This year, for the first year in the last 5, I have a patio with plenty of sunshine. For me, that means container gardening. Somewhere along the way in these last 5 years, I’ve forgotten a few key elements in the war for survival on the ‘farm,’ however. Here are the high points:
- Drainage is key. Having grown up in a desert state and lived there most recently prior to this latest move, my mindset when purchasing containers was still in the ‘moisture is precious and must be preserved’ mode. After the crazy rains of Spring 2013 in the northeast, however, I’m re-learning the value of drainage holes in container gardening to prevent root rot. Plants lost: 1 tomato plant. (NOTE: this valiant plant gave its life to one perfect tomato before completely giving up)
- Mulch matters. This may not apply to absolutely everyone, but for me, with a dog who loves to eat dirt especially when served up nicely in a pretty container, it’s essential. Putting down limestone rocks provided the required soil coverage (but still drainage) and keeps everything looking ‘pretty.’ Plants lost: 2 marigolds for pest control.
- Spend time with the garden. during the super-humid heat of summer, it is easy to keep the blinds drawn and the insides cool, but by making sure that everyone is playing friendly with each other each day (read: keeping the cucumber from overwhelming the parsley) the garden is thriving. It’s amazing how much change can happen in just a few days of unsupervised growth with plenty of sunshine and water at nature’s disposal. Plants lost: none (yet)
Today we are dining on BLT sandwiches, with the L and the T direct from the patio garden. It’s a great lunch for a Saturday and especially sweet with our household allergies to pesticides.
And this year I chose peppermint as the accent plant – which is great for fragrant cuttings all summer, but I think I’d do spearmint next time. Peppermint is a ground cover vine and is a little short for the fresh mint bouquets I like.
Here’s hoping your summer is proving as fruitful.
Overly Honest 