Edible flowers and plants in garden design – 9 tips

Growing edible flowers and plants

Edible flowers and plants grow very well in containers and in many cases even better than under natural conditions.

So if you don’t have a natural garden, then you can create an edible garden in flower pots. It will be just a few steps away from your home.

But where should you start? Steve Masley is a consultant and edible garden designer based in the San Francisco Coastal Region. Today he shares 10 tips with us on how to successfully do this kind of garden design.

Take care of the plants carefully

1. Water properly

He says that the poor watering of the base area number 1 accounts for the poor development of the plants. The soil in the containers dries very quickly, so this factor should really be used. In particularly sunny and wintry places, you should water perhaps up to two times a week. Too much water is also not a good idea, as it can cause fungus to grow and the roots to rot.

You can water by hand, but installing footprints is a simple and consistent way of doing this. Masley recommends making a loop of the teardrop lines around the plant rather than settling for simple drip glands. This way the water spreads better and you avoid the plants falling out or drying out. He also covers the containers with compost to keep the moisture in the soil.

Fertilize the soil

1. Fertilize the soil

Ask the people who have many edible plants in their home for their secrets and they will all tell you the same thing: well-fertilized soil. Container gardens need soil that is easy to fertilize, absorbent and rich in nutrients.

The nurseries sell organic container mixes, but you can do this yourself too. Masley warns directly against using soil from the yard because it very often contains clay and mud. Container gardens need a lot more soil, which is easy to fertilize, absorbs moisture well and is plentiful.

Here is a recipe:

1. Part of coarse sand
2. Two pieces of good garden compost that has been filtered
3. Part of coconut bast
4. Part of pearl stone or lava stone

Mix all of these together and organic additives can be added to them. You can do that from the beginning. The nutrients slowly spread through the growing season. So all you have to do is water them.

Add nutrients to the soil

You can also add special nutrients to the soil, such as substances that replace the role of worms. You can also use real, living ones. The worms are important because they add to the nutrient cycle and in a way that is good for the earth.

The earth is enriched with beneficial bacteria and fungi. These compete with the pathogens that may attack your plant.

Use coconut butter

Masley uses coconut in the mix of his soil, increasing the ability to hold water. Peat moss rejects the water when it has dried up. In contrast, the coconut bast always absorbs the water and is much more sustainable.

Dose the water correctly

1. Avoid the overcrowding

This is one of the biggest mistakes people make when designing plant container gardens. You think that if one tomato plant is good, two and three are good too. But that’s not entirely true.

Masley sees that most plant containers use 5 gallons of water. That also applies to the pepper plant here. Increasing the number may seem like a great solution at first, but actually you are preventing it from being productive. The several pepper plants are then in ceaseless competition next to each other and on their own they then become less productive.

According to Mesley, doing this kind of approach will also give you more problems with diseases. This also comes from the stress that arises from competition.

Secure enough light

1. Edible flowers and plants need enough light

As with all other gardens, six to eight hours of light is perfectly adequate for the container garden. Gardens facing south or west are wonderful places, but edible plants can also be placed in places facing north or east.

In areas where there is less sunlight, Masley recommends choosing varieties of plants that will ripen earlier for harvest. Such are the cherry tomatoes, for example. You should keep the spaces between the various plants large enough to attract as much light as possible. Lettuce grows very well with just a little sun. You should just experiment with different lighting conditions and see what comes out of it.

Edible flowers and plants should be grown in a large pot

1. The bigger the pot, the better

Yes, the edible plants can also grow in smaller plant containers, but this puts you in a difficult position. The larger the pot, the deeper the roots can become and the plants more robust. The roots will get stronger and will be able to better hold the water and help you with problem number 1.

If you do this, the soil will hold more water and dry out much more slowly. So resist the temptation to plant in the small pots and consider the large pots first.

Bring different containers into use

1. Not all containers are created equal

The size of the containers is also important as their shape and material are important for edible flowers and plants. Masley prefers those with a round and cylindrical shape. He prefers to do without the classic conical shape. With pots of this type, a larger part of the earth is exposed to the sun and thus it dries off faster. If you minimize the exposed soil, then it will also dry out and the roots will be better watered.

Depending on the type of garden location, the shape and the material, the container also plays a very important role in the growth of the plants. Metal pots will also help warm the earth in cooler and darker areas. Terracotta is always very good, plastic pots are particularly suitable for people who often have to move the flower pots.

Save space on the terrace

1. Save space with a window box

Masley offers window boxes. They are especially suitable for growing salads. Even if they are more hollow than other plant containers, they are also longer. So the roots can develop close to the approach.

The wood keeps the roots cool and mounting the flower pots on the wall minimizes the space they take up. This is a great solution for patios and porches and makes harvesting really pleasant and easy.

spices

1. Start with the spices

The herbs are resilient. They are the easiest to grow edibles and the most suitable to have in a kitchen. How often do you actually need more than a stick or two of rosemary, for example?

Thyme and oregano are even better in this regard, and basil is a must have in any summer plant container garden.

 Cherry tomatoes

1. Try the cherry tomatoes

They are great for the plant containers. But in the heat of summer it will be easy to forget to water them. Then they are prone to flower end rot. Other diseases are caused by lack of water and calcium. Masley recommends choosing cherry tomatoes instead. They can be planted in 7 gallon plant containers.

Think about which edible flowers and plants are suitable for your terrace, for example. Let our tips inspire you.