I only have a very small area to plant in and it does not get much sun. I live on the ground floor of my apartment building and so I call this space that the landlord calls a patio my hole in the ground. Now it is covered, has a porch light and a place to get outside in the summer. All blessings, challenges and opportunities I know. I really enjoy planting a cheerful profusion of flowers and savory herbs in containers of all sizes and shapes on the patio outside my living room door. I had the maintenance man install two six foot shop lights with grow bulbs from the ceiling of my hole in the ground. This makes up for all the sun I just do not get enough of to grow anything. I have an array of pots in different sizes and shapes. I also have a worm farm in a garbage can.
For many of us that live in an urban setting, container gardening can be the only way to grow things that is available to us. For me my hole in the ground is it. Waiting lists for community gardens are long I have been on one for three years without any hope of getting one. I ran an ad on Craig list and got only expensive responses so expensive it just did not pay. I do have a partnership with a farm where I adopted a goat, a pig and receive so many fresh veggie a month year round. However, that does not satisfy my need to put my hands in the earth or get down on my knees and pray outdoors. It also does not bring the butterflies or bees. I love these little creatures as well as the birds that the flowers and herbs bring.
For me the fact I always have fresh herbs is an amazing truth. I love how fresh herbs brighten my taste buds and all the minerals I get from them.
Now container plants need more attention than those that grow in the ground and they are completely dependent on the gardener for their needs. What they need is:
1. Properly drained soil mix (Since all my soil is manufactured by my worm farm I am alright there.)
2. Adequate and regular supplemental fertilizer. (Again since I compost I do not need as much fertilizers.)
3. Enough but not too much water. (The soil I use drains well. I put rock on the bottom of the pots for drainage, I use a water meter.)
4. The right amount of light. (I achieve this by putting my plants on a plant holder with rollers so I can move them around, by using the grow lights.)
5. Some protection from temperature extremes. (Since one wall is connected to my home and the patio is covered this is taken care of in my gardening environment.)
Easy to Grow Container Kitchen Garden Collection
for beginner gardeners
Since I have a good supply of soil from my worm farm I replace all the soil each season with new to give the new plants a good start.
The main thing to remember when gardening in containers be sure that your plants are going to have enough room to grow through the summer and have plenty of room for their roots. Then you can get creative. Now my landlord will not let me get too creative like I did when I lived in my home I still can use unusual pots, from old wash tubs to gardening tiles.
Water and Fertilize
Watering not too much and not too little is so important that I invested in a cheap water meter. It did not cost much and it tells me exactly when I need to water. I am not guessing.
Container Herbs
I always grow a few pots of pot herbs my favorite ones to insure I can just grab a handful for a recipe I am creating. My niece has greenhouses and I buy lots of my vegetables and herbs from her and freeze them in the Fall. But I love the little pots of herbs on my patio.
Free-flowering annuals are perfect choices to bring out the artist in every gardener. Choose varieties not only for their individual beauty but for the way they'll look in combination. Look for flowers that spread and mound in habit like cascading nasturtiums, soft Alyssa, perky pansies or old fashioned varieties that have a wonderful perfume, such as heliotrope or dwarf Cupid or Color Palette Sweet Peas. Don't miss low growing varieties of zinnias such as Pixie Sunshine, marigolds, phlox, dwarf cosmos and dwarf bedding sunflowers. Little Angel Wings roses or delicious Alpine strawberries are wonderful in containers.
Container Vegetables
I have a wine barrel I plant in edible vegetables. I grow things like tomatoes, egg plant, kale, lettuce, they are pretty and they are really really good in the summer months. I can't feed myself with the small space I have but it does bring fresh stuff into my diet on a regular basis. Couple that with my adopt a farm animal and getting veggie, fresh eggs, and fresh goats milk from my farmer partner. Then of course their is always Farmers market and my niece.
I only have a very small area to plant in and it does not get much sun. I live on the ground floor of my apartment building and so I call this space that the landlord calls a patio my hole in the ground. Now it is covered, has a porch light and a place to get outside in the summer. All blessings, challenges and opportunities I know. I really enjoy planting a cheerful profusion of flowers and savory herbs in containers of all sizes and shapes on the patio outside my living room door. I had the maintenance man install two six foot shop lights with grow bulbs from the ceiling of my hole in the ground. This makes up for all the sun I just do not get enough of to grow anything. I have an array of pots in different sizes and shapes. I also have a worm farm in a garbage can.
For many of us that live in an urban setting, container gardening can be the only way to grow things that is available to us. For me my hole in the ground is it. Waiting lists for community gardens are long I have been on one for three years without any hope of getting one. I ran an ad on Craig list and got only expensive responses so expensive it just did not pay. I do have a partnership with a farm where I adopted a goat, a pig and receive so many fresh veggie a month year round. However, that does not satisfy my need to put my hands in the earth or get down on my knees and pray outdoors. It also does not bring the butterflies or bees. I love these little creatures as well as the birds that the flowers and herbs bring.
For me the fact I always have fresh herbs is an amazing truth. I love how fresh herbs brighten my taste buds and all the minerals I get from them.
Now container plants need more attention than those that grow in the ground and they are completely dependent on the gardener for their needs. What they need is:
1. Properly drained soil mix (Since all my soil is manufactured by my worm farm I am alright there.)
2. Adequate and regular supplemental fertilizer. (Again since I compost I do not need as much fertilizers.)
3. Enough but not too much water. (The soil I use drains well. I put rock on the bottom of the pots for drainage, I use a water meter.)
4. The right amount of light. (I achieve this by putting my plants on a plant holder with rollers so I can move them around, by using the grow lights.)
5. Some protection from temperature extremes. (Since one wall is connected to my home and the patio is covered this is taken care of in my gardening environment.)
Easy to Grow Container Kitchen Garden Collection
for beginner gardeners
Since I have a good supply of soil from my worm farm I replace all the soil each season with new to give the new plants a good start.
The main thing to remember when gardening in containers be sure that your plants are going to have enough room to grow through the summer and have plenty of room for their roots. Then you can get creative. Now my landlord will not let me get too creative like I did when I lived in my home I still can use unusual pots, from old wash tubs to gardening tiles.
Water and Fertilize
Watering not too much and not too little is so important that I invested in a cheap water meter. It did not cost much and it tells me exactly when I need to water. I am not guessing.
Container Herbs
I always grow a few pots of pot herbs my favorite ones to insure I can just grab a handful for a recipe I am creating. My niece has greenhouses and I buy lots of my vegetables and herbs from her and freeze them in the Fall. But I love the little pots of herbs on my patio.
Free-flowering annuals are perfect choices to bring out the artist in every gardener. Choose varieties not only for their individual beauty but for the way they'll look in combination. Look for flowers that spread and mound in habit like cascading nasturtiums, soft Alyssa, perky pansies or old fashioned varieties that have a wonderful perfume, such as heliotrope or dwarf Cupid or Color Palette Sweet Peas. Don't miss low growing varieties of zinnias such as Pixie Sunshine, marigolds, phlox, dwarf cosmos and dwarf bedding sunflowers. Little Angel Wings roses or delicious Alpine strawberries are wonderful in containers.
Container Vegetables
I have a wine barrel I plant in edible vegetables. I grow things like tomatoes, egg plant, kale, lettuce, they are pretty and they are really really good in the summer months. I can't feed myself with the small space I have but it does bring fresh stuff into my diet on a regular basis. Couple that with my adopt a farm animal and getting veggie, fresh eggs, and fresh goats milk from my farmer partner. Then of course their is always Farmers market and my niece. 
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