Since moving to a townhouse in 2022, my deck has become an important part of my garden. It’s where I sit and admire my plants, savor a morning cup of coffee, watch for hummingbirds, meditate and grow many of my favorite annuals and herbs. (Fortunately, I also have a community garden plus a few volunteer garden opportunities to keep me growing.) Deck gardens are unique spaces and over the past three years I’ve learned a few lessons about how to garden on a deck. (For a tour of my deck garden, check the video at the end of the post.)
Study the Light
Your deck probably has at least one or two sides that are blocked by your home, so pay careful attention to what kind of light it gets. Mine mostly faces east and south, which is great for growing plants that need sun. Most of my deck goes into the sun about 9 a.m. in the summer and is back in shade around 5 p.m. (Just in time for cocktails!) This means I can grow many sun-loving annuals. If your deck faces north or is more shaded by buildings, you will want to choose plants that like shade, such as impatiens, begonias, coleus, pansies and caladiums. No matter the light, there are plants that will thrive there.
Protect Your Deck
With watering, rain, dirt and plant debris, your deck is going to need some extra attention and care to keep it looking good. Elevate all pots. A large planter box that’s three feet off the deck is one of my main planting areas. I also have lots of these inexpensive plant stands for the 19 additional containers on my deck, but I really love the ones with wheels, which allow you to move them around easily. You may need to move some of the pots to sweep occasionally as well as to change out your deck design as plants bloom and fade. Caring for the deck surface depends on what kind of deck you have. Mine is a composite deck, which doesn’t require painting or staining (whoopee). I do give it a light cleaning in the fall and a more thorough cleaning in the spring. It’s best not to use power washers on composite, though you can on cement patios and wood decks with extra care. The video below is a good, short tutorial on how to clean a deck without using harsh chemicals or damaging the deck.
Think about Watering
The folks who built these townhomes were definitely not planning on serious gardeners moving in because the faucet closest to my deck plants is one story below the deck. For the first couple of years, I brought buckets of water from the kitchen to water the deck plants. This year, I said, “no way,” and got a hose splitter for my faucet and a lightweight, 25 foot hose to use on the deck. The hose is on a hose stand attached to the side of the big planter box. When it’s time to water, I lower the hose, hook it up to the faucet and start watering. I could leave the hose on the faucet all the time, but I don’t like the looks of that and it’s not that much work to go downstairs to set it up. I’ve heard of people running hoses from their bathroom to the deck, too!
Add privacy
My deck directly faces my neighbor’s deck and we are about 15 feet apart! My neighbors are terrific people but I don’t want to look at them in their PJs having a coffee in the morning and the feeling is mutual. So, I put a trellis on top of my big planter to add privacy and I grow black-eyed Susan vine on it in the summer. My neighbor, who is very handy, created a screen using panels he bought at Home Goods. He attached them to the deck railing with zip ties so there was no need to screw them into the railings. It’s very clever and pretty. Between the trellis and the screen, we each have a touch of privacy, which makes being on the deck more comfortable for everyone.
Experiment!
You’d be shocked how many different plants can be grown in containers on a deck. Tomatoes—yes, lots of different kinds. Peppers—absolutely! Perennials and shrubs? I’ve done it, though often have to find a home for them after one season. Big, lily bulbs? 100 percent, and those you can even carry over from year to year by storing them in a garage. My sister once grew an evergreen in a container on her porch for several years. Those of you with milder climates than mine may be able keep perennials and shrubs outside during the winter to carry them from season to season. The rule of thumb is that a perennial or shrub should be rated for two hardiness zones colder than your zone to stay outside all winter. So if you live in USDA Zone 6, the plant should be rated to at least zone 4.
Some plants thrive in containers, such as herbs and annual flowers. Plant those in abundance.
Don’t forget to fertilize
Plants growing in containers will have less soil to access than those in the ground and the heavier watering you have to do for container plants rinses nutrients out of the soil. I save much of the soil in my containers from year to year. After taking out the plant material, I put the remaining soil in three large utility totes. In the spring, I supplement that soil with a healthy dose of compost, maybe a couple of bags of potting soil and some perlite. I don’t have a recipe for this, but the idea is to refresh the soil and add some nutrition. (For the big planter, I remove about 20 percent of the soil and replace it with compost and fresh soil in spring.) When I plant, I add a slow release fertilizer, which is good for the first month or so, depending on rain. The more rain, the more the fertilizer drains out. After that, I fertilize once every week (or two, if I’m lazy) with some kind of liquid fertilizer. I’ve used organic options, such as fish emulsion, but also inorganic ones, especially on my ornamental flowers. Be sure to fertilize so called “heavy feeders” such as tomatoes.
Keep a few tools handy
Even container plants occasionally need pruning or digging out. I keep a small pruner and a trowel on the deck for moments when I want to cut a stem, deadhead a flower, snip some herbs for summer or add a new plant to a container.
Create a seating area
To really enjoy your deck garden, add a chair or two and a small table. If you live in a cold climate, having a serene outdoor space to sit in during the summer is a great gift. Enjoy it.
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