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Deck Garden Ideas – Our Proven Strategies & Pro Tips

Reading Time: 4 minutes

Whether you have an urban homestead or a family, use our deck garden ideas to maximize your growing space and create a peaceful, relaxing atmosphere even without a large garden plot.

Interestingly, most people we talk to have never heard of a deck garden before, and when they come to our house they are amazed at the beautiful array of plants that line our porch. I guess I take this for granted because I was raised with TONS of flowering plants around my home. Thankfully, my mom and dad have passed along that tradition to me and my family and I wouldn’t have it any other way!

Deck Garden Ideas for Urban Homesteading

Even though we live in the city we can still enjoy the pleasures of living in the country right? That’s what city homesteading is all about!

  • Luscious fruit-bearing plants all around the house.
  • Beautiful blossoms blooming throughout the year.
  • Vibrant flowers that attract birds and (my favorite) hummingbirds!

All you need is lots of pots, a good amount of organic potting soil, some creativity, and time to nurture them to life! It’s really that simple.

Maximizing all the space that you have available to you is so important when organizing your deck or patio garden. Worried about not having enough space? No worries at all! Some of the most beautiful apartment balconies we’ve seen around the world were all spruced up with trees, plants, and vines. We saw a lot of this in Italy and the way that they lined the fences enclosing their buildings in some communities completely hid their individual apartments. Talk about privacy in the city!

Be Flexible With a Container Garden

Deck gardens can be real fun and an excellent supplement to your indoor gardens. Just be wise when choosing the type of plants that you put on your porch. Gauge the amount of direct sun you get each day and make sure you pick your favorites from those that thrive in the environment that you’ve been given.

You can’t put a lime tree in a heavily shaded New York apartment, amen?!?

But, like our lime tree below, you can put one in Atlanta if you get enough direct sun!

Just remember to be flexible and go with the flow. As my old Pastor used to say: Blessed are the flexible, for they won’t be broken!

My Deck Garden & Favorite Plants

Rosemary, Flowers, Hibiscus
Rosemary, Flowers, Hibiscus, and Other Herbs

By mixing herbs and flowering plants you can have a beautiful garden that also provides for the kitchen!

Lemon and Bay Trees
Lemon and Bay Trees

Citrus trees are easy to grow in containers. In colder climates you can bring the whole container inside to a protected area and overwinter them. You can grow citrus fruit even in colder areas where you couldn’t grow the plants in your yard.

Persian Lime, Oregano and Flowers
Persian Lime, Oregano and Flowers

Combining edible plants with herbs and flowering plants to attract pollinators is an easy win for a deck garden or balcony garden.

Pineapple
Pineapple!

We grew this tropical pineapple from a fruit we bought at the grocery store. How awesome is that!? We explain more about how to root a pineapple in our indoor gardening post.

Herb Barrel
Herb Barrel

I love growing mixed herbs in a large container to give us plenty of growing space on our deck. The roomy container gives you a chance to play with your favorite plant combinations.

Tomato Plant with Friends
Tomato Plant with Friends

If you’re growing a tomato in a container on your deck or balcony try combining with other sun-loving herbs like basil. Just be sure to provide proper support for your tomatoes!

Left to Right - Tomoto, Red Hibiscus and Stevia
Left to Right – Tomoto, Red Hibiscus and Stevia (Our Favorite Sweetener!)

I always grow lots of stevia. It’s easy to dehydrate when you harvest and stevia is a wonderful natural sweetener.

Basil
Getting Basil Ready to Plant
Red Hibiscus
Red Hibiscus – Great for Tea!

Hibiscus is one of my favorite natural tea ingredients and it’s so easy to grow in your garden – even if it’s just a deck, balcony or rooftop!

Yellow Hibiscus
Yellow Hibiscus – Our Favorite Plant!

Hibiscus comes in a variety of colors. How about you? What plants do you have on your deck or balcony?

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