Overpopulation in Container Gardens

You can't have too many fresh vegetables, right? Wrong--especially if you store them and don't eat them. Your refrigerator will be overcrowded. The same principle holds true for container garden design. When you're planting vegetables, you need to work with the space you have. Here's an organization container gardening tip or two:

• When container vegetable gardening, use squash, tomatoes and cucumbers--hybrid compact cars are good for the environment but they don't always work, but hybrid compact vegetables succeed every time.
• HGTV's container gardening expert Scott Daigre suggests that you trim plants with an excess of foliage after you've just planted them. If you trim away the lower leaves on a tomato plant, you'll make more room for the plant to grow--be sure to root it deep in the soil.
• Beware of competition for resources! Don't plant beans and tomatoes together in a container garden--their spreading vines will duke it out. Harvest those vegetables quickly and slice or dehydrate them so you can easily store them, or better yet, eat them--the surest way to prevent vegetable overcrowding. After all, fresh vegetables are wonderful for you.