You can have your veggies and pick some posies, too, this summer even if your garden space is a small balcony, deck or patio. Given six or so direct hours of sun, the possibilities of what you can harvest are great.
“It all depends on what you want to grow,” Alana Mezo, senior horticulturist at the Chicago Botanic Garden in Glencoe, says. “What do you like that you can’t find in a store or that’s outrageously expensive?”
The best part: You can pick fresh homegrown herbs and vegetables that rival those found at local farmers markets by growing them in a few pots, window boxes or hanging baskets.
At the Chicago Botanic Garden, Mezo is busy planting `Sun Sugar’ and `Tumbler’ tomatoes in moss-lined hanging baskets where their fruit-laden vines will trail over the edges. She’ll include a few herbs, such as `Spicy Bush’ and `Spicy Globe’ basil in the baskets because they perform well with the same amount of light and water that the tomatoes need.
Growing edibles in hanging baskets or window boxes suspended from deck rails frees up limited floor space and brings the tomatoes and basil leaves up close for easy harvest.
The Botanic Garden’s hefty window boxes host an assortment of tasty, colorful edibles, such as Swiss chard, variegated sage, cabbage, red and green kale and `Rutgers,’ a bush-type tomato plant.
Although Mezo sows seeds for many of the edibles she grows, she suggests home gardeners buy transplants — young, small plants — of unusual herbs and vegetables that are available now at many local garden centers. Transplanting provides a head start to harvest, but there’s still time to buy and sow seeds of peppers, eggplants, tomatoes and many herbs.
Containers should have drainage holes in the bottom and be at least 8 inches deep and wide for growing a single herb. Larger pots, 10 to 14 inches deep and wide, will hold two to four herbs and will cut down on the time spent watering several smaller pots. Tomatoes, which have deep roots, need pots that are 16 or more inches tall and wide.
A good soil mix — not garden soil, which is too heavy for containers — will make a difference in the size and quality of your harvest. “You want to use potting mix, not heavy potting soil,” says Nancy Kuhajda, Mater Gardener coordinator for the University of Illinois Extension Will County Unit. “Use a mix that’s high in peat and vermiculite.” This allows the roots to absorb minerals and nutrients and prevents them from becoming waterlogged or suffocating after heavy rains.
Plant breeders are doing their part to help small-space gardeners by creating dozens of attractive, flavorful varieties of vegetables that are particularly suited for container culture. Smaller, more compact plants such as `Sweet Million’ cherry tomatoes, `Purple Haze’ carrots and `Carmen’ peppers all thrive in pots.
One tip when buying seeds or transplants — look closely at the name or description, Mezo says. Edibles labeled “bush” or “patio” tend to produce stems that are extremely compact making them suitable for container gardening or small spaces.
Just about any herb can go in a pot and do well, says Master Gardener Diana Husband of Orland Park. “Give them what they need — sun, drainage, water and occasional fertilizer since they are in pots — and choose them for color, scent, bloom and foliage.” Some of Husband’s favorites for pot culture include anise hyssop, basil, marjoram, rosemary, summer and winter savory, lemon balm, nasturtium, mint and parsley. Containers also help corral herbs, such as mint, which would spread wildly if planted in the ground.
Many edibles, such as `Purple Ruffles’ basil and `Redbor’ kale have attractive, colorful foliage that hold their own against flowers. Mezo plants containers with a “wow” effect in mind, using a 3-foot-wide pot with a tomato plant at the back. A few plants each of sage, basil, ornamental peppers and `Little Fingers’ eggplant with its 6-inch-long purple fruits, are planted in front. Nasturtiums, which have edible, peppery-tasting leaves and flowers, trail over the container’s edge.
For color until frost, Mezo uses the ornamental pepper `Medusa,’ which wears a hairdo of twisted long red and yellow peppers, and the 6-inch-tall `Nosegay,’ with its round red and yellow fruits. “They’re called ornamentals because they’re showy,” Mezo says. “The flavor may be bland or very hot. They’re not necessarily edible, but they’re not going to kill you.”
Around the main pot, Mezo suggests placing an “herbal infusion” container, filled with lemongrass, ornamental onions and oregano. “The lemongrass is fabulous if you’re into Asian cooking, and the leaves are nice in tea. Or you can combine the lemongrass and mint.” She fills a “culinary” container with rosemary, oregano and thyme. Grouping containers also cuts down on dragging the hose around.
Container growing has other benefits besides easy picking. Master Gardener Pam Porembski of Prospect Heights plants herbs in pots to thwart critters. “I love fresh basil, so I have some in two containers on my patio. We have an exceptionally awful rabbit problem this year, and they can’t reach it in the planters.”
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Tips from a pro
Alana Mezo, senior horticulturist at the Chicago Botanic Garden in Glencoe, recommends using a soilless peat-based potting mix and watering every one to two weeks with a balanced liquid fertilizer. Look for the formula 10-10-10 or 20-20-20 on the label.
Mind the materials: If you’re planting in a metal container, line it with bubble wrap or some other insulation to keep the roots from contacting the hot surface. Use containers that have drainage holes in the bottom.
Heat warning: Keep an eye on plants especially during hot, dry weather. Wilting or yellow leaves may indicate plant stress from insufficient soil moisture. Tomatoes and squash plants will yield more fruit if they are watered and fertilized regularly.
Support group: Some of the smaller, compact tomato plants can reach 3 feet tall. Use a trellis or bamboo stakes tied in a tripod to support tomato-laden branches.
Mail order sources
John Scheepers Kitchen Garden Seeds, www.kitchengardenseeds.com, 860-567-6086
Territorial Seed Co., www.territorialseed.com, 800-626-0866
Thompson & Morgan Seedsmen Inc., www.thompson-morgan.com, 800-274-7333
Tomato Growers Supply Co., www.tomatogrowers.com, 888-478-7333
W. Atlee Burpee, www.burpee.com; `Patio Princess’ tomato is sold out; `Tumbler’ may be ordered at 800-888-1447.
