Gardening in Small Spaces

Gardening in Small Spaces

I left my lush, two acre southern gardens and came north to visit my son and daughter-in-law whose garden is a condo patio. Completely different way to think about gardening.

When looking online for small space gardening tips, we came across an idea that inspired us to try.

Can you tell what it is from the photo? We nailed an over-the-door shoe organizer to the top of their deck fencing and are in the process of filling it with herbs!

What do you think? It holds tons of soil and excess water easily drips out. Our only concern is that the black may absorb too much heat and damage the roots.

Have you ever tried this? What other small area tips do you have?

This entry was posted in Container Gardening, Garden Organization, Getting Started, Herbs, Planting and tagged . Bookmark the permalink.

5 Responses to Gardening in Small Spaces

  1. Karen says:

    This conversation has generated quite a bit of conversation on Facebook. I am copying some of it here so it will be saved with the article.

    Catherine Clark: One tip, I no longer use Miracle-Gro – it is owned by Monsanto. I use organic potting soils now rather than that Monsanto owned stuff.

    Karen Rittenhouse: Hi Catherine. I can’t confirm about the Miracle-Gro on any “official” website, but Roundup is owned by Monsanto.

    Catherine Clark: I got the information from someone on a gardening forum; who did provide a link, which I no longer have. But Miracle Gro is synthetic, so it has no place in organic gardening, at least for me.

    Leslie Scher: Scott’s owns Miracle Gro and they also own Osmocote.

    Karen Rittenhouse: Thanks, Leslie. I found a bunch of conversation trying to link Miracle Gro to Monsanto, but it seemed to be just a bunch of people quoting the same conversation – nothing I could confirm. I agree with Catherine, it’s not a “natural” product and I prefer composting.

  2. Maria says:

    Karen I think that idea of growing plants in a shoe organizer is awesome. Those organizers do come in white and a host of other colors. You could also look into the square foot garden mix which is very light but rich in compost. Most likely you would be able to get the soil recipe on line. Honestly I love that shoe organizer idea!!
    Take care,
    Maria

  3. karen says:

    Thanks for commenting, Maria.

    Pooja had the black organizer already which is why we used black. Not sure it was the best choice…. but we’ll find out!

  4. Pooja says:

    Well, it’s now August and most of the herbs I’m planting in that photo are doing wonderfully in that little black shoe organizer. The organizer itself is showing considerable wear and tear, so we probably will need something stronger for next year.

    Things that are doing well: basil, sage (really well), parsley, chives, rosemary (really well), and lavender.
    Things that are doing not-so-well: dill, oregano, and lemon thyme (so sad!)

    Hooray for creative small space gardening!

  5. Karen says:

    Thanks, Pooja! Good to know what’s working and what’s not.

    Thanks for sharing!

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