Squash on the deckFrom Sue Waltemath:
I have become and Urban Deck Farmer this summer. With an acre of shady woodland garden, the best place to grow veggies is my sunny second-story deck.
Pictured are yellow crook neck squash which have been producing for a few weeks. We are harvesting baby squash and cooking them on the grill with a little olive oil and salt and pepper. Yummy.
In addition to the yellow squash, the compact Zucchini Midnight F1 hybrid is growing in an old wash tub, Cucumber 'Spacemaster', Dwarf Bean 'Sonesta', Beetroot Kestrel F1 hybrid, and my favorite Canteloupe 'Minnesota Midget'are all happy. The Canteloupe is supposed to produce small single-serving fruits. The leaf lettuce is just about done for the season but I will be planting another crop later this summer for fall harvest.
If you choose to become a container farmer, consider watering your new part time job. A little organic fertilizer or compost isn't a bad idea either.
If you are interested in vegetable container gardening, check out your seed catalogue and look for words like "compact" and "patio" in the descriptions. There are more and more petite plants available every year.
Mini Canteloupe 'Minnesota Midget'
f you find yourself with
f you find yourself with insufficient space to grow a vegetable garden you can always use containers to grow a delicious vegetable garden. flower You can use 80 percent potting soil and 20 percent black cow manure in your containers and your plants will love you. To be sure your plants don't get water logged you need plenty of drainage holes in the bottom of your cat problems containers and you want 3-4 inches of gravel in the bottom of your containers to insure proper drainage.