Do any of you garden on your deck? Herbs, specifically.
Do you use shelves with individual pots, one large planter w/ multiple herbs, deck-rail containers, wall hanger containers? What works well for you?
I have only grown herbs in a hanging rail basket. This will be my third year so still working out kinks. I love basil so I may just devote one basket to that because those can get really big. First year I had it next to thyme and the basil just towered over/crowded out the thyme. I may actually use some pots this year because the baskets dry out so quickly.
When my cat was still alive she would jump into the railing baskets and lay among the herbs which was annoying but now that she is gone I miss that.
I find my most used herbs are basil, thyme, rosemary and parsley. I like the mint leaves but hardly use them and they grow like crazy.
What are you planting?
I have a lot of big pots on my deck. I grow basil, mint, more basil, hot peppers–stuff that likes the heat and can take a little dryness. I have a lemon tree that I bring inside in the winter in a huge pot that takes DH and I both to move… I have oregano, rosemary, sage in the strip between the street and the sidewalk, where they’re all very happy.
Herbs look really pretty all mixed up in a container but it’s hard to maintain. I would say mostly they need their own pots. Try oregano in a hanging basket, it’s pretty.
I have basil, rosemary, thyme , oregano and mint all in big pots. This is my first year with mint. The rosemary, oregano and thyme survived winter in GA. I am going to add a pot of sage.
I have a built-in planter on my deck as well as four moveable (rectangular planters) and numerous pots. I grow tomatoes and lots of peppers (all varieties) in the moveable planters–I pickled the peppers and also made lots of different types of hot sauce that I canned. I plant herbs in the built-in planter. Right now, I have rosemary, sorrel, oregano, lavender, and thyme–from last year. Tomorrow, I’m going to plant basil, sage, and tarragon. I also have a fig tree in a big pot (which I kept in a dark spot over the winter) and another pot with mint. I never have good luck with cilantro, but I’ll probably try it again this year. I’m in Zone 5.
I have done it both ways - in “smaller” pots individually and in a “pod” of sort where I could grow more than one thing. Basil deserves it’s own pot I think - it can get quite big!
Don’t let that small herb plant you buy fool you - a very small pot - like a 4-6 inch pot will fill FAST!
Last year I bought this self-watering square-ish pod (square, but rounded corners) - it had a water reservoir in the bottom. Probably about 2 feet square. I planted 3 or 4 plants in it. Cilantro, Chives, Parsley and oregano? The cilantro eventually died off - the others did pretty well.
Obviously pots dry out fast. I actually grew mine in a not overly sunny spot - gets a couple hours of afternoon sun, but some filtered sun other parts of the day. I think that worked fine.
I mix plants in rail planter boxes. So far, basil, mint, cilantro and parsley. I would love to come up with a self watering setup.
Here in Atlanta, the smaller the pot, the faster it dries out because our deck can get really hot. So I grow stuff in big, deep planters filled half with diapers on the bottom (retains water) and half with soil on top. I also put them on rollers so I can move them around and they don’t cause the wood on the deck to rot. Right now I have basil, oregano, and rosemary. I need to plant some parsley. Those are my big four herbs.
“…filled half with diapers on the bottom (retains water) and half with soil on top.”
Brilliant!! I need to try this on my stone deck. Because it is real slate, it gets very, very hot. Herbs love the heat, but those pots dry out so fast!
This is similar to what I used last year - and will put a few in it this year too - after reading a review I’m curious what a fairy garden looks like!!
@BunsenBurner if you have the pots on rollers they don’t absorb the heat from the deck, either, because they’re not touching it. Makes a huge difference. Plus I avoid dark pots because they tend to absorb the heat, too. And I use white sand as a mulch rather than dark bark chips. Anything to bounce the sun back and keep the moisture in.
I bought some potted herbs at farmer’s market (basil, chives, italian parsley, lemon thyme). I was going to plant them in the ground/soil outside What are the pros/cons of pots vs ground?
You can grow them together but group together only those with similar watering needs. Basil needs less water and can stand a little neglect. My husband tends to pay too much attention to it and it doesn’t do well. I’ve had more success with oregano, mint, dill, thyme. I don’t do cilantro although I love it. It’s super cheap at the store as is parsley.
MOfD, thanks, my pots are all on pedestals, but the slate really cooks things quite well, so frequent watering is a must on hot days. One day the weather can be a frying pan, the next day it can be gray and cool. Can’t have light colored pots either because they get covered with icky mold in the winter. I am sick of scrubbing that stuff off the white deck railing. 
I do both. I have two planters that are about 12" x 30" concrete. They have the perennial herbs - thyme, oregano, chives , rosemary (though it’s barely perennial in our climate),and then I fill in with nasturtiums in the spring. Usually I’ll stick something else in there this year it’s some dill. I grow my basil and parsley in really big pots 16" diameter minimum. It gets really big. Sage is in the garden currently, but it has been in pots in the past. I’ve never had much luck with cilantro, you really have to plant it every two weeks because it goes to seed so fast. (Though you can harvest the seeds for coriander.)
FWIW they are actually on a slate patio, not a deck.
@colorado_mom - growing in the ground is almost always better. Plants will send roots deeper, have more consistent access to water, have more naturally occurring nutrients, and just take off. The only con would be if your soil is contaminated or so poor and rocky that a commercial soil mix is superior. With a pot you can move the plant around too although most of us don’t bother with that.
@my-3-sons - There is a company called the Gardener’s Supply Store that has pots with water reservoirs in all shapes and sizes. I believe they have window boxes, hanging baskets, a whole system for tomatoes, etc. They are an employee owned company which is a nice bonus.
http://www.gardeners.com/buy/outdoor-planters/self-watering-pots-planters/
I live in the north so my growing season is short. I successfully grow basil in a large pot and have found it does best when it receives some full sun and some dappled sun. Next door neighbor grows hers in above ground stone planters some sun and some shade.
@greenwitch - Thanks!
What are you planting? >>>>>>>
I’ve yet to decide but definitely basil, thyme, parsley, oregano, rosemary, dill, sage, tarragon…have to research to see if they all will do okay here and what each needs, etc.