Total newbie in a concrete jungle

Joined
Apr 6, 2017
Messages
10
Reaction score
2
Hardiness Zone
11b
Country
Brazil
Hi all. I'm a total newbie to all things green, I live in a house with no real garden, just a lovely stone patio and varanda. I'd like to try planting some easy vegetables and herbs (I'm thinking kale, tomatoes, cucumbers, and some herbs, things like that), but I'm not sure where to even start!

Would pots on a table be an okay way to do it? Or should I look at building a raised bed to give more soil space? Do I need to worry about drainage? Will I have water running through the pots and then leaking out all over my patio?

My initial plan is to buy a big table to put on the patio, a whole bunch of pots of varying sizes, and a few bags of soil and fertiliser, plus seeds. Am I missing anything obvious?

Thanks in advance!!! Oh, and if anyone knows of a website that explains all this stuff in a simple way for beginners, please let me know! I've looked things up but often get overwhelmed by terms I don't know.
 
Joined
Mar 22, 2017
Messages
3,711
Reaction score
4,613
Location
Hampshire
Hardiness Zone
9a
Country
United Kingdom
You're welcome.........we love to help each other out :)

I'm certain someone more knowledgeable will be along soon to answer all your questions :)(y)
 
Joined
Nov 24, 2014
Messages
1,466
Reaction score
1,106
Location
Oakville,Ontario
Hardiness Zone
5A
Country
Canada
Welcome to the forum!

I grow lots of vegetables in pots and raised beds. Pots big enough to hold vegetables are pretty heavy once you get the soil in them so I keep them close to the ground. Your kale will tolerate all sorts of weather but prefers a cool spot. Cucumbers like it hot be need to be trellised or have something to climb. Tomatoes need something to hold them upright a they get very heavy with fruit later on. Herbs don't need large pots and are lovely on a table where you can smell them whilst sitting and enjoying a nice day.
 
Joined
Sep 10, 2014
Messages
2,794
Reaction score
3,990
Location
central Texas
Showcase(s):
1
Country
United States
Welcome! Container plants are generally easier to maintain than in-ground. About that big table--containers filled with soil, often damp soil, get awfully heavy. Jardinieres (a fancy name for an attractive pot) that doesn't have a drainage hole would be attractive and non-flooding set on your patio. Plant your tomato, kale, etc. in a plastic pot with drainage holes that fits inside the jardiniere and your problem is solved. When watering your plants, do so until a bit, perhaps 1/4", of water is on the bottom of the jardiniere. That means your plant has been well-watered, but isn't drowning. The water in the bottom of the jardiniere will either be absorbed later by the plant or evaporate.

If you are going container, get bush cucumbers. A cucumber vine can run 10' or more!

For herbs, I highly recommend flat leaf parsley (Italian parsley), large leaf basil (Genovese), and if you like mint, mint. Oregano is very good also, and I dearly love dill, but some folks don't.

Let us know what you decide for your patio garden, and we'll help if we can.
 
Joined
Apr 6, 2017
Messages
10
Reaction score
2
Hardiness Zone
11b
Country
Brazil
Thanks for the advice everyone! The jardiniere idea looks great, not least because my thinking behind using a table is that I have a dog who I think would jump at the chance to eat, chew or pee on my plants if they're at ground level!! So maybe a jardiniere would keep him away a bit?

I'm going to the garden center this weekend so will try to assemble everything I need to set a few things up next week.
 
Joined
Apr 6, 2017
Messages
10
Reaction score
2
Hardiness Zone
11b
Country
Brazil
I'll happily post photos, but it might be a while – this is turning into more of a project than I first thought! I think I'll buy some big plastic buckets, drill holes near the bottom, and see if I can find something cheap to act as a jardiniere to put them in. I also think I'll need to make some sort of simple fencing to section off an area of the patio so the dog can't get to them.

So I'll need to visit the garden center and the hardware store too! I don't even own a drill at this point!

In the meantime, any advice on my seasonal situation? I'd really love to grow plants that I can repeatedly harvest (tomatoes and cucumbers, things like that? Bell peppers maybe) and herbs. Everything I read is about when to grow things is related to temperate climates, but I live in the southern hemisphere where we only have two seasons:

Summer = max 33c (91f), min 18c (65f) and lots of rain
Winter = max 25c (77f), min 10c (50f) and very dry

Our patio is a covered varanda (so rain is actually irrelevant) and gets afternoon sun from about 2/3pm to 6/7pm.
 

MaryMary

Quite Contrary
Joined
May 17, 2016
Messages
2,241
Reaction score
3,251
Location
Southwestern Ohio
Hardiness Zone
6
Country
United States
I think I'll buy some big plastic buckets, drill holes near the bottom, and see if I can find something cheap to act as a jardiniere to put them in

How cheap? If you go to a dollar store, you can probably find some big serving trays to put them on. :)

If you can get an old pallet, you could paint it a color you like and staple (or nail) some plastic across the bottom to keep it from leaking on the porch. Or find a pretty plastic/vinyl tablecloth, and staple it across the top. (y)
 

Ask a Question

Want to reply to this thread or ask your own question?

You'll need to choose a username for the site, which only take a couple of moments. After that, you can post your question and our members will help you out.

Ask a Question

Members online

No members online now.

Forum statistics

Threads
27,983
Messages
265,510
Members
14,712
Latest member
Beverly Zabane

Latest Threads

Top