CHINESE CONTAINER GARDENS - Growing Chinese Vegetables in Your Own Backyard - page 202

Start seeds indoors for an earlier crop, if you have space for the large container. Or
sow outdoors in a protected spot as soon as all danger of frost is past. If you plant too
early, cover the container with several layers to protect it from freezing temperatures.
Watercress, page 135
Nasturtium officinale
Watercress is a natural for the city apartment because it sits happily on almost any win-
dowsill and prefers little or no direct sun. The most important requirement for growing
watercress in a container is fresh water. Change the water once a day by emptying yes-
terday's water out of the dish and filling it with fresh water run through the top of the
pot. You can start it from seeds but I never do; I use a fresh bunch from the market (see
page 136). Add lime to the soil mix when rooting the plant, and monthly thereafter. Use
a weak solution of liquid fertilizer every couple of weeks.
Harvesting won't hurt the plants a bit. In fact, you must pick it occasionally to keep
the plants from getting too tall, or from going to seed.
Snow Pea, page 98
Pisum sativum var. macrocarpon
When I tell container gardeners they can grow peas on their apartment windowsills,
they look at me in disbelief. No sensible city gardener is going to give up valuable
windowsill space for a handful of peas. If they give this amazing vegetable a chance,
they're always delighted with the results. If you have a terrace wall, a balcony, or even
some straight poles in a container, you can grow a sizable crop.
Snow peas are very prolific and produce with an abandon that makes a windowsill
area seem like much more. Their beautiful lavender blossoms are as profuse as the pea
crop.
Since snow peas require 8 to 10 inches of soil depth, you may need to set the con-
tainer on the floor once plants have grown tall enough to reach the light. This is one
crop that fruits under lights, but pick a dwarf variety. (This is probably your best bet for