Gardening With a Tiny Yard
We just enjoyed two mostly sunny days in the mid 60 to 70 range. For our area that is May weather, not mid-March. Something to smile about and make me yearn for a garden to putter in.
There are two big problems with this:
- I am not very good with plants. I have notoriously killed cacti, air plants and pretty much every other plant that’s had the misfortune to cross my path.
- Lack of space. Our backyard is just big enough to qualify as a single-family residence (5 feet between the back of the house and fence) and doesn’t get enough sunlight for grass so it is all gravel.
Challenges aside, my kids love digging in the dirt and for whatever reason, I just really want to plant a garden this year. So not to be discouraged, I am looking into container gardens.
There is a section on one side our back deck that is just begging for a container. There’s an empty area behind our deck furniture and it’s along the side of the house that gets a decent amount of sun. It’s not a big area, but it should be big enough for some containers.
The other spot I’m considering is along the same side of the house. There are vents along the base of the house, but there should be just enough room between the two vents for a small raised garden patch.
CHOOSING CONTAINERS
It wasn’t until I started doing a little research that I learned the container material actually matters. Apparently, plastic and wood containers allow the soil to dry more evenly than clay, which can definitely make a difference when you are worried about over or underwatering new seedlings.
I have a large plastic container from a geranium I led to an early demise last fall (seriously, I think it lasted about as long as a bouquet of fresh cut flowers) that I should be able to plant something in. This one I plan to use on the deck.
At one point I had a bookcase I was thinking of using as a raised bed of sorts, but we found the missing shelves so it’s actually back to being used for its original purpose. I still like the idea though, so I may check out a couple of thrift stores and see if they have any banged up old bookshelves that I can get on the cheap.
PICKING THE PLANTS
My biggest struggle is choosing the plants. Mostly because I’m still trying to determine just how much sun that area of the yard gets so I know what I can plant, but partly because I’m worried that whatever I plant will just meet the same fate as the geraniums.
Fear aside, I’m pretty sure I’ll plant some variety of lettuce since they do okay with less sun. I’d also like to plant beans or tomatoes or something that climbs since I think the kids would get a kick out of that. My biggest concern there is the amount of sun those vegetables need so I’m still not sure which options we have.
NEXT STEPS
First thing I need to do is throw away the dead geranium, so I can reuse the pot. Next, a trip to our local nursery. I drive by it all the time and have been dying to check it out, but for some reason have never actually stopped. They should be able to give me some suggestions best suited for our area. My little ones were captivated by the daffodils that were blooming at the park, so there will likely be some flowers, in addition to the vegetables.
I’m also thinking of growing a small mandarin tree in the house. Bug and my husband love them, our dining room gets a lot of light and could use a pop of color. Other than the challenge of keeping it alive, I see no downside.
Container Gardening – Preparing to Dig In
Container Gardening – Progress or Backsteps?
