Val's Patio Garden ™

Val's Patio Garden ™ units are specially designed plastic containers featuring "planting windows," which can be opened or closed to suit the number of plants to be grown. The compact shape of the unit offers a vertical means of growing rather than the typical horizontal growing pattern. By opening only the required windows, loss of water and fertilizer is reduced to a minimum.

It is ideal for patios, balconies, small yard spaces, or greenhouses. It also eliminates most of the backbreaking work associated with the typical garden such as digging, weeding, and cultivating.

The overall unit, made from high strength polypropylene, has a top and bottom designed to help facilitate proper watering. The windows can be opened and sown with seeds or transplanted with "starts." Once planted, the window must remain open. Some unplanted windows can also be left closed if a different growing pattern is desired.

The Small Patio Garden is 20 inches tall and has 40 planting windows which give the gardener a planting area equal to a little more than a 10 foot garden row. These windows can be opened or closed in whatever arrangement the gardener desires. Keep this area in mind when making your plans about what to grow. This Patio Garden will require about 1.5 cubic feet of growing medium.

The Large Patio Garden is 40 inches tall and has 65 planting windows providing the gardener with a planting area equal to about a 15-foot row. These windows can be opened or closed in whatever arrangement the gardener desires. Keep this area in mind when making your plans about what to grow. This Patio Garden will require about 3 cubic feet of growing medium.

The planting medium most suitable for the Patio Garden should be described as container medium. Container mediums usually will have some combination of sphagnum peat, vermiculite or perlite, perhaps well-composted wood bark and other additives such as lime. Container medium needs to hold water yet still allow for all-important root aeration.

As most container mediums have only minimal nutrients for plant growth, fertilizer will need to be added. Time-release fertilizer may be added to the medium or water-soluble fertilizer can be watered into the Patio Garden regularly and more often as plants grow to maturity and begin producing flowers or fruits. There are many well-known brands of such fertilizer on the market and also fertilizers that are suited for specific needs such as tomatoes or strawberries.