apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

Your Outdoor Project cont.

This is the first time I've tried growing root crops this way and they are sweet and delicious. I love opening the door and picking fresh produce for breakfast, lunch or dinner because wilted veggies from the fridge just don't do it for me. During the day many varieties and beneficial insects visit our patio garden, and at night the honeysuckle vine and roses scent the space so sweetly.

How did you create it?
We bought our townhouse 2 years ago because it had this amazing 10x10' deck. The townhouse and the patio was a terrible mess, but the potential of this space was huge! This has been a very budget-wise makeover ever since. We flipped old deck boards, pulled out hundred of old nails, cleaned and stained the old boards, designed and built trellis/screens that attach to our planters rather then to the building (as per strict strata regulations). We also bought some planters, salvaged some plant pots, and we built the big planter to hold our veggies — shallower on one side for the greens and deeper on the other for root veggies. Everything has been spaced out and designed as not to exceed 70lb per sq foot so our deck does not collapse.

Recommended store, site, product or resource?
Craigslist is a wonderful resource for second-hand plant pots and wood. West Coast Seeds is my favorite resource for local and organic seeds as I start most of my plants from seeds. Other then that I trade seeds and plants with friends at our local community garden. The best stain for wood decks in my humble opinion (unfortunately not too enviro-green) is from SICO, hands down.