National Garden Month: Six Vegetables Any Senior Can Grow in Planters

By Robert D. Liken CPC, CTS, President

April 20, 2017

Senior Care in Pittsburgh PA: Six Vegetables Any Senior Can Grow in Planters
Senior Care in Pittsburgh PA: Six Vegetables Any Senior Can Grow in Planters

Spending time outside in the sun and fresh air offers multiple benefits. If you’re looking for a way to get your mom or dad outside with a senior care provider, consider setting up a garden on a deck or patio. Many vegetables thrive in container gardens. The height makes it easy for a senior to handle watering, pruning, and harvesting crops. Here are six vegetables that thrive in planters.
Bush Beans
With some space to spread out, bush beans are an outstanding choice for a larger planter, such as a half whiskey barrel. Green beans offer substantial amounts of vitamins A and C, as well as other antioxidants that help with cell health.
Cucumbers
Cucumbers need a larger container, but one vine provides an ample number of cucumbers throughout the summer. Rich in vitamin B5, your mom or dad also gets a lot of water from just one cucumber. Cucumbers also contain vitamins C and K, as well as magnesium and potassium.
Lettuce
Spring mix is very easy to grow in containers, but you can also grow romaine and cut off leaves as needed. Lettuce is rich in folic acid and fiber. It also contains important nutrients beta-carotene, potassium, and vitamin C.
Peppers
Both bell peppers and chili peppers thrive in containers. A few plants will fit well in a large container, and the maintenance on them is minimal. Bell peppers are rich in vitamin C, while chili peppers have a lot of vitamin K. Peppers also contain folate, magnesium, niacin, and thiamin.
Radishes
You don’t need more than a window box for radishes. Easy to start from seed, radishes grow well in window boxes. The root does not grow too deep, and it’s tolerant of cold weather, so you can get an early start with this crop. Radishes are rich in vitamin C and fiber making them nutritious additions to meals.
Tomatoes
Tomatoes love containers. It’s easy to keep them trimmed to boost output. A senior care provider can help pick out tomatoes in a variety of sizes and colors. The nutritional benefit of tomatoes is vast as they are high in vitamins A, C, E, and K.
Celebrate National Garden Month by setting up a container garden on your mom or dad’s patio or deck. All you need are planters, potting soil, and some seeds or starter plants. Your senior care provider can make sure your parent gets out a few times a week for fresh air and stress-free gardening.

If you or an aging loved one are considering senior care in Pittsburgh, PA, please contact the friendly staff at Liken Home Care.  Call (412) 693-6820 or (855) 856-0551

Sources:
http://foodfacts.mercola.com/radish.html
http://foodfacts.mercola.com/green-beans.html
http://foodfacts.mercola.com/tomatoes.html
http://foodfacts.mercola.com/bell-pepper.html
http://foodfacts.mercola.com/cayenne-pepper.html
http://foodfacts.mercola.com/cucumber.html
http://foodfacts.mercola.com/romaine-lettuce.html