Several years before we had a house with a little land we had to garden on our back porch. Friends and people I worked with thought we were crazy but it really makes a lot of sense. For small spaces gardening in pots is an excellent way to garden. Many vegetables come in varieties that are perfect for pots due to their small size or their growing habit. Here in this post you can see some of our back porch garden veggie pictures.
In the above picture you can see one of our first pot gardens.
Those same plants in the first picture eventually became the one’s in this picture!
Cucumbers! In the left side of this picture you can see our compost bucket.
A little cucumber on it’s way.
Tomato blossoms.
See how these cuttings did in the video below!
Radishes are good choices for pots.
Strawberries and tomatoes both grew well in pots. Our other veggies included summer squash, peppers, beans, and green onions.
Strawberries and tomatoes both grew well in pots. Our other veggies included summer squash, peppers, beans, and green onions.
In later years we needed more space. The shelving helped to make use of the vertical space. You can see my bean plants sprawling in the front.
If you garden in a pot the most important thing to remember is to water regularly. Plants dry out quick since they are exposed to more air than they would be if they were in the ground. Go for plastic pots over terracotta since terracotta pots dry out much faster. You may want to consider a drip irrigation system to help with the watering. Pot gardens just prove that you can garden almost anywhere. I hope you weren’t thinking of some other kind of pot garden! We’re talkin’ veggies here!
Tips on Growing in Pots
- Start with a rich potting soil.
- Soil will need amended over time with good organic compost and amendments
- Don’t use synthetic fertilizers as many of these add salts that can harm plants over time.
- Maximize the light exposure as much as possible. Growing a lot of plants in small spaces can shade some of the plants. Arrange your plants logically.
- Monitor your plants daily for pests and diseases.
- Use plastic pots as they will retain moisture better than terracotta.
- Consider using self watering pots.
- Choose plants wisely for your space. Pick your plants based on what you will actually use.
- Prune as needed to maintain shape and maximize light exposure.
Your pot garden is great. I have a couple of areas where I have a pot garden too.
Are you still going to grow veggies in pots now that you have a big yard?
Looks like you were very successful.
What a harvest from such a small veggie garden. You make a good case for pot gardening, which is the only way I could have a vegetable garden right now.
By the way, thanks for Faving my blog over at Blotanical. I do appreciate it!
When living in an apartment in Germany, we had tomatoes running out our ears in the pots on the balcony! We were giving them away by the bag full’s! I froze some also. Made chili and pasta sauce from them in the winter! We ended up forming a partnership with a German family in a German Gartenplatz. We had the best time playing in the German soil discovering what would and would not grow in Europe. We also had fun teaching our German friends about some veggies they had never seen before. Like crookneck squash, zucchini and okra.
We dont have a veggie garden now but reckon we will… I just came home from the store with seeds for cucumber, lettuce, radish, onion, beans and gourds! Guess I better get digging soon! Am sure we will be fighting the wild critters from the woods…
With the headline being “pot garden” I was expecting a completely different kind of post, dude.
I think the heading was intentional jim/artofgardening. Maybe Dave will do another post on the ‘weed’ another time.
Crafty,
They work great don’t they!
Tina,
I’m planning on some raised beds in the yard. I may do a pot or two but most of everything will go into the garden area.
Pam,
It’s convenient and easy to do. Especially if you only want a few things here and there. We can’t live without our fresh tomatoes! Ok that’s an exaggeration but we sure like ’em. Your welcome for the faving!
Skeeter,
Sounds like you were pretty successful with your pot garden! You can never have enough good tomatoes. One of our goals is to do what you did and have enough to last us through the winter for sauce. Good luck with your plantings this year!
Jim,
Sorry to disappoint! Only veggies and legal plants for me I’m afraid! Thanks for stopping by!