Control Soil By Gardening In Raised Beds Or Containers

By Phran Novelli

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) - A battery. A pair of pliers. A piece of pipe. And a lucky coin. It sort of sounds like one of those lists of things you're supposed to have handy in a disaster scenario, but I found all these odd items buried just a few inches down in about two square feet of my yard.

This odd mix of junk I found is one reason I don't plant vegetables in the ground – you can never really know what's been buried or spilled there over the years before you arrived. Then, there are the bunnies, voles, groundhogs and other critters that I find daunting with in-ground gardening.

That's why I grow herbs, lettuce, tomatoes, onions and peppers in big pots instead.

In raised beds or pots, you can control what's in the soil. Plus raised beds make it much easier for you to reach your plants and control weeds, while making it a lot harder for critters to get to what you grow.

And, no matter how small your place may be, you can still grow something to eat in a pot, even on a balcony.