((ARA) ­ As days warm and mailboxes burst with garden catalogs, many people begin to find their green thumbs itching to play in the dirt. But if you’re one of the countless people for whom a full-fledged garden isn’t a possibility, you don’t have to give up the vision of bountiful blooms and fresh produce. There are options available to provide everyone with a way to grow.

Folks with limited space or mobility -- or those who want the beauty and benefits without the hours of work -- are discovering the many different types of container gardening. Once reserved for apartment dwellers only, container gardening can now work for every lifestyle, as more and more people are discovering.

If you’re looking for a way to grow vegetables, flowers or herbs without all the tilling, weeding and pest control and without tearing up large portions of your yard, consider a self-contained growing system that takes up almost no space and needs very little maintenance. A multi-pot system, like the American-made EzGro kit, allows gardeners to cultivate up to 20 plants in only a few feet of space. These complete kits provide everything you need to start growing, including an easy-to-assemble plant tower; durable, specially designed pots; and growing medium and plant food for lush, bountiful harvests. The structure allows the plants to be rotated for optimal sunlight exposure. Two models -- one for securing directly into the ground and another designed for terraces, patios or indoor spaces -- let everyone exercise their green thumb.

Because of EzGro’s unique configuration, gardeners can enjoy a huge variety of plants not normally grown in pots. By using the special planting medium instead of soil, plants get the full benefit of water and nutrients, without danger of over- or under-watering. Most garden vegetables, including peppers, tomatoes, broccoli, green onions and peas, grow to their full potential, even doubling their yield, out of the reach of pests and unbothered by weeds. And harvesting is easier as well, without bending, stooping or digging.

Containers can also create a welcoming entryway. Filled with trailing vines and colorful blooms, baskets and decorative pots are easy to care for and provide a punch of color at your door. Choose large, shallow baskets on either side of a doorway, or place a half-round basket against a gate or fence. Use an EzGro for a cascade of flowers along walkways. Stagger pots of varying sizes along your front steps or create a grouping to define your backyard patio. But if your containers are placed in a sunny area, be sure you can access them to water often -- baskets and containers tend to dry out much more quickly than traditional plantings.

So this season forget the back-breaking work of seeding and weeding. Spend your time enjoying what you’ve planted instead of taking care of it.

Article courtesy of ARA Content