Container Gardening is Where It’s At: It strikes me that container gardening is particularly well suited to people who need certain accommodations to enjoy gardening. For starters, pots are usually placed on hard surfaces, which are easier to traverse for those in wheelchairs or who are unsteady on their feet. Also, large containers or planters raise the plants up to lap-level if you will be sitting while gardening. Even if you will be standing while gardening, having plants higher up will be easier on your back, hips and knees. Smaller pots can be placed on plant stands to raise them up to an appropriate height. If needed, containers can be spaced at the correct distance apart to allow a gardener using a wheelchair or walker to easily move around his or her pots.

Train Your Plants to Meet Your Needs: If you’d like to grow fruit trees, but reaching up high is difficult or not possible, try espaliering your fruit tree. This means training a tree to grow in the shape of a hedge along a wall or trellis. The branches grow straight out to the sides, along the wall, and fruit is easily accessible. Espaliering actually encourages better fruit production than allowing a tree to grow in a more natural shape, so it’s a win-win.

Choosing the Right Tools: If holding heavy tools is difficult because of arthritis or weakness in your arms or hands, there are plastic tools that are lighter and easier to grip. Cushioning can be added to the handles of such tools if a wider handle would make gripping it easier. A light weight power tool can make trimming easier if repetitive squeezing hurts your hands. If you don’t want to use a power tool, it might be worth investing in some of the more expensive clippers designed to do most of the hard work for you.

Common Sense Safety: For all gardeners, good back posture will help reduce or eliminate back strains. Also, it is a good general practice to not spend a long period of time doing the same repetitive motion. Spend a few minutes trimming, then move to digging a hole, then a bit of weeding, before continuing with the trimming. Always garden when your gardening space is well lit to avoid inadvertently hurting yourself. I once cut a toe because I was gardening at night with sandals on. I didn’t see my clippers on the edge of the air conditioning unit and knocked them off the unit and onto my foot. Needless to say, all gardeners should garden with real shoes on if possible, and put their tools in a safe place when not using them.

Watering: When potting up your plants, mix in special crystals which retain water. Alternatively, put mulch over all exposed dirt. And only water in the evening, when less of the water will evaporate before your plants can use it. All three of those tips will help your pots retain moisture and thus not require a heavy watering can to be lugged around. If you have access to a water faucet in your gardening space, you can purchase a relatively inexpensive drip watering systems that will automatically water your plants. If you must use a watering can, chose a lightweight plastic can, and only fill it with an amount of water that you can easily carry around.

I am sure I have only scratched the surface here. What ideas do you think would help someone with physical limitations enjoy gardening?

Photo by teal chick

Also, I want to send a HUGE thanks to Botanical Interests for donating the seeds and tote, I know the winner is really going to enjoy both. The seeds especially, I think are the best out there.

Okay, drum roll please…

Sarah from White Lily Dreams, commenter #936, is the winner! I’ll be emailing you shortly at the email address you used to comment here on Life on the Balcony. Please respond quickly so I can get your prize into your hands as soon as possible! If you (or anyone else, for that matter!) need help with seed starting, feel free to email me anytime. I want you to have tons of success with your seeds. Enjoy the book, seeds and tote in good health!

To those of you who didn’t win this time, don’t be too bummed! I’m having another contest in December, and one in January and February as well. It might be a good idea to subscribe to my feed so that you don’t miss the announcement.

Photo by teal chick

Recently, Mimi of Israeli Kitchen, asked me this question:

“I’d like to plant some sweet peas in a windowsill - windowsills are all I have. But I’m concerned that they won’t get enough sun. Can you tell me how much sun exposure sweet peas need? I have fantasies of pink and purple flowers climbing up the security bars come springtime…”

Sweet peas generally need full sun to flower profusely, preferably morning sun, because most varieties don’t do too well in hot temperatures. Areas with direct afternoon sun tend to be hotter than those with morning sun. If you don’t think your intended spot gets 6 hours of sunshine, you might try a perennial sweet pea (Lathyrus latifolius) as opposed to an annual sweet pea (Lathyrus odoratus) because the perennial types seem tolerate more shade than the annual kinds. Although, as I mentioned, they won’t flower as much with less than 6 hours of direct sun. Long periods of dappled sunshine or indirect light might be able to make up for the lack of direct sun, depending on how bright the area is.

When growing sweet peas from seed, you need to “scarify” the hard outer coating of the seed. You can do this by rubbing the seed lightly with sand paper or nicking them with a nail clippers. In Mediterranean climates like Southern California or most parts of Israel, you can plant sweet peas as early as right now (late autumn), for mid-winter flowers, or in early spring, for late-spring flowers. Or, if you’re really organized, you can plant some right now and some in spring to extend your bloom time. If you live in a harsher climate, you can start them inside 4-6 weeks before your last frost and then transplant them as soon as your soil thaws or just sow the seed directly outside at that time.

For those small space gardeners who don’t want a vining variety to cover security bars or balcony railings (which the traditional varieties would be happy to do), there are newer types that form nice mounds for hanging baskets or pots, and don’t require a trellis. For example, check out Little Sweetheart or Knee High.

Are you an experienced sweet pea grower? What special tips or tricks do you have to get the most out of your plants? Do you have any recommendations for varieties that will flower without direct sun?

Don’t forget that the comment contest ends tonight at midnight, California time!

As it’s a little more than a month away, I thought I’d collect some of my own posts and as well as others’ that will help you take care of your container garden during the colder months of the year. Also, winter is a good time to read some of the great container gardening books out there.

Photo by mstradling

• Homemade Squirrel Repellent to Save Your Bulbs: Amy shares her homemade recipe for deterring squirrels from eating your bulbs.
  
• Overwintering Hyacinth in Containers: Louise has some ideas on growing hyacinths in containers in Zone 6 (brrrrr!).
  
• What to Plant for Winter Balcony Gardens: Some unusual plant suggestions for winter gardens in temperate climates
  
• Overlooked Shrubs for Winter Color: Gen points out five shrubs that provide great winter interest that you might not have thought of.
• Winter Container Gardening…For the Birds: How to attract birds to your garden during the winter months when they could use the free meal and you could use some excitement on your patio or balcony.
• Winter Container Gardening Tips, Tricks, and a Recipe: Some things to think about for container gardening during the winter, and a little inspiration as well.
• Are Your Terracotta Pots Frost Proof?: Philip explains how to tell if your pots can withstand freezing winter temps, and if things aren’t looking good, how to upgrade your pot to make it frost proof.
• Winterizing Tropical Plants: Sunset Magazine’s Jim McCausland interviews a tropical plant seller to find out his method for overwintering tender tropical plants.
• Ideas for Over Wintering Plants in Pots: Kathy’s suggestions for overwintering hardy plants. She is an expert on cold climate gardening, so if you’re living in a place with harsh winters, Kathy is the gal to help you get your garden through the winter.

Hurry! Today is the last day to win a copy of Bountiful Container and the seeds you need to create a lavender inspired container design described in the book. Click here for more details, but all you need to do to enter the contest is comment on a post! Any post. The more comments, the more entries you have in the contest!

Photo from LA Times

While my apartment in Long Beach is far away from any danger, several of my husband’s and my friends and family members live near (but not in any danger at the moment) to the fires. To give you an idea of the magnitude of these fires, I live 30 miles from one and 50 miles from the other, but we never saw the sun today, the sky was so choked with smoke. I just walked by my car and it is covered in layer of ash.

My heart goes out to the hundreds upon hundreds of people who now find themselves homeless. Those who live in apartments or mobile homes especially have my compassion, as they often don’t own any insurance. Everything they own is gone, and they likely have no financial recourse to replace what was lost.

Most importantly, to the families of those who lost someone in the fires. You are in my prayers. May the memory of your loved one comfort you and be a blessing to you.

Update: When I first wrote this post, the news was reporting that there were potentially dozens killed in a mobile home park, but now, after the police have been able to search through the park, it looks like no one died there, and so far, no where else either. Thank G-d!

Photo by mind’s eye

In the comments section, share a link or two. Don’t be modest. If you wrote something you’d like to share with other gardeners, feel free to link to your own content.

I look forward to reading your links Saturday night.

Photo by Verdance of Sharp’s Pygmy

• ‘Fjellheim’ - In fall, green leaves shift to gold. A dwarf offspring of ‘Sango Kaku’, it has this parent’s coral red bark, which shows best in winter. Can reach 6 feet tall, 4 feet wide.

• ‘Kamagata’ - New growth is tinged with red; green summer color; yellow-orange with red highlights in fall. Hardy to 0°. 3 feet tall and wide in 10 years.

• ‘Mikawa Yatsubusa’ - This maple’s many trunks radiate out like stems on a candelabra. In fall, its foliage ignites in a blaze of orange. Grows slowly to 3 feet high and wide in a container.

• ‘Sharp’s Pygmy’ - Green leaves turn deep orange to scarlet in autumn. 2 to 3 feet tall and wide.

I first discovered Botanical Interests when I was google searching for a company selling tangerine colored signet marigolds. I found Botanical Interests and have been using their seed almost exclusively ever since. I am sure I have at least 20-30 Botanical Interests seed packets in my seed file (which, by the way, I keep in a Botanical Interests shipping box).

So, here are the six reasons I am a very happy Botanical Interests customer.

1. Great Seed Selection

You want to attract butterflies to your garden? Botanical Interests has got you covered with over 70 varieties of flowers that butterflies like. Interested in drought tolerant plants? They’ve got more than 80 of those. They also have more than 240 varieties of vegetables, everything from Organic Moon and Stars Watermelon to Edible Red Leaf Amaranth and nine different types of carrots. They’ve got herbs too. 65 different varieties. Their seeds are a nice mix of garden standards and more unusual types that are fun to try.

Remember those Roma tomatoes I am growing that would have produced 30+ tomatoes had I started them at the right time of year? Guess which seed company? Persian Carpet Zinnias? Plains Coreopsis? Romaine Lettuce (or it might be ‘Salad Bowl’ I got the markers mixed up)? Ruby Chard? Detroit Red Beets? You guessed it. They’re all from Botanical Interests seeds. Not to mention the plants I don’t have pictures of, like the Peony Poppies and cute little Tonda di Parigi carrots.

2. Great Cover Art

Every packet of Botanical Interests seed has a nice illustration on the front of the packet. As a former graphic designer, it’s nice to see a company paying attention to the visual allure of their product. The cover art makes it a pleasure to flip through my seed packets and dream up different combinations for future container designs. 

3. Tons of Useful Information

You can tell that the folks at Botanical Interests are nuts about plants because they can’t cram all of what they have to say about a particular seed variety on the back of the packet. If you open up the packet (after carefully dumping the seed into a cup or baggy) you’ll find recipes, anecdotes, history, and growing tips. It’s kind of like talking to your neighbor who has been growing the most beautiful ________ for 50 years and who loves chatting about how to get the most out of her favorite plant.

4. Good Germination Rate

When I sow seed, I make a hole the depth the packet says to make, place two seeds in the hole, and cover them with dirt. I have no idea if that’s the right way to do things, but that’s what I do. The vast majority of the time both Botanical Interests seeds germinate. And I’ve only had one instance when neither of the seeds germinated. I can’t say the same for other brands of seeds I’ve purchased. I’m still mad about beautiful Zinnia seeds I purchased from a different company that didn’t have a single seed germinate, despite the fact that I followed their directions to a ‘t.’

Basically, when I am sowing Botanical Interests seeds I can count on being happy. Thats important, because I’m an impatient person and growing plants from seed is all about being patient. I don’t want to have to waste time with seeds that won’t even sprout.

5. Great Company

Tired of “big box stores” and giant international conglomerates that could care less about individual customers or ethical business practices? Yeah, me too. So it’s nice to be able to buy a great product from a small, family-run business like Botanical Interests. The owners, Curtis and Judy, were both interviewing for the same horticultural job when they met. To make a long story short, they got married, and started Botanical Interests in a spare bedroom. Today they have moved out of the spare bedroom and have hired 20 or so employees.

It’s also nice to know that they are committed to providing a nice place to work for their employees. This is the sort of company they are the the culture they have developed:

“The 22 on-site employees have adorned stairwells with drawings sketched by their children. The company refrigerator is splattered with goofy photos. There’s a Foosball table in an “end-tag” room where the Jones’ daughter, the ebullient and wise, Sophie, will take a dollar from you for every goal she scores. There are honest and generous smiles here.”

(California Garden Magazine–July/August 2008)

I mean, we’re talking about a business whose company picnic is held in the owners’ backyard. How much more “family” can a family business get than that? 

6. Easy to Use Website

I am crazy about putting information together in useful and meaningful ways (I actually enjoyed outlining in law school) and I love how Botanical Interests has ordered their site.

If your gardening spot is shady, and you want to see which flowers might grow well there, simply click on “shade” under the flower list and there you go. If you think you’d like to try some Asian vegetables but don’t know where to start, there’s a category for that too. Heirloom herbs? Orange flowers? Plants to spill over the edge of your hanging basket? No problem, they’ve got you covered with an easy to access list of suitable seed varieties.

Conclusion

So, what more can I say. I’ve written over 800 words about a seed company, of all things. I think you get the point that I HIGHLY recommend Botanical Interests seeds. Five stars. Two thumbs up. And all that good stuff. If I haven’t convinced you yet, you might just be the most stubborn, curmudgeonly person on the planet.

What are you waiting for? Head right on over to their website, or to the seed section at your favorite nursery and knock yourself out. Growing plants from seed is a great way to try varieties you can’t find locally. And If you’re willing to put in a bit of sweat equity, it’s also a great money saver.

Comment on this post or any other for a chance to win some Botanical Interests seeds, a tote featuring their great artwork, and the book for growing food in containers, Bountiful Container.

While you’re checking out the cukes, there are also ‘Little Prince’ Eggplants.

Related Posts:

1. Dwarf Blueberries Good for Container Gardening
2. Tiny Tomato Plants Are Perfect for Small Space Gardeners

Here is my question:

Why is it better to transplant a plant into a series of progressively larger pots? I’ve seen that recommended in books, but they never say why it’s better than a small plant potted in a big pot (other than the obvious point that a tiny plant in a huge pot would look ridiculous).

And here is Gen’s answer.