Start a patio/deck edible garden today!

Potted lettuce on the patio

Saturday, June 18, 2022

June is not too late to start a summer edible garden.  Purchasing plant varieties made to thrive in pots brings an even a quicker harvest.  Dwarf varieties tend to mature quicker than their full size counterparts.

Big box stores, local hardware stores, nurseries and farm stores are having sales on plants right now, including edibles.  Now is great time to get the summer loving veggies and herbs to start your patio or deck edible garden.  Dwarf varieties stay smaller and mature much quicker than the bigger plants so you can plant later and still start harvesting as those that planted earlier.

If this is your first edible gardening foray, make sure to get larger pots with either a big catch pan or one that is self watering so you can keep summer hand watering to once or twice a week.  Be sure to use potting soil and NOT garden soil.  Garden soil can be used in raised beds or garden beds but is too dense for pots.

Veggies that seem to prefer pots even if they aren't advertised as being developed for small spaces are peppers and eggplants.  I always grow both in pots even when I have the space to put in the garden bed.

For larger plants like cucumber, squash, okra and tomatoes, either get a huge pot with a diameter the size of a whiskey barrel or get varieties that were bred to stay smaller.  Read the tag for descriptions like dwarf, compact, small space, great for pots, etc.  For cucumber and squash, typically any "bush" variety will stay compact enough to do well in a larger pot.

For tomatoes and okra, it's best to get those that advertise as developed for pots.  

Potted peppers and eggplant with petunias

You can also grow any herb in a pot.  Herbs thrive on neglect.  If you are not sure edible gardening is your thing, definitely start with herbs to get quick confidence.

For your potted edibles, put them in a sunny spot and water twice a week if there is no rain.  I add a solid fertilizer when planting and start using a liquid fertilizer when I water every other week.  

Once they start producing, keep up with harvesting to encourage the plants to make more fruits.

That's really all there is to it.