Rental living: container gardening?

[Trivium Academy]

If you had a blank backyard with full sun, large privacy fence in Zone 8 (just in case you needed that tidbit) what would you do?

There are no bushes, trees, etc. Nothing. Just grass and a square slab of concrete to act as a patio. We may only live here a year. What can I do that isn't too expensive but will make our temporary backyard more enjoyable?

The kids will have a sandbox (with lid), see-saw and a porch swing on an A-frame. Dh doesn't want to get a new swing-set b/c this place is temporary and we'd rather get a nice wooden set for them.

A friend suggested container planting but I'm not sure how to go about this without it looking strange.

[Tarheel Heather]

We had several containers at our old house on the patio. Our backyard was just not gardner friendly. I used the larger window box containers and had tomatoes, and green beans. You can also get the large pots and plant what flowers are 'in' at the time. You can do a lot with containers. I have fountain grass, wave petunia's, and sweet potatoe vine, in one pot on our front steps. You can have fun with it. The kids would enjoy picking out plants of their own. Get some of the shepard's hooks for hanging baskets. You have a blank canvas have fun!

[nestof3]

My deck is covered with containers including a large pot with a little frog who sits on the side sitting water into the pot (a pump we bought from home Depot). I stacked cinderblocks to make the plant pots at different heights and the little frog sits on one of the cinderblocks. The pots are all close together and the plants so lush that it all fills in nicely. It is my little shade garden.

You could do the same thing in a corner of your lawn. Then, you could get a little stone bench (we have one of these in our back yard) and place it near this little floral corner.

You can also buy an inexpensive arbor which you could put a bench under.

The library will have lots of container gardening books as well. This website has great container combinations and ideas:

http://www.provenwinners.com/ce_main.cfm?pwMainPage

Fatsias are great shrubs which grow quickly, prefer some shade though, and could be pretty in a corner with a bird bath and feeder next to it.

I would suggest using pots in the same color family like creams, light greens, etc. Use lots of cheap ones with a couple of nice ones that draw attention to your favorite plants.

[Tarheel Heather]

My deck is covered with containers including a large pot with a little frog who sits on the side sitting water into the pot (a pump we bought from home Depot). I stacked cinderblocks to make the plant pots at different heights and the little frog sits on one of the cinderblocks. The pots are all close together and the plants so lush that it all fills in nicely. It is my little shade garden.

You could do the same thing in a corner of your lawn. Then, you could get a little stone bench (we have one of these in our back yard) and place it near this little floral corner.

You can also buy an inexpensive arbor which you could put a bench under.

The library will have lots of container gardening books as well. This website has great container combinations and ideas:

http://www.provenwinners.com/ce_main.cfm?pwMainPage

Fatsias are great shrubs which grow quickly, prefer some shade though, and could be pretty in a corner with a bird bath and feeder next to it.

I would suggest using pots in the same color family like creams, light greens, etc. Use lots of cheap ones with a couple of nice ones that draw attention to your favorite plants.

Dawn does have a point with the pot colors. I keep mine all the same color, style.

[Stacey in MA]

We rent in a condo community, and so can't dig into the ground for gardening.

We have done tomatoes in rectangular porch containers that worked alright. We do keep them on our shallow porch though, and that means they get plenty of direct sun, but then also some shade later in the day. There is actually a tomato (bought it at Lowe's last week!) that is called a "Porch tomato" or "Container tomato" or something like that!

We have also done green bean in pots (staked them w/ bamboo sticks and string). They yielded a decent amount considering we didn't grow it in the ground! Also, lettuce was soooo easy and quick. But once it's done, it's done. The beans and tomatoes keep coming. All of these were in containers, and in mostly direct sun.

We also TRIED carrots (in deep pots), strawberries, and a couple of others I can't remember now, and they DIDN'T work. Maybe it was just our bad gardening and care, though!

There must be something you can fashion to protect the plants fom the direct mid-day overhead sun. A canopy, or covering of some kind? How about a miniature greenhouse - maybe build one of 1x2 wood. Then you can set your pots in there, and cover the top to create some shade protection?

HTH And GL! - Stacey in MA

[WendyK]

We haven't had any luck growing vegetables in containers. We have had some modest luck with herbs. Flowers seem to work out better.

We have a community garden. Basically for a small fee we rent out a plot of land that we are allowed to use to grow what we want. That worked out great for us.

[nestof3]

I just took some photos.

Ignore that the garage needs painting (will be done this winter) and I haven't gotten around to matching all of my pots yet. The one long container holds my parsley (for the Swallowtails), but I was unable to find another plant so I'm growing them from seed right now.

I took a picture of the stone bench as well.

You can see why I recommend keeping with a certain pot color. I am switching over to creamy color and I'm okay with some pale green as well.

http://i49.photobucket.com/albums/f289/nestof3/IMG_3206.jpg

http://i49.photobucket.com/albums/f289/nestof3/IMG_3201.jpg

http://i49.photobucket.com/albums/f289/nestof3/IMG_3202.jpg

http://i49.photobucket.com/albums/f289/nestof3/IMG_3204.jpg

http://i49.photobucket.com/albums/f289/nestof3/IMG_3205.jpg

[WendyK]

Wow Dawn, that looks wonderful.

[Caroline]

Dawn, that looks incredible. Wow!

[Trivium Academy]

Wow, Dawn! Thank you for the pictures, I really needed to "see" something and this really helped! Okay, I'm feeling better about this clean slate now, the wheels are turning. A trellis, shepherd hooks, bird houses and bath... it's going to work. Thank you all! ;)

[Jann in TX]

This year I'm growing tomatoes, bell pepper, and yellow squash.

Last year I grew yellow squash and zucchini (bell peppers did not work so I'm trying a different variety this year).

I'm using small plastic 'kiddie pools' for my containers. I poked a few holes in the bottom for drainage and filled with a mixture of topsoil and potting mix.

I must say that my squash and tomatoes look GREAT! I have one bell pepper that is almost ready... So far I've harvested 2 beautiful yellow squash and 3 tomatoes--enough to cover the cost of my seedlings!

On my back deck I have 2 huge pots with hibiscus. I recently purchased a third (similar color) pot for 'regular' flowers.

Back in the dark ages when my oldest dd's were little and we were renters I used 'whiskey barrels' and those worked very well for a wide variety of plants (because they were deep). I would put a tall 'grass' in the center and then colorful flowers that would 'cascade' down the sides (usually petunias). In the front 'yard' we had a huge tree that no grass would grow under (very little sun). I got permission to put a barrel there and I had a beautiful hosta surrounded by LOTS of colorful impatients.

[nestof3]

Thanks so much ladies! :D

[Dayle in Guatemala]

One thing we've done in the past and are planning to do here is to make a bean teepee. Here's the instructions:

bean teepee (http://http://decor.kaboose.com/gardening-projects-for-kids.html)


There's also some great ideas for theme gardens for kids, most of which can be done in containers. I love the idea of a pizza garden! Have fun!:001_smile:

[Dayle in Guatemala]

For some reason, everytime I try to link something the link doesn't work. Here's the website:

http://http://decor.kaboose.com/gardening-projects-for-kids.html

Hope this works!

[Maria from IN]

As a graduation present, my boyfriend built me a 2' by 6' tabletop garden for my patio. I live in a condo and we can plant our own stuff if we maintain it, but that's for people who want to do their own flowers and landscaping. My table is 3' off the ground and took about $20 worth of lumber. I painted it a pretty green that we had laying around and I stenciled some gardening pictures on it. It's enough for just the kid and me, and comes apart easily when we don't need it anymore.

Plus, there's a really cool-looking Bionicle scarecrow keeping the birdies away. :001_smile:

[Happy]

Oops

[Happy]

I love containers. They aren't just for veggies, either.
Right now on my full sun back porch, I've got roses, lavendar, pentas (butterflies love 'em) black-eyed susans, lantana, daylilies, herbs, and salvia. Oh yeah, an oak tree, too. All in containers.

The key to containers is water. Use plastic or fiberglass pots because they hold water better. Every pot should have adequate drainage holes in the bottom. Clay is porous and will allow the potting soil to dry out very quickly. Give them a good drink every day. Bigger pots are great because they hold more soil and don't dry out as quickly as smaller ones.

You could grow morning glories from seeds up a trellis stuck in a pot. I've grown moonvine that way, as well.

While I love veggies, I adore colorful blooms. It makes me happy to have a nice collection of planted pots around the the doorways of my home.

[nestof3]

Here are some pictures of bean tepees and a fabulous blog:

http://goddesshobbies.blogspot.com/2007_08_01_archive.html

and directions:

http://www.escapadedirect.com/beanteepee.html

[Rosie_0801]

I don't use matching containers, deliberately! Pots are so expensive, so hubby introduced me to the radical concept of using storage boxes; those plastic crates usually sold to parents attempting to keep their kids rooms tidy. We drill drainage holes in the bottom and voila! It's actually the only way to keep colour in our garden. The place is burnt a boring yellow for most of the year. We have a few small shrubs and herbs. Don't have so much luck with veggies, though tomatoes seem to grow happily in pots, as do peas and beans.
:)
Rosie