Design a Pet-friendly Container Garden - What to Plant, Where to Place, How to Share
Photo credit: Vaughn Farris
Growing up, I always expected fresh tomatoes, squash, and corn from our family garden in the throws of summer vacation. Those acidic and sweet flavors were the taste of the season. As kids, we gave our dogs cherry tomatoes and corn cobs while the chickens got watermelon rinds and squash peels.
Today, I still enjoy those flavors and love to take trips that require a route along the CA-126 so I can stop off at a roadside fruit and vegetable stand to look at the abundant morning harvest. In between those trips, I enjoy walking onto my balcony to see what is ripe and ready in our container garden. While I enjoy eating a juicy red strawberry or the crunch of a pea, I appreciate the ability to nourish myself and my pets with fresh, straight from the vine goodness.
We sometimes overlook our pet’s enjoyment of fresh fruits and veggies; and, unless you are on a farm, these flavors may even be foreign to your little beasts. The raw vegetables and fruits' structure is water and fiber, making them great for hydration and digestion. Fresh produce helps slow the aging process of pets and can whiten their teeth. It is crucial to understand what your pets can and cannot have to reap all the benefits. In preparation for the spring and summer, I wanted to share with you a list of pet-friendly fruits, vegetables, and herbs that you can enjoy over the warm weather months with your pet, along with a few helpful tips to make sure you are keeping your little beasts and your garden safe.
Tomatoes – Ripe tomatoes are high in lycopene, an antioxidant that gives them their red color. This, combined with vitamins (A,C), beta-carotene, and potassium, promotes strong bones, is good for vision, helps regulate blood pressure, and reduces stroke and heart disease risk. Beware, tomatoes are part of the nightshade family and contain high solanine levels when not fully ripened; this compound is found in the tomato plant's green parts: the stems, vines, and leaves. The concentration of solanine rapidly decreases as the tomato ripens. This makes it safe for dogs to eat ripe tomatoes but never green tomatoes.
Peas – Green peas, including sugar snap peas, snow peas, and English peas, are high in protein, fiber, and antioxidants. Peas are a good source of vitamins (A, K, B) and lutein, making them useful for skin, heart, and eye health. Packed with minerals like iron, zinc, potassium, and magnesium. Beware, peas contain purines, a compound that can be problematic for dogs with kidney problems. Purines produce uric acid that is filtered through the kidneys. Too much uric acid can lead to kidney stones and other kidney conditions.
Radishes – Three types of radish commonly in markets: round radish, winter radish, and daikon. All contain a good source of fiber, potassium, and vitamin C, which support energy levels, digestion, and the immune system. Radish is a taproot, which means that dogs can eat the entire fibrous radish plant, including its green top.
Carrots – An excellent source of vitamins, beta carotene, and potassium, carrots support bone health, reproduction, vision, and a robust immune system. Carrots are loaded with fiber and can help with your pet's digestion.
Lettuce – Romaine, arugula, and iceberg have beneficial nutrients, vitamin (A, C, K) and beta-carotene. While the overall nutritional value may be low, they contain trace amounts of fiber, potassium, zinc, calcium, and folate. These support the health of your dog’s vision, blood, liver, colon, and immune system.
Curly Parsley – High levels of chlorophyll give parsley antibacterial and deodorizing properties known to improve breath. It has vitamins (A, C, K) that support anti-inflammation, immunity, healthy blood clotting, organ function, and reproduction. Parsley also acts as a diuretic, so pets with arthritis may benefit from fluid movement to aid in urinary and kidney health.
Strawberries – A source of vitamins (B1, B6, C, K), strawberries are a power food that offers potassium, omega–3 fatty acids, magnesium, iodine, and folic acid. These help immune system function and cell repair, and the fiber aids in digestion, while fatty acids improve the health of your pet’s skin and coat.
Basil – Thai and Sweet basil are anti-inflammatories that contain a high level of antioxidants, helping to prevent many types of illness, cellular damage, and eases arthritis. Basil also decreases stress hormone levels which can tame a pet's anxiety.
Rosemary – Loaded with antioxidants that are valuable to an animal's overall health, rosemary supports cardiovascular health, digestion support and antimicrobial with pathogen-fighting capabilities. It can treat urinary and digestive tract infections.
Thyme – Thyme is a powerful herb that can improve digestive health, suppress fungal and bacterial infections, and aid in the riddance of parasitic worms.
Planting Your Container Garden
When planting your container garden, there are several details to consider:
Get heavy! - Select pots that are appropriate for the plant but also cannot be easily tipped over by your pet. This may require putting rocks in the base of the pot, anchoring the pot to a fence, or using planter feet or a plant stand to secure the pottery in place.
Go up! - Using hanging pots and plant stands are a great way to prevent pets from accessing your harvest while giving yourself ground space.
No go! - If your garden is in an area easily accessible to your pets consider a garden gate or sectioning off your plants in one section with a guard to prevent contact.
Protecting Your Garden
As most gardeners know, nothing likes your garden more than you besides insects. There are many natural ways to detour plant-eaters from ravaging your garden. You can simply add other plants like mint, lavender, and catnip to your entourage to discourage pests from lurking. Also, ladybugs are a natural predator for aphids; apple cider vinegar and a few drops of dish soap can get rid of fruit flies; white vinegar gets rid of ants; and lemon detours spiders. There are also some good pet-friendly all-natural pest repellants on the market. Following a natural path to fighting garden pests will provide you and your pet a safer and more enjoyable experience in your garden.
Too Much of A Good Thing
Once you introduce your pet to fruits and vegetables, it is vital to monitor their behavior while around these plants because they are now a food source. If they have access to your garden, make sure they are not eating them straight from the vine because this may lead to overeating or eating a quantity that causes illness. You will also want to be sure that your pets are not eating other parts of the plant that may be harmful to them.
Preparing Fruits and Vegetables
Fruits and vegetables are an excellent low-calorie and fat-free treat and maybe a regular addition to your pet's diet. It all comes down to moderation, preference, and what works best for your pet’s health.
The best advice to introducing your pet to fruits and veggies is to do your research, consult your vet or animal nutritionist, and go slow. It is strongly recommended to never give your pet a whole piece of fruit or vegetable because this could present a choking hazard – instead, cut it up into smaller pieces. It is also essential to keep in mind that the recommendations here are for raw fruits and veggies.
Freezing strawberries, carrots, and radishes provides pets a welcomed treat on a hot day. As well, these may offer a teething puppy or kitten with welcomed relief. As for curly parsley, tomatoes, or peas, these may work well served as toppers on your pet’s food. And for basil, rosemary, and thyme, it could be integrated into your favorite pet food recipe.
If you are interested in researching more information on fruits, veggies, and herbs that are pet-safe, check out these resources: