Patio Gardening

Upon retiring, nearly 3 years ago, my mom became interested in gardening. She has helped some friends who purchased a 20 acre farm, is working at a local gardening co-op and is also working diligently on a



church charity garden. I have said for several years that I would love to have a garden, however since we live in an apartment I didn't really think it was possible. Not enough space or light were the general reasons. Well, mom proved me wrong. Last year during her visit she and the boys planted vegetables in pots and my little men grew tomatoes (red and yellow), red and yellow bell peppers, and organic salad greens. This was so much easier than I ever imagined. So during this years trip she bought an upside down patio garden for the boys to grow their vegetables as well as planting more items in the pots. I am so excited to see the bounty.



So, what have we planted this year? In the upside down planter we have beefsteak tomatoes, homestead tomatoes, yellow bell peppers, green bell peppers and yellow straight neck squash. On top are the herbs, basil and rosemary. I plan to add at least 2 more herbs. This planter is great because it allows you to plant a variety of vegetables in a small space and it looks really pretty. Mom purchased it from Sam's Club.


In the first pot is lemon balm, which I chose because it smells absolutely wonderful. I didn't know at the time that it shouldn't be planted with anything else because it spreads alot. I'm looking forward to using it for tea. The next 2 pots contain green bean plants. Each pot has 3 plants, so I'm hoping we have a great yield. The last two are organic salad greens. These seeds were donated by a friend of my mom's who runs a gardening co-op back home. I will keep you posted on how our patio garden is going. If you have some tips for me please let me know. I'm just developing my green thumb and learning in the process.