvested and used more frequently if it's near on the patio by the Weber and back door. No brainer. Or so I thought.

Last weekend, I planted veggies. Burpee Home Gardens veggies, you ask? Of course. But that's not the point. I planted 5 tomato plants, 5 pepper plants, cabbage (snuck into my cart by my 2-year old... unnoticed until I got home) squash and lettuce seed. Most went into my raised veggie gardens but my Sweet 100s and Pinot Noir peppers went into big patio pots.

I was planting with my father-in-law, a brilliant guy who has planted gardens for years. He kept asking why I was planting some things in pots. I explained about how great it was to have them close by, on the patio, and the benefits of keeping them somewhat compact and really managing the soil/nutrients throughout the season. He went home at the end of the weekend planning to grow some veggies in pots.

I remember having similar discussions with customers when I worked at the garden center - helping educate them about growing veggies and herbs in containers and how pleased they were when they came back and shared results (and some of the harvest) in the fall.

So, container veggies and herbs may seem like a no-brainer to you and your team but it's not for many of your customers. Don't forget to encourage customers to add a couple more plants (and pots, soil, etc.) to their cart for those sunny spots on the patio! Or better yet, have some big pots of tomatoes and peppers on hand - add perceived value with decorative trellises and stakes. Sell the benefits and your customers will respond.

Here's a LINK to a good container veggie story from CNN's Eatocracy section online: