How to Grow Vegetables on a Wooden Deck
If you live in an apartment, condominium, or even in the country where you could have a garden but the rabbits and deer keep eating your crops, consider growing your vegetables on your deck or patio. In some areas of the country, even roof top gardening has become very popular. Almost all types of vegetables can be successfully grown and harvested by being planted in pots or containers. The basic principles are the same as if grown in the ground and some vegetables can be grown together in the same containers for maximum utilization of the space you have available. Does this Spark an idea?
Instructions
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Make a plan. Depending on the space you have available, decide what vegetables you prefer, and purchase the correlating seeds. Seeds can be purchased in a wide variety of places today, even in your local drugstores. Another idea is to ask friends and relatives if they have purchased any seeds, as rarely does one use all of the seeds available in a packet.
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Select containers for your vegetables. Vegetables can be grown in almost any type of container. For best results, be sure that , that there is adequate drainage via a drain hole(s) in the bottom. The water should be able to flow through and not stay in the bottom, which can cause root rot if allowed to pool on the container's bottom.
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Place your plants or seeds in your chosen containers for your wooden deck. Planting in containers for the deck or patio is the same as planting a conventional garden; follow the directions on the seed packet(s). The seeds can also be started indoors to get a jump on the growing season, old Styrofoam cups, old ice cube trays, or smaller pots can all be used to get the seeds started.
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Use care and maintenance of your vegetables by providing them with water and sunlight. These simple things will help you successfully grow your plants. A regular routine of watering in the early morning or early evening seems to work best. Experiment with multiple plantings in the same container. A tomato plant will work fine with an eggplant, just be sure the planter you select is large enough to handle the root base.
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Enjoy the fruits of your efforts by making sure to pick off all vegetables that are ready. Also, you may want to rotate the pots the vegetables are in from time to time as well.
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Tips & Warnings
Do not use too many different types of vegetables in one pot. The directions on most packages will indicate the suggested pot diameter to provide for individual plants.
