An important thing to know when patio gardening is to be on the south side of a building and getting plenty of sunlight, not being blocked by trees and to have a good watering jug.
People don't realize during the spring when they first start to set out plants that trees grow leaves during the summer. Some canopies do a real good job at blocking out sun light as the season progresses. Very few gardening gurus even mention the fact.
Clay pots require more watering so for containers go for plastic type containers. I work construction and usually use cleaned out 5 gal. buckets. I also had about 20 5 gal. pickle buckets given to me years back from a deli. I never knew pickles came in 5 gal. buckets before.
Most garden centers are really good about having plants for containers. They are usually marked. Look for names like patio tomatoes. These plants are more of a compact plant. I also like to use bush type plants instead of vine varieties. Bush cucumbers, beans, melons, egg plants, zucchinis. The plants are more compact and take up so much less space.
I have had luck with peppers, 2-3 in the same bucket.They help to support each other. For tomatoes I actually have used a hanging method where a small hole is cut into the bottom of a container. The plant is inserted by the root end into the hole and then the planting mixture is then added around the root. Talk about saving space. These hanging containers can hang off a balcony , patio or porch headers. You can grow tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, and other vine like plants in hanging containers.
My wife does all the flower gardening. I just do the weeding and mulching. I handle the vegetables. I try to use what ever space I have available because I hate starting plants and then throwing out any once I start thinning.
People don't realize during the spring when they first start to set out plants that trees grow leaves during the summer. Some canopies do a real good job at blocking out sun light as the season progresses. Very few gardening gurus even mention the fact.
Clay pots require more watering so for containers go for plastic type containers. I work construction and usually use cleaned out 5 gal. buckets. I also had about 20 5 gal. pickle buckets given to me years back from a deli. I never knew pickles came in 5 gal. buckets before.
Most garden centers are really good about having plants for containers. They are usually marked. Look for names like patio tomatoes. These plants are more of a compact plant. I also like to use bush type plants instead of vine varieties. Bush cucumbers, beans, melons, egg plants, zucchinis. The plants are more compact and take up so much less space.
I have had luck with peppers, 2-3 in the same bucket.They help to support each other. For tomatoes I actually have used a hanging method where a small hole is cut into the bottom of a container. The plant is inserted by the root end into the hole and then the planting mixture is then added around the root. Talk about saving space. These hanging containers can hang off a balcony , patio or porch headers. You can grow tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, and other vine like plants in hanging containers.
My wife does all the flower gardening. I just do the weeding and mulching. I handle the vegetables. I try to use what ever space I have available because I hate starting plants and then throwing out any once I start thinning.