Patio Garden Anyone?

[DisneyFairytale]

Alright my dear professionals, here is my question to you. We've just purchased a beautiful condo in the town we currently live in, and I would love to be able to have some flowers, perhaps a few plants on the patio.
My question to you, is it possible to grow some decent flowers, maybe even some vegetable, plants? I have never in my life ever planted anything other than what we used to plant as kids on our farm growing up. Nothing since. Would love to hear what your opinions are, definitely need some advice!

Thanks a lot!

[DizneyDogs]

Originally Posted by DisneyFairytale

Alright my dear professionals, here is my question to you. We've just purchased a beautiful condo in the town we currently live in, and I would love to be able to have some flowers, perhaps a few plants on the patio.
My question to you, is it possible to grow some decent flowers, maybe even some vegetable, plants? I have never in my life ever planted anything other than what we used to plant as kids on our farm growing up. Nothing since. Would love to hear what your opinions are, definitely need some advice!

Thanks a lot!

Yes! It's most definitely possible. Just get yourself some containers and plant away. I even mix vegetable plants in mine and everything grows well. Just make sure if a plant needs shade or sun that it's in the proper place on your patio.

[castmemberb4]

These are the things I have in pots and succesfully over winter,
Japanese Maple, Star Jasmine, Asiatic lillies, hibiscus & creeping Jenny.
This year I'm adding more lillies as well as Gerber dasies, and Irises.
I have a co-worker who has both the daisies and irises and she
says they come back every year. I also have an herb pot and the chives
come back every year as well as the lemon balm, I even left them out side this year and we had snow after they had emerged and they were fine. I
usually add other herbs in the Spring, Pineapple sage, basil and thyme.

After years of spending a fortune every Spring I'm very much into finding plants that will come back in a pot from year to year.

ETA - I'm in the South, If you get a lot of snow I'm sure it will make a difference in the plants you can over winter.

[DebºoºS]

Originally Posted by DisneyFairytale

My question to you, is it possible to grow some decent flowers, maybe even some vegetable, plants? I have never in my life ever planted anything other than what we used to plant as kids on our farm growing up. Nothing since. Would love to hear what your opinions are, definitely need some advice!

Thanks a lot!

Absolutely! Whatever you would've put in the ground can go in a pot. I have quite a few deck planters and patio pots. Some are perennial some are annual. Flowers, herbs, I've had pumpkins grow well on my patio. Fun but they really take overI wouldn't recommend it if you want to use it for anything else.

Just a few things to keep in mind before you plant. Figure out how many hours of sunlight you'd be getting. What garden zone you are in. Read the seed packets or plant tags before purchasing. You can always rotate the pots to get the most sunlight. Potting soil with good drainage and lightly colored pots. Access to a hose helps. Hauling watering cans can get tedious especially since pots need more waterings than plants in the ground. Vine plants need some sort of trellis or stakes to grow on.
It's very rewarding I hope you try it.
And be sure to take pics..WE LOVE seeing garden pics

[Babbletrish]

Here's a smallish perennial garden I created earlier this summer. If you're more into annuals, there's a nifty magazine called Birds and Blooms which usually has neat ideas in it. Good luck!

[bobbiwoz]

Originally Posted by DebºoºS

Absolutely! Whatever you would've put in the ground can go in a pot. I have quite a few deck planters and patio pots. Some are perennial some are annual. Flowers, herbs, I've had pumpkins grow well on my patio. Fun but they really take overI wouldn't recommend it if you want to use it for anything else.

I agree about the pumpkin! I put some extra seeds in my garden and well, mostly what you see in my garden are pumpkin leaves!

[stargazer2892]

When I lived in an apartment as far as veggies I grew some really nice tomatoes (cant remember the name but they are hybrids that grow well in containers and aren't as massive, though mine did grow to about 5 feet tall), chilis (Thai and Anaheim), lettuce, rosemary, oregano, thyme, bee balm, chives, basil (purple, sweet, and thai) mint, and catnip. Then for flowers I had, red Geraniums blue Lobelia, and a massive amount of mixed Portulaca that had reseeded its self. I honestly find gardening in pots MUCH easier then in the ground, especially in the south with all the crappy soil. The worst thing about it is the watering since I had so many plants it took DH and I 15 min every couple of days to water everything since it all has to be from a watering can. Then when the storms would pop up in the summer they all had to be moved down from the ledge, I had a few pots end up on the ground due to us not being home and the wind getting them.
I would start with something that is easy and forgiving, the first year while you figure out what grows well in that spot. If you live in a hot climate and get a lot of sun I would do a pot of Portulaca since it can pretty much be forgotten about. My mom actually will start Zinnias and Dahilas from seed in the winter and will buy pretty pots and give them as gifts through out the year.
Good luck!