Looking for inspiration to eat more vegetables? Grow them yourself. Chances are you’ll eat more fresh produce if you cultivate your own. You don’t even need a backyard — just a windowsill or patio. Here’s how:

• Take it easy. Select crops that grow well with little care. Lettuce, tomatoes, and herbs ripen quickly, and the plants continue growing after harvesting.

• Get creative. Almost any vessel can hold crops. Chard looks great in a colander, and a laundry basket is a perfect setting for basil. Try using coffee cans, canvas bags, or buckets.

• Make holes. Proper drainage keeps potted plants from drowning. Drill several holes in the container’s bottom. Then line it with stones (not gravel), plastic packing peanuts, or burlap so the soil remains intact while the water drains.

• Use quality soil. Dirt collected from your backyard offers few nutrients, sprouts weeds, and compacts easily (which hinders growth). Potting soil has the right mix of perlite (expanded volcanic glass, which helps keep soil porous), nutrient-rich compost, and pure peat moss.

• Feed and water. Soil in pots dries faster than in the ground. Water your container plants regularly and fertilize periodically.

• Be patient. Good things come to those who wait. If your plants don’t produce, ask a Master Gardener for advice.