Want that potager garden for your yard or balcony but have always thought you didn’t have the room? Well, surprise-your hypothesis is wrong! It does not take sprawling acres, nor does it have to be that one’s green thumb is kissed by the garden fairies. All this takes is avid love for plants, a few containers, and a sprinkle of imagination. Welcome to the whimsical world of container gardening, where limitations equal myth and anything magical happens in pots.
Think about it, those idly standing old terracotta pots can really turn your urban jungle into a mini Versailles. Picture this: you go out in the garden with coffee in hand and pick fresh basil for your omelet, and your salad features cherry tomatoes you have grown. Idyllic, right? That’s what a potager dream is, and it is well within the realm of possibility through container gardening.
A little secret here: every time I plant in containers, I am just so convinced my plants whisper amongst one another about who gets the sun lounge spot next. One other little word of caution, though: don’t overfill them. Just think about trying to shoehorn a concert into a closet-just won’t work. Instead, combine plants with similar needs. That’s about it, in fact: pairing off the sunbathers with the other sunbathers, and shade lovers with the shade-friendly of their own gentle kind.
Herbs are the superheroes here, and mint is one of those wild kids that will just take over. That’s the uninvited guest that became the life of the party. Make sure that little rascal stays in his own little nook. Basil? Well, it adores sunshine almost as much as we like to enjoy our lazy brunches on Sundays. I don’t even want to start telling you how all this looks in conjunction with bright-colored marigolds and petunias.
And then, of course, eccentric containers-for why stick with the usual pots? An old wheelbarrow can cradle radishes, and wooden crates can house a rainbow of salad greens.
My neighbor once thought I’d gone mad, planting an old boot. A no less breathtaking sight, though, can be a boot full of pansies, and yes, it is an eye-catcher indeed. It is the strangeness that brings charm, really-who decided that gardening had to be straight-laced, anyhow?
Now set it. If you don’t have that much ground, stack your containers vertically. There’s some little Tetris action to be played here. Or go ahead and mix some trailing plants with bushy ones to build this waterfall of color dancing in the breeze-your little skyscraper of plants. And who doesn’t love a skyscraper growing food rather than housing offices with labels for their coffee drinks in monotonous tones? Feeding these potted buddies can feel so much like doing a science experiment. Give them that nice, smoothie-type nutrient feed every now and then-but not too much. They are your toddlers; sometimes, when overfed, well, they just throw tantrums. Water them on a regular basis. Think of it like your morning routine, except these green amigos do great with regularity. If it is too dry, they just wilt like drama queens.
Maximise Your Potager Garden: Quick Tips for Container Planting in Tight Spaces“
Is it not a dream to have an potager garden in your house-a little piece of Eden inside your yard or balcony? And what if the area was scarcer than hen’s teeth? Well, never fear, my green-thumbed friend, as potting is your ace in the hole!
Create absolute Edens for every small corner and nook, as containers of vegetables, herbs, and flowers add character to your pint-sized paradise. Now, let us explore a few handy bits of wisdom which could be flaunted to get the best out of pot planting.
First of all, choosing a proper pot is just like choosing the right dance partner: everything. Plant them in pots, not so small that they will crowd the roots of your plant. Also, avoid those teeny, most decoratively charming ones-it needs a homey pod, not a studio apartment! Good drainage, just like your morning coffee, can be assured with holes at the bottom of the pot. Place a saucer underneath it to collect those defiant drips so that your deck or floor doesn’t have to be a canvas of water. Ever hear ‘location, location, location‘? That’s the investment magic of real estate moguls, but it applies here, too. Like us, plants require the right amount of sun: the cool kids like it hot, and others prefer a shadier affair. Veggies like tomatoes want more sun than teenagers want their WiFi-which is to say each needs six to eight hours of direct sun. Those wilty-leaved lettuces on the other hand are way into cool, shadier locales. The story of your plants begins in the soil, but just don’t take that spadeful from the garden. Garden soil in pots will be a recipe for disappointment. Splash out on potting mix instead. Lightweight potting soil lets the roots breathe-in a way, one can say it’s fresh air down there for them.
Mix some well-rotted manure or liquid seaweed into the potting mix for that little bit of extra umph. It’s like giving them a day at the spa!
Watering: Poor dears, don’t drown them! Overwatering tries to fill a cup that’s already full-a soggy, sorry situation. Stick your finger into the soil right up to the second knuckle. If it be as dry as a stand-up comedian’s punch line, then it’s high time for some water. This is best done during the cool of the morning or evening. Pouring water in the blistering sun invites burned plants. Variety: Mix herbs with vegetables for a heavenly culinary combination that just so happens to be rather pragmatic in approach, too. Place basil among your tomatoes, and, well, you’re guaranteed not only the fragrance in a pot but nixing off the pests, too. Yes, these leafy companions actually do keep the watch with each other-or should I say, root? One should not forget to fertilize. But otherwise, the nutrients in pots get leached out faster than you can say “raindrop down a windshield.” Just give ’em a little snack of liquid fertilizer every couple of weeks, and they’re as happy as larks. Fish emulsion is a great option-too much like a superfood smoothie pop for plant fertilizers-but if you can get past the smell, more power to you.
