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Potted on the Patio

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Planted by: Jennifer Tidwell
Date: Thursday February 19, 2009
Planted in: Container Gardening,Frugal Gardening,Vegetables

Even if you don’t have a yard, you can grow vegetables on your patio or balcony. Seed sellers have learned that apartment and condo-dwellers like fresh vegetables too, and sell a variety of seed that is suitable for pot culture. I’ve included a list of varieties at the end of this post for reference. Herbs can be grown in pots as well and provide more than just culinary value. They can provide interesting texture and aroma, and they are just fun to grow all around.

Light

Your first consideration is sun exposure. Without sufficient light, vegetable and herb plants will not grow. The best way to check your sun exposure is to look at your balcony several times throughout the day.  Is there full sunlight first thing in the morning?  At noon?  In the afternoon?   A good rule of thumb is 6-8 hours of full sun exposure for vegetables. 

There is such a thing as too much sun where patios are concerned.  A concrete or brick patio will hold and reflect quite a bit of heat in the summer, and you could end up with fried plants before the first bloom even sets.

Containers

Your next consideration will be containers.  The container should be of a sufficient size to hold the plant when it reaches its maximum growth potential.  Depending on what varieties you decide to grow, this could range anywhere from a large hanging basket to a 5 gallon pot. 

I don’t recommend clay or heavy pottery for two reasons.  Clay pots are very porous and can dry out pretty quickly over the course of the day.  Unless you have some sort of automatic waterer set up or water very frequently, clay is a no-no.  Heavy pottery that is glazed will hold moisture, but can be difficult to move.  If you must use pottery, plant your vegetables in a plastic container and place it inside the pottery. 

Soil

A rich soil that will retain moisture, but drain well, is very important. This is an excellent time to put your compost to use. If you don’t have a compost pile, a potting soil with a starter charge of fertilizer will work just as well. Over the course of the growing season, you will need to fertilize periodically as the nutrients in your soil are used by the plant. Again, an aged compost is always my favorite, but there are varieties of potting soil that are suitable for vegetables. Crushed egg shells are an excellent source of calcium for tomato plants, and should be added to whatever soil mix you decide to use if you decide to grow tomatoes.

Plants and Seeds

This is probably the hardest decision of all, and will be decided by how much space you have. Tomatoes, lettuce and other greens, cucumbers, strawberries, and herbs can all be grown successfully in pots and window boxes. Some people enjoy starting seeds, and some people want plants that are ready to pot up. The good news is, plants and seeds are readily available at garden centers and on the internet.

Tomatoes will need a support structure of some sort, as will some cucumbers. You can purchase tomato cages at any garden center, or make your own from a roll of wire fencing. If you decided to buy a roll of fencing, make sure the holes are big enough to place your hand through. It’s probably easier to buy cages rather than make them if you have limited space.

The trick with tomatoes is to keep them pruned occasionally. Determinate varieties (those that stop growing at a certain size) will not need pruning, where as indeterminates (those that keep growing) probably will. Using a clean pair of pruning shears, you will need to trim the tops if they start growing out of your tomato cage.

Most pepper plants will grow quite well in pots. Hot peppers, bell peppers, sweet peppers, and ornamentals do well in larger pots.

Herbs are particularly well suited for containter gardening. This is the one exception for using clay pots as they require a very well-drained soil.

Frugal Tips

  • Buy the smallest amount of seed you will need. There is no reason to buy a huge packet of seed if you are only going to grow a couple of plants. In lieu of starting seeds, buy plants directly from your local garden center.
  • Ask your independent garden center if they have some large nursery pots they would be willing to part with on the cheap. They aren’t very decorative, but they get the job done and can fit nicely inside a larger decorative pot or urn. Just make sure you rinse and sterilize them before use.
  • Learn to save your own seed from year to year, or join a seed saver’s exchange.
  • If you know someone who gardens, ask if they will share a plant or two with you.

    • Shopping

    This is a list, all with links for your convenience. This is just a starting point. Enjoy!

    Web Sites

    These web sites sell vegetable seeds that are suitable for container gardening.

    Johnny’s Selected Seeds
    Park Seed

    Vegetables

    Salad Bush Hybrid Slicing Cucumber

    Jelly Beans Hybrid (VF) Tomato Seed
    Better Boy Hybrid (VFN) Tomato
    Early Girl Hybrid (VFF) Tomato
    Celebrity Hybrid (VFFNT) Tomato
    Reimer Seed Patio Tomatoes

    Sweet Banana Pepper
    Sweet Pepper, Colossal Hybrid
    Caribbean Red Hot Pepper

    Henry Field’s® Blend Leaf Lettuce

    Herbs

    Culinary Basil Blend

    Fruit

    Patio Blueberries

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