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Turn your patio or balcony into a vegetable garden.

by on Jun 20, 2008

White chairs are set up near plants in a narrow deck outside of a building.

Rental Decorating suggests that having a container garden is actually easier to control than a traditional in-the-ground garden. Plants can be moved if they’re not getting the right sun. Drainage can be altered by putting more hole in containers, watering is more efficient and some common garden pests, like slugs, aren’t even an issue in such gardens. This is all good news for people who don’t have a yard! So, if you live in an apartment or condo with a patio or balcony and a desire for fresh veggies, you might want to peruse these tips for turning the space into ‘A Voluminous Vegetable Garden’.

1. Start with 4″ plants. Popular choices will be tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, lettuce, beans, spinach and, of course, herbs.
2. Make sure your containers will provide enough space for plants as they mature.
3. Cover the drainage holes at the bottoms of planters with stones.
4. Fill planters partly with compost.
5. When watering, let plants drain well.
6. After you first plant your seedlings, water them well and position them in the best spot for the particular plant, based on exposure needs.
7. Keep in mind that tomato plants will need cages and things such as cucumbers and beans will need something on which to climb.
8. Plants in containers dry out quickly. You need to water them at least once a day in the summertime. Frequent watering also means the soil’s nutrients will leach out more quickly, so you’ll probably need to fertilize them as well.

For more info, visit Rental Decorating. ‘My Balcony Garden’ by Dawn Perry via Flickr.

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