Right now, the plants on my deck are abundant. Unlike my shady back yard, my deck is sunny, sunny, sunny. It’s baking out there, and the plants are basking in it. My potatoes and tomatoes are climbing to the skies.
Of course, since I am gardening on a deck I am lacking one important thing: soil. My deck is just a deck, and I need to provide the structures that will house my plants. Once I’ve done this, I need to take care of those little vegetables so that they’ll grow. Plenty of food and water seem to have done the trick: the neighbors are worried that my potato plants are going to take over the world, or at least climb to the roof line.
Although urban food gardening and small space food gardening might seem counterintuitive, they are quite possible. Urban food gardening doesn’t need to be limited to herbs in a pot on the windowsill either. Many vegetables are suitable for urban container gardens and tuck nicely into the corner of a deck.
If you’re new to container vegetable gardening, what vegetables are suitable? Just about all of them, provided that you give them the correct care!
Tomatoes are good for containers because you can easily move them to chase the sunlight. You can position them as high or low are required to catch the best angles of the sun on your deck. However, tomatoes are fussy little plants when it comes to their need for water. Grow tomatoes in large pots with mulch and plenty of water in the summer heat.
Greens are also amazing for containers, even small ones. They have a small root system and can grow in very shallow containers as long as you make sure that you water them enough. Be aware that some greens do not love intense heat. If you notice your lettuces are wilting, move them into the shade of the building.
Potatoes are one of my favorites for container growing. They’re a space hog in my backyard garden. I plant them early and they grow and grow, shading out the other plants. Finally I can pick them, but not until they’ve used up half of my garden space for the majority of the growing season. I love new potatoes, but I don’t like their attitude.
Growing potatoes in containers is simple. Choose a container such as an untreated wooden bin, and plant seed potatoes in it in the spring. Wait. Water. Expose to sunlight. Soon large shoots will begin to emerge. These are the potato shoots. They are also poisonous, so keep them away from children and pets. When the shoots die off the potatoes are ready for harvest. One bonus of planting potatoes in containers is that the you don’t need to dig randomly in the garden for the potatoes. Simply upend the container, take out the potatoes, and compost the tops.
What do you grow in containers?