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Help me put a garden on my deck

Casual EddyCasual Eddy The Astral PlaneRegistered User regular
Hello! It’s time to start greening up our lovely deck. We have plans to put a hammock, a table with chairs, and maybe loungey outdoor chair on there. I’d like to have plants as well!

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Some background - we live in NY so the summer will get fairly hot. I’m open to having potted plants that will need to be moved inside in the winter.

About half of the deck is exposed to direct sunlight for at least a few hours a day, we may get more in the summer.

We are both cooks and not at all accustomed to gardening, so herbs and produce are an option, but we’ll need everything to be relatively hardy and simple.

I’m thinking about putting planter boxes along the railing - are there plants that will survive in the ones that don’t get direct sunlight?

I’m also interested in something that will climb to add some privacy to the balcony divider - maybe honeysuckle or something else fragrant that could climb up a trellis next to the divider?

Lights will also be needed since there’s no outdoor lighting. Solar lights affixed to the rails that get light would be neat, are those a thing that are reliable? We do have power outlets but would prefer to minimize the amount of cables running through the area

Ideally we’d like the space to be inviting and pleasant, as we’re hoping to host people outdoors when it’s safe to do so

What do y’all think?

Posts

  • DoodmannDoodmann Registered User regular
    I suggest cloth pots to start before building more permeant/expensive containers.

    Just buy seeds you like and throw them at the dirt and see what happens.

    Prepare to kill 80% of everything you plant, and maybe subscribe to /r/mightyharvest for emotional support.

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  • JebusUDJebusUD Adventure! Candy IslandRegistered User regular
    edited March 2021
    So, I have chives (garlic and onion varieties) in my landscaping and they just grow back every year and I do nothing to help them. I grow so many that I can go with scissors and get a huge handful every time and still have more. Plus you can use the purple flowers just like the leaves and impress your friends.

    They are great on eggs and potatoes and all sorts of things

    They grow back every year on their own. Literally zero effort herbs.

    JebusUD on
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  • KamiroKamiro Registered User regular
    Mint is impossible to kill. Just make sure you plant it in it's own planter box/pot since it will kill overtake everything else.

    I find basil pretty easy to grow, and back when I lived in an apartment I had a few plants in individual pots. Just make sure to pick off the flowers that start growing out near the top of the plant or it'll go to seed and then taste weird.

    Rosemary is also pretty easy to grow and may survive the winter. Same with sage.

    I've grown tomatoes on balconies before, but depending on how much sun you get in the summer, the yield may be pretty low.

    I've had some success with jalapenos and habaneros on balconies.

    As for lights, I have some standalone solar lights in my yard, but they are mainly used for show rather than for light. They aren't bright enough to provide good lighting and the solar battery wouldn't be good enough to last for more than 4 hours. There are most likely better options with better batteries/lights but further research would have to be done. My neighbor has string lights that are interwoven along the railing that do a nice job of lighting up the place so the amount of cables would be minimal as it would just use one outlet.

  • SurfpossumSurfpossum A nonentity trying to preserve the anonymity he so richly deserves.Registered User regular
    I'm bad at gardening but some thoughts:

    - honeysuckle will probably be good, the varieties I have seem pretty tough
    - grapes could maybe work as a climbing thing?
    - climbing hydrangeas grow pretty quickly and should be fairly hardy
    - fiddle leaf figs are pretty good at filling up a lot of space with green, tho they will need to come in for the winter I think
    - mint and basil are supposed to go pretty nuts but I've always managed to kill them somehow.
    - if you find good solar lights let me know

  • KamiroKamiro Registered User regular
    Oh, you could grow hops as a climbing vine. I have no idea if your climate is good for them or not. They smell nice and after a few years you could even harvest them and make beer!

  • JebusUDJebusUD Adventure! Candy IslandRegistered User regular
    I wouldn't say basil is hard, but it isn't a totally set it and forget it plant, and it will want a lot of light to grow well and need to be replanted. It gets woody and unpleasant after a while.

    I write you a story
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  • JebusUDJebusUD Adventure! Candy IslandRegistered User regular
    My grapevine bends down my wrought iron trellis, so I'm pretty sure it will murder that thin fencing.

    I write you a story
    But it loses its thread
  • Casual EddyCasual Eddy The Astral PlaneRegistered User regular
    Canvas planters! New to me but it makes sense

    I should point out I don’t actually have *zero* gardening experience as I’ve grown herbs and kept some succulents indoors. Growing something from seed outdoors is new to me though

    I’m also open to flowers and decorative plants, especially if they’ll be easier than herbs and tomatoes etc

  • JebusUDJebusUD Adventure! Candy IslandRegistered User regular
    small plants are much easier than going from seed, especially for things like tomatoes.

    I write you a story
    But it loses its thread
  • RadiationRadiation Registered User regular
    edited March 2021
    Cucumbers/Squash/Zucchini can all climb (also tomatoes). The first 3 usually do pretty alright, though I think you may have to start the plants indoors something like this week based on the area? Also pepper plants. Also peas?
    Starting from seeds can be daunting, so it might not be a bad idea to hit up a nursery. But also not impossible. Started quite a few plants from seeds this year 2 varieties of 2 different bell pepper plants and 2 eggplant plants so far, and need to start cucumbers/squash and some other plants this week so I can transplant them outside in a couple weeks.

    I'm doing hydroponics from seeds and that's going alright so far (just started them like last week), but I'm doing this indoors using the kratky method (which could also work outside).
    The idea for the method is to not need power (though in my case I do rely on grow lights for extra sunlight hours since my windows face mostly east). You leverage a container with water/growing medium, and as the plant soaks up the water, it creates an air gap. Seems like an easy way to get started in the process.
    Video from the guy who came up with the method:
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=huwgwTHZmPE

    A somewhat alright tutorial method:

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  • Casual EddyCasual Eddy The Astral PlaneRegistered User regular
    I do have a small hydroponic garden for herbs that I could use to sprout seeds

    Looks I can also order a small honeysuckle plant that I could grow indoors initially! I have a SAD lamp that acts as a grow light for my succulents pretty well

  • Casual EddyCasual Eddy The Astral PlaneRegistered User regular
    actually instead of trying to grow a vine up the privacy wall maybe I'll hang some of those canvas wall things over it!

    like this:

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    anyone have experience with these?

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