Photo by Stéphane Gestel on Unsplash
Colorado’s weather is changing, but the promise of a late spring snow still hangs in the air. Warm days, cool nights, and rainy afternoons usher in beautiful blooms and trees budding with greenery. If you’re looking to add a dose of spring time color to your patio, it’s important to plant hardy varietals in the appropriate container to foster the healthiest buds.
Early Spring Flowers
Most garden experts will caution against planting anything before Mother’s Day, as Colorado is known to get late spring freezes that have the potential to wipe out entire gardens. Planting container gardens provides a little more flexibility as you’ll be able to bring the potted plants in and out if temperatures drop.
Plant cold-weather varietals as these are hardier and used to temperature fluctuations. Pansies, Snapdragons, and Alyssums are lovely flowers that provide various pops of colors and texture to flower boxes. Even though these varietals are lauded for their resilience, they’ll need plenty of water and fertilizer after planting to ensure they thrive.
Container Vegetable Gardening
Make the most out of your space and enjoy fresh produce and herbs by filling containers with fruit and vegetable seedlings. These can be started inside and transplanted after the last freeze, or June 1 to be safe. Plant what you enjoy eating and think you’ll use often throughout the spring and summer months.
Tomatoes, various lettuce, and peppers are all very well suited for container gardens. Tomatoes thrive in large, well aerated pots with plenty of sun. Lettuce is hardy and can withstand lower temperatures, so feel free to plant now and enjoy fresh salads all summer long. Peppers like jalapenos, serrano, and chili peppers love their own pots and enjoy Colorado’s arid climate.
Squash and peas work well in large, plastic pots with plenty of room to spread out. One zucchini plant produces enough for an entire family to enjoy all types of zucchini-based recipes. Peas are an underutilized vegetable for balcony or patio gardens as these guys love to climb upwards. You don’t need much soil or ground area for snap peas or green beans as they thrive clinging to any trellis-like structure put in front of them.
Propper Potting
Colorado has a drier climate and intense day-time sun, so plants will need to be watered frequently. Be sure to use pots appropriate for the plants you intend to grow. Shallow, wide pots are great for Colorado’s climate as they allow plant roots easy access to water and aerated soil.
Terracotta is an absorbent material and great for succulents or plants that don’t require much moisture. They’ll keep the plant from drowning or developing root rot. Rubber or plastic drums are fantastic for tomato plants as they allow plenty of room for the roots to grow and hold in moisture, allowing the plant to drink all day long. Hanging baskets require frequent watering, as a greater percentage of their surface area is exposed to the dry air, which causes the soil to dry out much quicker than ground-level pots.
Planning Your Gardens
If you’re looking for both beauty and sustenance in your spring garden this year, implementing a certain arrangement method can marry both worlds. The rule for container gardening is as follows — employ a thriller, filler, and spiller in each pot to maximize area and foster a beautiful aesthetic.
The “thriller” plant should be potted directly in the center of the container. This is a plant that will grow tall but not spread out across the entire container. Next, implement a “filler” — kale, herbs, or petunias can work as fillers. The “spiller” section is planted on the outer rim of the container and can be any sort of vining plant that will drape down the pot — pole beans or squash work perfectly here.
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