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There is nothing more beautiful than fresh flowers blooming in the flower gardens. The vibrant colors beautiful and the lovely fragrances are an added bonus.
You might want to take your gardening skills to another level by planting vegetables, berries, and herbs to supplement your diet with fresh foods that are grown without chemicals. Whatever you want to plant, there are a few basics that you will have to understand.
The first thing is aesthetics. Don’t protest. Your garden will be in a very limited space. Even if you place it on your patio or balcony, you will see it every time you open your patio door. You want to see a neat and organized arrangement of plants. You want your plants to look good in the pots you selected for them.
Gardening Without a Garden: Getting Ready
Get out your tape measure and pad and pencil and measure your space. You need to know how much floor space you have, and then you need to know how much vertical and overhang space you have.
This is important so you will know what options you have as to what plants will thrive and where. You also need to make it a point to find out how many hours of direct sun the patio or balcony gets each day.
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Select Your Seed Vendor
It is very important to order your seeds from a high-quality seed vendor. Here you will find seed for planting always fresh and guaranteed to grow – Seed Need. But that is not the only benefit you reap from using an industry leader.
You have the experience of decades of people who have faced every challenge you will face. They will know why your plants look odd. They will often be able to tell you if a crop is being watered too often or not often enough. Who else will be using the area?
This is important because gardens tend to grow (if we are doing them right.) They will get fuller, taller, and take up a lot more space. You have to be mindful of this. Do your homework. How tall and how wide are your plants expected to grow? Use those measurements when you plant.
You want to make sure exits are not blocked, and that your garden is welcoming. Be considerate of others. Don’t forget, you have vertical options as well as rail options.
Aesthetics
It has to be pretty. This planting site is near to your home. It has to be a nice addition. Make sure you keep the weeds down. Keep your mulch in order and sweep up leaves, twigs, and other debris. Trim the plants when needed.
Keep the pots, barrels, cans, or whatever you decide to use as your theme clean. If old and rustic is your theme, a little messy is fine, but raise the bar a bit higher. Think “shabby chic” and make it work.
Making a Choice
This may sound funny, but it is really a big part of your project. Are you picking the plants that you want to grow and thank selecting pots that those plants look nice in? Or, are you picking out some beautiful or classic pots that you want to use and now you will choose the plants to plant in them.
This makes a big difference in the garden you will end up with. Another cool thing is, you do not have to have an exclusive “veggie” or “flower” garden, you can design your garden to your own liking.
The Mechanics of Color
When you are dealing with a patio garden, you have a limited amount of soil. Even when they are in the recommended amount of soil, with proper watering, mulching, and drainage.
You see, when a plant is exposed to direct sunlight for the recommended 6-hours a day, the color of the pot makes a major difference. If the pot is dark, it absorbs the heat and the soil grabs the heat and holds it and the moisture is quickly gone.
When the pots are a white or light color they are easier to maintain the moisture. These things have to be kept in mind to prevent over or under watering.
Repurpose an Old Ladder
Get that old ladder out of the shed and give it a coat of paint. It can be put just about anywhere. This makes a great stand for plants, garden tools, and watering pots. Note: You may need to place plywood between the steps.
Free Standing Wall
Make a freestanding wall out of wood. Using hanging pots and string tie a few pots at different places. This is great for small plants like herbs or violets.
Closet Shoe Rack Planter
Use stick-on hooks to attack a plastic shoe rack with pockets to the wall. Fill the bottom of the pockets with potting soil, and plant your seeds using the top half of the shoe pocket. Use a small screwdriver to punch a few holes in the pockets for drainage.
Window Boxes
For many years people have used flower boxes to plant flowers just outside their windows. Use that same concept to hang flower boxes around the rail of your patio or balcony. You can plant Flowers, herbs, peppers, and any other colorful plant will bring your boxes to life.
Butterflies!
If you are planting flowers, you might consider planting a section in your patio garden with plants that attract butterflies. You will need host plants and nectar plants. Do a quick internet search to see what plants grow best in your area, and then buy a nectar plant that grows with it. Soon you will see the butterflies drawn to your patio.
Download a Free Gardening App
There are a lot of fun and free gardening apps available for your phone, computer or tablet. These apps remind you when it’s time to water, and when it’s time to check your weeds or a host of other things. So go to your app store today and find an app that is right for you.
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