Starting a Garden in Military Housing

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OIT

Spring has sprung, and regardless of where you’re stationed, chances are pretty good that sooner rather than later, the weather will be prefect for some gardening. As much as I like some good curb appeal in the front yard, what I love is growing my own fruits, vegetables, and herbs in the back yard!

However, with military life, comes a unique set of challenges when it comes to gardening. More often than not, military families are living in a rented unit, whether it’s on-base housing, or renting from a private landlord. In these cases, it isn’t always feasible to plant in the ground. But fear not, there are plenty of options that are not permanent, and can even be moved between duty stations!

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Mason Jars

To say I’m a mason jar addict would be an understatement! I buy them by the case-full, but also be sure to save any jars from pasta sauce, or the like! Currently, I have about half a dozen pineapple plants in jars in my kitchen, waiting to be planted in buckets outside. Mason jars on the window sill are also a great solution for keeping fresh herbs in the kitchen!

Attach your mason jars to a piece of wood with some simple hardware, to create an attractive piece to hang on an outdoor wall.

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Kiddie Pool

If you still have last summer’s kiddie pool stored in your garage, bust it out and add some dirt! Kiddie pools are a cheap option for creating a decent sized garden. You can easily keep it on a concrete patio area, or even in the grass. Just be prepared to lay down some grass seed, when it’s time to PCS!

Hanging

I love hanging gardens, because they keep everything easily accessible, and up off of the ground. I’m weird about bugs, and even though I know bugs can easily access hanging plants, I feel better about them not being on the ground. Regardless of where you chose to call home, these are easy to hang on most patios. You can even purchase hooks in the gardening department of home improvement stores to hang these in the yard.

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Gutters

If you remember a while back, I actually had tomatoes growing in my gutters! Unfortunately, housing came and took them down, but gutter gardening is an adventure that I plan to embark on once we return to the mainland. If you’ve got a fence, or even just a railing on an apartment balcony, find out if you can attach some gutters with just a few screws!

Pallets

A verticle garden made with pallets, not only looks great, but doesn’t take up much space. If you’re limited on how much yard you can afford to spare for your garden, like we are in Hawaii, this is a fantastic option. There are plenty of ideas on Pinterest!

Stacked Planter

A regular old planter is good and fine, but I am obsessed with stacked planters, like this one. I’m not joking when I say that recreating a stacked planter will be one of my first DIY projects for our house when we get back to the mainland.

Raised Garden Box

I’ve purchased one of these before, but if you’re talented with woodworking, make your own for cheaper! You might even be able to find old items around base, that you can upcycle into your garden. An old wheel barrow or grill on the curb are perfect options! Be on the look out the day before trash collection!

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Not sure what to plant this spring? Here are a few suggestions for Spring fruits and vegetables!

  • Broccoli
  • Butter Lettuce
  • Honeydew
  • Pineapple
  • Onions
  • Strawberries
  • Spinach

And what ever you do, don’t forget to save your old Popsicle sticks to use them as labels for the variety of different produce that you decide to grow!

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of MSB New Media & Unilever. The opinions and text are all mine.