Hiding the Garden from the Deer

I have  loved gardening for many years. This year had the “opportunity” to try to outsmart the deer and grow some herbs on the patio. May create beds outside but need to investigate fencing / barrier options.

We had several 10″-12″ and bigger pots and put a good soil mix and planted seedlings (from Farmers Market, https://www.facebook.com/CharlottesvilleCityMarket/ )

I bought the herbs over a 3-4 week period and they were planted in pots to accommodate their rots and growth needs. Mint all by itself, basil with oregano and another pot of basil with chives. Marjoram is growing nicely in another pot and parsley is in several as well,is in th front yard , sharing space with roses. The roses smell great as a result of their new neighbors.

I knew what we wanted to grow but I did a little research for best herbs for container growing and this was the first .

http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2014/aug/15/ten-best-herbs-grow-containers.

It has an interesting list and some fun suggestions. The patio is growing green and seems to be doing well. Of course the pics I took are crappy so,I will try again and attach them later.

If all goes well we should have enough basil for some pesto and and for some pesto to freeze. The parsley has already been used and will be harvested all through the season. The others are getting close to usable size.

I have done some container gardening in the past, next I will try with some fruiting vegetables like cucumbers, squash, tomatoes and peppers.

Here are a few things I am reading about veggies in containers:

http://www.gardeners.com/how-to/urban-gardening-with-vegetables/5491.html?SC=XNET9454

http://www.container-gardening-for-food.com/Growing-vegetables-in-containers.html

http://www.sparkpeople.com/resource/nutrition_articles.asp?id=1741

This is a lot of fun and delicious as well.

Next experiment will be with sprouting indoors…start and eat in 5-14 days in many cases.

@martyroddy