Every year, with the onset of spring, I start thinking about the layout of my container garden.
My goal: to grow the herbs and vegetables that either I use the most often or don't want to have to pay for. Ornamentation plays a role, too -- I enjoy the various textures, scents, shapes, and sizes of a wide selection of what I call my "consumable garden".
I'll make the most of 10sqft of floor space and a limited growing season. And I'll also be mindful that I have a downstairs neighbor who wants to utilize her balcony this summer, too. Occasionally I pop downstairs to sweep her patio: "pardon my garden!"
the damages
scissors
gardening gloves
newspaper
the ingredients
8" terra cotta pots and saucers
4" containers of herbs like thyme, oregano, sage, and basil
4-pack containers of vegetables like peppers, tomatoes, celery, and cucumbers
potting soil
Coronas and lime wedges
the preparation
Create a workstation
Just like you would do when preparing a meal, invest a few minutes by laying down sheets of newspaper beneath a table and lining up your equipment. Think left-to-right (or the reverse, depending on your layout) from your supply of potting soil, to adding a plant to a container, to setting down the potted plant.
Plan your layout
Decide which plant will go in each container before committing to anything. This allows you to take stock of your inventory to ensure you have the right combination of containers to plants.
Start your plants from seed
This $8.00 seedling tray comes with 60 compartments (12 rows x 5 columns) and a greenhouse-like lid. (Sadly, as you can see here, only my purple bell peppers survived the conditions inside my apartment.) To avoid losing track of what went where, use a permanent marker to number your rows and seed packets.
Control the drainage of your containers
Cut apart last season's 4" plastic pots by separating each side from the bottom. Then cut each side and the bottom into quarters.
Lay the slip of black plastic outside-up over the drainage hole in the bottom of your container. This allows valuable soil to remain inside the container while water drains out into the tray.
Loosen the roots
Fill the container about 1/2-way with soil. Before setting the plant into its new container, use either your fingertips or the scissors to loosen the roots. (I cut vertically about 1" from the bottom into the plant's roots.) This helps the roots aerate and adapt to the new soil conditions, growing down and out into the container rather than remaining "root bound" within its original confines.
Water your container plants
Instead of patting down the topmost layer of soil, use your fingertips to create divots. These little hollows will allow water to more easily and evenly penetrate to the roots, rather than pooling in one spot or simply flowing to the edges of the container.
Fill your watering can and let it sit in the sun while you're working. Plants' roots may become shocked by water that's either too cold or too hot, so allow the water temperature to acclimate. If you can't do this, or forget, simply fill your watering can with lukewarm water, which will feel temperature-neutral on your bare skin.
Minimize your trash
Even trash bags count as garbage, so use your soil bag instead of a new garbage bag. Check to see how much of your other waste is recyclable.
Grow, garden, grow!
I painted my terra cotta containers white to make them more reflective, allowing me to control the temperature of the soil and water them less often. Use a thin layer of sphagnum peat moss over the exposed soil to retain even more moisture.
Plants aren't the only living thing invited to my balcony party. Dozens of ruby-throated hummingbirds visit every day, from mid-may through September. They're so accustomed to our presence that they'll often come and perch for a meal even while I'm sitting outside with Monkey.
Celebrate your hard work!
A hard-core green thumb isn't deterred by a little dirt settled in the beer. God bless my party cup.
tips and techniques
take advantage of vertical space with multi-tiered hanging baskets with cascading annuals like petunias
a four-pack of plants comes with only one stake identifying the plant; if you don't have popsicle sticks, use 6" of a drinking straw and a taped-on square of index card
never surround vegetables or herbs with mulch, which can cause mold to grow or expel chemicals into the soil
shop during early mornings on weekends when you're most likely to (a) get one-on-one attention from nursery staff to answer your questions and provide help shopping, and (b) SCORE FREEBIES! Each morning, home improvement centers and greenhouses regularly discard plants that didn't survive the night and will happily give them to you once you pay for your other selections. Give these little patients a little TLC (sunlight, maybe a stake to prop up a bent stem, some water) and they're often good as new.
