1 of 1- Debrah
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Balcony container gardening
I really wanted to give this a try this summer. I had it in mind for last summer, just because I don't have quite as much energy as I used to and I don't want a whole big garden to take care of anymore. I used to love it, but . . . limitations, you know!
But I didn't get the chance to do this because it didn't get warm here until about the 3rd week in June this year (2020) and by then all of the greenhouse starter plants were sold out and it was entirely too late to start anything from seed. We have (usually) a very short growing season - somewhere between 85 and 95 days, at best. Not only that, but this year we've had limited amounts of sunshine. Gardens need sunshine, even potted gardens!
Flowers and bushes aren't as particular sometimes (my pink spirea bush went bonkers this year, for some reason, and it's just blooming like mad). I planted that spirea 3 years ago because it tolerates shade so it was perfect for the north side of our house. I actually planted two of them but for some reason only 1 plant survived and thrived. I treated them the same but the location of the one that died off must have been detrimental for some reason.
But I wanted to try some veggies in pots on both decks; some that I've never tried in pots before. The back deck gets full sun on a limited, narrow part of the deck area for most of the day and when it gets too hot I can slide the pots into the shade, if need be. The front deck gets relentless sunshine from about 9 in the a.m., until about 7:30 or so at night. So what I plant & where would be a challenge but at least it would be something interesting for me to do right now, since I cannot open my day care at this point in time. I mean, I can be open but no one is going to work and no one NEEDS caregivers for newborns right now. This economy thing is wrecking everything. So I'm not going to let it steal some of my fun (weather permitting) next year. I plan ahead so this is a good time to do that and look over my current on-hand seed supplies and order more if necessary.
With a little imagination added to the information below, you can create your own wonderful potted/container garden!
A government which robs Peter to
pay Paul can always depend on
the support of Paul. -- George Bernard Shaw
- Debrah
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Re: Balcony container gardening
I've tried some of these suggestions in the past but to tell you the truth, I didn't have much luck and they can be awfully messy. We discovered (because of our neighbors) that straw bales are not a good idea unless you break them apart SOMEWHERE besides in your yard - - they can be infested with mice & snakes. I knew that because I grew up on a ranch where we kept bales and silage piles etc., but most people don't even think about it. When you go to pick up your bales of hay or grass or whatever, cut the twine, break open the bale and wait 1/2 a day or so to start loading with a pitchfork into the backend of a pickup or trailer for hauling. You must cover this with a tarp or something or you'll scatter bale grass or haygrass everywhere and get home with nothing!
For now, I use dried leaves (we have plenty of those!) and cover the pot with meshy stuff about 1 foot higher than the pot. I held my mesh stuff together with baby diaper pins!! Hey, it worked last time I tried it!!
Balcony gardening:
A government which robs Peter to
pay Paul can always depend on
the support of Paul. -- George Bernard Shaw
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