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Very new to gardening, need some advice for concrete small garden.

RianS94RianS94 Posts: 1
in Problem solving
Hi all,

Just moved into a new place and want to liven up the garden however it's all concrete. I'm very new to gardening and need some advice on what kind of plants I could grow out of pots and cracks in the walls, the tops of the walls already have some nice plants growing out of them which I'd like to add to. I was also thinking to have some sort of climbing/hanging plant for the back wall but I'm unsure on what I should be looking at with little soil/sun light. 

I'd love to cover all of the walls in plants however I have no idea where to start, any advice would be appreciated.


Posts

  • josusa47josusa47 Posts: 3,530
    Hallo Rian, and welcome to the forum.  Have you bought the property, or are you renting?  If it's your own, I'd seriously think about getting at least some of the concrete broken up and replaced with topsoil.  Growing in pots and containers is somewhat limiting.  If it's a rented property, concrete make sense from the landlord's point of view, as most tenants don't want to be bothered with a garden.  If it's rented but you expect to be there a few years, it might be worth your while to buy some timber and build raised beds on top of the concrete. That would enable you to grow small trees, shrubs and climbers, and some incredible edibles if that takes your fancy.
  • celcius_kkwcelcius_kkw Posts: 753
    Like Josusa said, ideally it’s better to break up the concrete so you can plant things in the ground - which would make your life much easier to care for them. But if you can’t, then container gardening is well and truly possible. You will just need very large pots to support those climbers for the wall. I grow all my plants in containers on my large balcony and I’ve been managing alright. Do expect to spend quite a lot on containers and pots though.. unless you’re happy to settle for the plastic ones (which are significantly more affordable and if you shop around a bit there are really nice looking ones too) 

    And lastly, don’t forget the cost of potting mix and fertilisers too as container gardening requires a lot more of that - as you have no ready made soil to work with. I have found myself moving perhaps up to 20 huge bags of compost up to my apartment over the last year. 
  • Dirty HarryDirty Harry Posts: 1,048
    Does that wall always get plenty sun? Dahlias in large pots give a good impact in a smaller space.
  • TheGreenManTheGreenMan Posts: 1,957

    Hi. Don't let concrete put you off. Just go potty! We moved in here (renting) four years ago and I've just picked up plants each spring and experimented with them. Some have failed but most have thrived. Keep on top of watering; keep an eye out for vine weevil; get used to slug hunting at night and just have fun. The great thing about pots is that you can move them if they're not getting enough sun or are not happy. 
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