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2 minute read
Plant a Salsa Garden
Planting a salsa garden means you can make fresh, homemade salsa any time you want. This quick step-by-step can be completed in an afternoon, and you’ll reap the benefits all summer long. Head to www.emmamag.com/homemade-salsa for a simple and tasty salsa recipe to put the fruits of your labor to work. Don’t have a planter box? We made this one ourselves and documented it on the blog: www.emmamag.com/diy-planter-box. Happy gardening!
How to:
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Materials
planter box
potting soil
plants: tomato plant, jalapeño (or other spicy pepper) plant, cilantro plant
small shovel or garden spade
watering can
No. 1 Select planter box and plants. There are many different varieties of tomatoes and spicy peppers, we chose Early Girl tomato (it’s a smaller plant size and yields ripe tomatoes earlier than most varieties) and jalapeño for the spicy pepper.
![](https://stories.isu.pub/15451975/images/28_original_file_I5.jpg?width=720&quality=85%2C50)
No. 2 Fill planter box with potting soil. Organic potting soil is best if possible, as it has no added chemicals that may be harmful to your plants.
![](https://stories.isu.pub/15451975/images/28_original_file_I4.jpg?width=720&quality=85%2C50)
No. 3 Decide where you would like to place your plants within the planter box – we put the tomato in the middle as it will be the largest of the three, and placed the others on each side.
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No. 4 Dig a well for each plant then remove each plant from its store container by gently rolling the sides between your palms and flipping the plant upside down to fully remove it.
![](https://stories.isu.pub/15451975/images/28_original_file_I2.jpg?width=720&quality=85%2C50)
No. 5 Place each plant in desired well, pat extra soil on top to firmly root it in the soil.
![](https://stories.isu.pub/15451975/images/28_original_file_I1.jpg?width=720&quality=85%2C50)
No. 6 Water and fertilize your newly planted garden! We used pre-fertilized soil but container gardens need to be re-fertilized regularly to maintain the health of the soil. Water when the soil feels dry (most likely every other day) and enjoy the fruits of your labor in a few weeks!
![](https://stories.isu.pub/15451975/images/28_original_file_I0.jpg?width=720&quality=85%2C50)
![](https://stories.isu.pub/15451975/images/27_original_file_I0.jpg?width=720&quality=85%2C50)