While we have lots of property to grow a massive garden if we wanted to, we have two major variables stacked against us. One is soil. Since we are lakefront property our soil is crap for growing. It’s not even soil really it’s just sand & rocks with some grass on top. The other is critters. We live in a rural area with an entire lake ecosystem in our backyard. There’s more rabies than I can count, ducks, swans, cranes, eagles, coyotes, bobcats…. you name it. There’s even a muskrat that lives down the hill. Needless to say I don’t think any of the veggies would be ours to eat! So I’m doing a small container garden on the deck for fun to see if I can actually grow food 😉
Container Veggies
- Tomatoes 🍅
- Peas 🌱
- Squash 🍆
- Zucchini 🥒
- Lettuce/Spinach/Arugula/other leafy greens 🥬
- Peppers 🌶
- Herbs 🌿
- Cucumbers 🥒
Tips & Tricks
- Veggies need full sun most of the day so pick the sunniest spot on your deck/in your yard.
- Use containers that are a minimum of 12 in. deep and 12 in. in diameter. Vegetable plants have an extensive root system in order to collect enough moisture to produce the fruit they bare.
- Water consistently & make sure soil is moist at all times.
- Make sure all your containers have lots of drainage. If there aren’t enough holes in the bottom drill out some more.
- Give ample space between plants to allow them room to grow their root system.
- Plot garden near walls or fences that have full sun to save space and allow for vertical growth
- Feed your plants! Make sure the soil you plant in is specifically for food gardens and mix in fertilizer before planting if needed. Then fertilize every week or two with powder/liquid concentrate fertilizer mixed with water.
- Make sure you group plants varieties together based on what grows well together. Basically you want plants together that have the same water & light needs.
- Save plant tags (or make your own cute ones lol) to place in soil so you can identify what’s what once they start growing and all look similar.
- Always buy a bigger planter than you think you’ll need. Small ones hold a smaller volume of soil, which means they’ll dry out faster. Bigger planters need to be watered far less frequently.
- Prune regularly to control growth.
Mama Bear Inc 