Before Start Your Patio Gardens

This is a very hard question to answer accurately or honestly. In the abstract, gardening sounds fairly easy and I will admit that every year, in the spring, I bite off more than I can comfortably chew, but to get satisfaction and success out of patio gardening it is a good idea to consider how deeply you want to get into it. There is the water, often daily, or even more. You will also have to feed your plants, and if you live in a cold climate, you will have to either clean up your containers at the end of the season, or bring your plants inside.

While there are lots of ways to save money when making your patio gardens, it can be a costly hobby to take up. Figuring out how much you want to spend, before you take a trip to the nursery or store to buy plants and supplies can be a good idea.

I love growing both ornamentals and edibles—even sometimes in the same pot. There are some drop-dead gorgeous edibles that will give any ornamental a run for its money in the looks department. That said, there are some delicious edibles that aren't all that attractive. I have made the decision that I would rather live with less attractive vegetables on my porches and patios because they are so productive and tasty. However, to grow most vegetables, you will need full sun.
List of beautiful herbs, vegetables, and edible flowers

I garden organically, I think it makes sense on all kinds of levels, including personal and global. I don't want to expose myself of my family to pesticides and chemicals and I don't want to support the manufacturing of them. I have also had success with organic gardening and I don't think it is any more expensive--in the long run may even be cheaper. That said, everyone has to make these choices, but it doesn't work to go half way. If you use a product like Miracle-Gro, which does work and can help you grow healthy plants, you can not switch back to organics, because as I understand it, and I am not a scientist or an expert on the chemistry of soil, a conventional, high number fertilizer will kill the microbes and other beneficials in the soil that organic gardening depends on. That said, you can use a non-organic potting soil as long as it doesn't have fertilizer already added to it. Check the bag to find out.

This is the fun part—it's where you get to dream and plan and do some research. Look through magazines and on the Internet and cut out or print pictures of gardens you admire. Look around at local stores and online to find pots you like. Start collecting seed and nursery catalogs to help with choosing plants.
Either that or ignore all of the above and just go find a pot, some good potting soil, and a plant that you love and get started!

I have found that almost everyone (myself included) overestimates the amount of sun an area gets—sometimes dramatically. To have any success at all in patio gardening, you will need to accurately assess how many hours of sun an area gets and then find plants suited to that sun exposure. Even if you don't have any direct sun, you will be able to grow gorgeous plants. To measure your sunlight, either time how much direct, unimpeded sun exposure an area gets over the course of a day, close to the time of year you will be gardening, or use a sunlight calculator.