I’ve been wanting to garden for awhile. While I still don’t have a full garden, I have started a little container garden. SciFi man kindly drilled some holes into the bottom of two aluminum tubs for drainage. We’ve had these tubs since we bought them to hold drinks at our wedding reception, and it’s good to finally give them a purpose again. We put them up on bricks, added a layer of pea gravel for addition drainage and topped them off with some good potting soil.
I planted “patio” tomatoes, which the tag informs me are good for container gardening, sweet basil (and one errant Genovese basil that snuck into my cart), and marigolds. I read somewhere that marigolds keep bugs away from tomatoes. Even if they don’t, they add a pretty splash of color. I chose to plant tomatoes and basil so that once the tomatoes ripen, I just need to add some fresh mozzarella and olive oil for a delicious caprese salad.
The marigolds are producing more flowers, the basil is getting tall, and the tomatoes are starting to show a few green “baby” tomatoes. All this growth makes me happy, since I don’t always have the greenest of thumbs. I think being extra careful about having proper drainage may be what’s making the difference.
Ohh well done you. It looks fantastic and you get to yum them all up when they’ve fruited.
Wow what a lovely patio garden!
mary
What a cute little garden! I’d never heard of patio tomates – I will definitely have to check those out, being backyard deprived.
A great little garden. Good drainage is very important but you will also want to make sure that the soil & roots dont get too hot. Metal heats up really fast and can fry the roots. If it looks like mine are a little stressed I will wrap the pot in an old white rug or move it in some partial shade. Good Luck!
Thanks, Melissa! I hadn’t even thought about my plants over heating… I will definitely keep an eye on that.