Gardening for Renters – My Smart Garden

Notes prepared by: Kaye Roberts-Palmer from Blue Bee Garden Design October 2023

Contact: info@bluebeegardendesign.com.au

Why garden if you are renting?

Gardening has so many positive benefits for all types of gardeners including:

Being able to grow and share your own food. You will know how you have grown food and what has been added to the soil, types of fertilisers etc.
Seasonal planting interest. Even in the depths of winter many plants have visually appealing foliage, bark, and many have flowers in winter that help raise our mood.
Improving your gardening skills. Gardening means lifelong learning and discovery and there are so many activities to try.
Supporting the wildlife. After recent bushfires our bees, hoverflies, green lacewings and other beneficial insects need our support.

Maximising vertical spaces

Vertical spaces such as walls or fences are an opportunity to have more plants to admire usually at a good viewing height. They can also create microclimates. These are locations that are hotter and cooler than the rest of the garden. You can take advantage of these to grow plants that might otherwise struggle such as avocados in a pot.

Consider how long you want your vertical structure to last and what you are using to hang your baskets onto. Be careful with drilling hooks into mortar or putting holes into fences without the permission of your landlord. Instead there’s a vast range of standalone structures that can be used to hold multiple pots.

Being budget conscious doesn’t mean limited creativity. These days we throw a lot of items out that can be reused and turned into great pots such as old ceramics even olive oil containers. Make sure to add a couple of holes at the base for drainage.

Old glass jars can support many indoor plants that grow in water such as Philodendrons.

Using pots

Pots are a gardeners best friend when it comes to rental properties.

Benefits include:

Pots are moveable so your sunny and shady plants can receive the right amount of light that suits them best.
You also control the growing medium reducing the risk of fungal diseases. Having plants in pots such as strawberries makes it difficult for a hungry snail to have a chew!
You can grow plants next to each other that normally don’t like to share the same soil such as parsley and rosemary.
Pots come in a vast range of sizes and finishes to choose from meaning you can put your own style into the planting arrangement.

Keep in mind that the chosen pot needs to meet your plant’s growing needs and space requirements. If you plant is outgrowing its pot look at getting a pot 20% larger.

Glazed pots

Glazed pots can hold water better than unglazed ones and come in a variety of styles. They can be heavy when full of plants and potting mix so make sure they are on weight bearing surfaces.

Terracotta pots

Great for citrus but tend to dry out faster than all other pots. Use sealant paint to make them more waterproof. They are great for citrus.

Plastic pots

Affordable and light they can be perfect when moving. Be careful in summer as they can heat up.

Propagation – cuttings

Using cuttings helps increase your plants for very little cost.
The cuttings process takes healthy pieces of plant stems from the parent plant that are used to make clones known as ‘true to type’ plants.
Not every cutting will form roots and become a viable plant so its always good sense to have more than five cuttings when propagating.

To have successful cuttings:

Clean your secateurs with either turpentine or methylated spirits before use.
Take an active healthy part of the stem (without flowers) that only has a few leaves and cut at the bottom after the leaves.
Dip the cut end into hormonal mix (this usually comes in a gel or a powder)
Have seed raising mix ready in trays
Use a pen or pencil (known as a ‘dibble’) to make holes for your cuttings and gently place them into the mix (do not cover the leaves).
Keep your trays in soft light and don’t crowd the cuttings as they may get a fungal infection known as ‘damping off’.

In late autumn and winter you can take hardwood cuttings such as rosemary. These cuttings are best taken in the dormant season and relies on energy in the stems to grow. In late spring and early summer, softwood cuttings such as sage can be taken during the growing season. More leaves can be left on the cuttings.

Hormonal mix usually comes in a powder or gel and encourages the cutting to ‘strike’ meaning to form root.

Mobile veggie beds

Having mobile veggie beds gives you great flexibility in what and where you grow your veggies. Plus you can take it with you when you move.

Considerations include:

The height of your raised bed. Its important to be able to reach all of your bed without having to strain. This might mean higher raised beds that are smaller.
Grow what works for you. While you might have great organic material and compost, the garden’s aspect and weather conditions might mean you can’t grow more tropical type vegetables
Is your raised bed secure? This can be an issue if you have it on long legs or wheels. Consider the material your raised bed is made from. Some materials may crack, rip or rust over time.

Types of raised beds

Corrugated iron raised beds – They are light to move but usually require some installation.
Wooden raised beds – If you are not building these from scratch, make sure you can find out what type of wood has been used to make them. Some recycled wood (palettes) can contain toxic chemical treatments. Wooden raised beds will require a liner as they are not water proof.
Veggie grow bags – Sometimes growing veggies can be as simple as having a tough, sturdy waterproof bag. These are great for root vegetables such as potatoes that can be packed in an easily harvested. Set up in a sunny position and don’t try to move until harvesting as they can be very heavy.

Wicking beds ‘how to’