My patio garden rocks and yours can too

Few joys in life exceed the thrill of the summer’s first tomato sandwich.

Three weeks ago, I picked this season’s first tomato from my patio garden. A plump, fire-engine red, perfectly spherical Early Girl, it easily yielded to a quick tug. Right there in the garden, I sliced the beauty open, kissed it with sea salt, and plopped it on a Duke’s mayonnaise slathered slice of sourdough. Juice dripping down my chin, I proclaimed my first of many garden victories of the season.

I may be a city boy, but I did marry the farmer’s daughter from Wisconsin and for the past 30 years we’ve had gardens – regardless of our space allotment.

In Charlotte, that’s meant raised beds for vegetables and generous pots for herbs of every variety.

Tomatoes, cucumbers, pole beans, zucchini and yellow squash made this year’s list, as did mint, basil, parsley, thyme, rosemary, oregano and sage. Fresh herbs make an unbelievable difference in soups, stews and salads. We absolutely love having access to herby goodness all summer long.

I don’t have much space, yet I’m still able to reap meaningful harvests from four small raised beds and three good sized pots.

Here are a few tips for success:

Assess your sun access and plant accordingly

Tomatoes need a great deal of sun and a southern exposure is best. In my case, I get almost too much with direct south exposure. I picked hybrids specifically bred for Carolina heat and sun. Unfortunately, the heirlooms I tried last year bombed – lesson learned.

Gardeners do it in the dirt

Don’t skimp on soil. Get high-quality garden soil and avoid the red clay in open lots or along the side of your apartment. Augment your soil with organic matter, like mulch and a good, natural fertilizer like manure.

Up, not out

Train climbing vegetables like cucumbers, squash and pole beans to grow up onto a trellis or stakes in order to maximize your space.

Watch the water

Be sure your pots and beds drain. Too much water can cause root rot, fungus and other gnarly stuff. Keep your plants moist but not so dependent they need water every day. It’s natural for leaves to curl a bit in the late afternoon in our oppressive heat.

You don’t have to spend a ton of money

While I recommend clay pots for aesthetics and draining, plastic pots and even nontraditional funky containers – I’ve even seen lined suitcases – will do the trick. Raised beds can be made from wood, cinder block (like mine which I’ve covered in stone) or even straw bales.

Experiment

It may take you a season or two to figure out what grows best in your space. Play around and try different veggies to see what works best. In Charlotte, raised bed gardening can be a four-season affair, too. Spring is great for lettuces, greens and radishes. Fall temps yield to hearty greens like kale and collards and in winter your mostly dormant beds can incubate garlic and onions. Here is a planting guide for some ideas.

Pot and raised-bed gardening is particularly fun for the kids. It may even convince them to eat their vegetables.

Photos: Michael J. Solender

This story was originally published July 19, 2016 at 11:00 PM with the headline "My patio garden rocks and yours can too."