This is an example of how much can actually be grown in a very small space. I grow a lot of plants in containers - some because I want to be able to rush them into the garage in case of frost, some so that I can grow them in an area more convenient for harvesting than the vegetable garden and some for aesthetic reasons. Tomatoes, tomatillos and peppers are the main ones that fall in the first category. Some herbs and occasionally lettuce are in the second and flowers make up most of the third. When the subject of what you could do if you only had a balcony or other extremely limited area available for growing a garden I decided to take some of my container-grown plants and see what could be done.

I have a round picnic table that is roughly 4 feet in diameter. On this I placed my plants. In the back on the left is a Sweet100 tomato in a 5-gallon pot and to the right of it is a tomatillo in a pot of the same size. Both were very prolific as far as bearing fruit was concerned. Also on the table is a 2-gallon pot containing a hot pepper plant, another 2-gallon pot full of lemon verbena and trailing rosemary, a pot of mint and 2 smaller pots of basil. For flowers there are containers of begonias, French marigolds, osteospermum (African daisy), nasturtium, Purple Wave petunia, mimulus and a few other things.

Return to Northern Garden

Designed and copyright ©1999-2000
by Hallie du Preez,
all rights reserved.