Container Gardens

By More Food

Did you know SNAP can be used to purchase seeds to grow food, spices, and herbs? Take advantage of this benefit and start a home garden. If your home doesn’t have a yard, a container garden is sufficient to grow spices, herbs, fruits, or vegetables. If you’ve never grown a home garden before, here are some tips to get started.

  1. Decide if you will be using pots or containers. There is no major difference between the two so the choice is yours.
  2. Find sunlight. Decide on the area which provides the most sunlight for your herbs or vegetables to thrive. The plants will need at least five hours of sunlight a day. Areas can include a balcony or patio, doorway or doorstep, or a large window.
  3. Add soil to your pots. Soil is not a SNAP eligible item, but the seeds are.
  4. Water your seeds. The type of vegetable or herb you decide to grow, will determine how much water is necessary.
  5. Watch them grow!

(Massachusetts SNAP ED)

Check out your local grocery store or Farmers’ Market to purchase seeds. Before heading to your county Farmers Market, make sure the Electronic Benefits Transfer (EBT) card is an accepted form of payment. Participation varies from county to county. Be sure to also inquire on the Double Bucks program. This program will match the SNAP benefits dollar to dollar. For example, if you spend $10 in SNAP benefits, the market will give you an additional $10 to spend there.

Visit the North Carolina Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services for your Farmers’ Market information.

To learn more about spices and herbs, check out this article written by Union County Family and Consumer Sciences Agent Marcus McFarland.

References: Mass SNAP Nutrition Education (2020, n.d.). Starting Your Indoor Container Garden. https://www.mahealthyfoodsinasnap.org/healthy-you/blog/2019/05/29/starting-your-indoor-container-garden