Patricia here. This summer for the first time in a very long time I made an effort to grow some veggies and herbs. My largest problem is that I have a well-established yard with no place to put a garden. As I thought about it, I began to consider that perhaps that was a blessing. What I did have was a lot (for me) of empty ceramic pots. Well, empty of plants. They did have compacted soil and were so heavy.
So I had to make a game plan to get organized, beginning with those pots. They all had to be moved, cleaned, and filled again with potting soil. One of my first changes was to fill the bottom of those pots with small rocks so that if anything I planted actually lived, the roots would not become compacted.
My next decision was where I was going to place those pots. I have a fairly large patio surrounded by beds on two sides. They were full of weeds but I had plans for those beds as well. So those humongous pots would have to find a spot or several on that patio. It is sunny most of the day and would meet my needs. I placed most of those pots where I thought I wanted them.
Next, I began thinking more fully about what exactly I wanted to plant. Tomatoes, peppers, cilantro, basil, mint, oregano, etc. You know, the basics.
My first problem was that I failed to make a list of those basics. It was fairly late in the planting season for herbs by that time, so I had to visit several nurseries before I found everything I thought I needed. Turns out I arrived home with 6 kinds of peppers, 4 kinds of basil, 2 kinds of mint and on and on. Shopping 101–I should have had a list! But that turned as out to be mostly Ok since I was approaching this with a bit of a spirit of adventure. It meant that my herb pots mostly have several varieties of the herb. Did you know that there is a Globe Basil? It is round in form and has the smallest leaves—it is so cute! Plus, those small leaves mean no chopping or chiffonade is needed in the kitchen.
I discovered that it is really hard to grow parsley and cilantro, even when following expert advice. The cilantro and parsley wound up being “special”. Neither could share a pot with other herbs. Plus I had to move them around a couple of times until I found the space where they had the sun/shade balance they needed.
I also found out that growing tomatoes in anything that does not have a large opening is going to be an exercise in frustration. I have two pots that are really large, but the openings are elliptical and turned out to be a bit frustrating once I put in the cages for them to climb on.
My conclusions are that when you plan a gardening project, first start with a list of what you want to grow. Next check out your space. Do you have an area that you can use for the purpose you want? If not, can you use pots and what size pot will you need? Will you have to move those pots? I had to move my pots of cilantro, parsley, and the tomatoes several times —after they were filled!—before I found the place they would thrive the best. Whew!
Anyway, walk around your garden”plot”, how much sun does it get? Will you need some shade for a few of your plants? How much work and time do you want to invest? If you don’t have a lot of time, perhaps stick to a couple of pots. How easy will it be to water? Determine if you will be lugging a hose around or even a watering can.
I find gardening relaxing and get excited over the progress that those little green things make each day. And after all that you would expect that my herbs and veggies were thriving. Umm no. First I was sidelined with a broken hand that has kept my activities limited. And then we had a large, powerful hail storm a few weeks ago. Not unusual for Colorado to get hail, but that was the largest hail storm I’ve ever seen. My garden adventure for this year ended before the season ended. Those things will happen. But I’m already thinking of what I want to plant next year.
Well Hi there! Sara here. On my end, some things I have learned in my garden this year are:
Grow zucchini with a large tomato cage, to train it to grow up, rather than out. This way, you can maximize the space in your garden. Also, because these get large, I planted them on the east side of my garden to make sure they got a lot of sun, and didn’t block the sun from other plants that need more sunlight. Next year, I might try planting 1 of these on the west side of my garden, so that as they grow large, they can provide shade from the strongest afternoon rays. I thought perhaps some arugula or romaine lettuce might appreciate this once it gets to the warmer temps we typically have here in Colorado in June.
Cilantro is the most difficult plant I’ve tried to grow. For the past 8 years, I’ve tried to grow it– in shallow, deep, large, and small pots. With the bottom-most layer being large rocks so that it can get the drainage it needs for those times I get a little carried away with the water. I read that it does well with Parsley, so even attempted planting it with Parsley this year. Nope! the Parsley seemed to do better with more water than the Cilantro liked, and now the Parsley is thriving and the Cilantro is a little collection of short, brown twigs of death. Does anyone have any words of wisdom for me? I am open to suggestions!
My tomatoes did great in their deep, round pots– except for the pots were old, and made of plastic which eventually cracked vertically all around the pots… so when I water these now a stream of water leaks out, and they require water more often. Thus, another lesson I’ve learned is to pay the money for the clay pots– they are a much better investment! I found a couple large ones for next year that I am already looking forward to planting in!
Don’t scrimp with the mulch on top of the soil. What I’ve had my best luck with is having 1-2 inches of large rocks in the bottoms of the pots, then put in the soil and the plant, which should leave about 5-6″ of room from the top of the pot. Then atop the soil place 3-4″ of mulch. This helps to reduce the amount of water needed, and helps to prevent weeds– a gardener’s dream!
And lastly, like Mom said earlier, make a list! I tried finding some wildflower seeds that I wanted to sprinkle in a couple of pots and put on our front porch and around in the back garden as well. It was late June when I started looking, and the seeds were nowhere to be found. I have a list started for next year, and these are on it, to help our pollinators out.
Overall it was a great year– my zucchini plants more than kept my husband and our 2 dogs in zucchini all season. I tried eggplant for the first time, and am just now seeing the first eggplants. I also have tomatoes, basil (I didn’t find nearly the variety my Mom did!), mint, parsley, a raspberry bush, anaheim peppers, and loads of jalapenos. Only the Cilantro didn’t survive the season.
Next year, I’d like to try potatoes, chives, garlic, cucumbers, and would love to grow some beautiful heirloom tomatoes! I can’t wait until next spring to have another go at growing a vegetable garden!
