Suggestions for starting a patio garden:

Select the right container.

• Go for a combination of style and function.
• Moisture is all important — beware adding too much or providing too little.
• Try self-watering containers, and size your pots properly so plant roots have enough room to develop.

Mark the spot.

• Most vegetables require at least six hours of sunlight per day. Salad greens and herbs can usually get by with somewhat less.
• Tomatoes, peppers, beans and other sun-lovers will appreciate as much sun as they get
• Make growing containerized vegetables a movable feast.
• Place your pots on a cart, in a wagon or find growing boxes with wheels. That way you can shift them around the patio or deck to follow the sun.

Organize.
Organize your gardening chores, doing one each day or so to keep a beautiful patio garden looking good all the time.

Know Your Dirt.

• Go with “soilless dirt” or fluffy commercial compost rather than a heavy potting mix that will compact and dry quickly.
• Add sphagnum peat or water-absorbing polymers to the container to reduce the amount of time spent watering.

Know Your Vegetables.

• Vegetables planted densely in pots, hanging baskets or small raised gardens need frequent feeding with a soluble, all-purpose fertilizer.
• Containerized plants are watered frequently, and every time they’re watered, nutrients are washed out of the soil.

Plant Combinations

• Choose plant combinations with similar characteristics.
• Blend beans, carrots and squash,eggplant and beans; tomatoes, basil and onions; lettuce, herbs and spinach, chard and onions.

If all the planting prep seems too much of a bother, you can shop around for a finished product. A great many people are going beyond planting in containers, because today you can buy pre-planted containers and simply set them out on your patio.