Growing dahlias can be challenging. I have heard so many times that growing dahlias is “easy”, but have not found that to be true in my hot, arid climate. I am also growing them strictly in pots, which adds another layer of difficulty. In years past I managed to receive a few blooms on sickly plants. But this year is different! This year, I finally cracked the code to successfully growing stunning dahlias in pots and I am so excited to share my method with you!
I live in the Mojave Desert and in 2020 my container garden experienced over 30 days where the temperature was above 100 degrees Fahrenheit. There were many more days above 90 degrees. As I am writing this, it’s the third week of June 2021 and we are in the middle of a record-breaking triple digit heat wave. Summers here are brutal and the constant heat takes a toll on my plants. Over the years I have developed several strategies for keeping my container garden alive in the heat of summer.
I have grown strawberries in pots for as long as I can remember. They are so easy to grow and the taste of a home grown strawberry just can’t be beat. This year, I decided to expand my potted fruit collection to include other berries and citrus so I was beyond thrilled to be gifted an advance copy of Christy Wilhelmi’s new book Grow Your Own Mini Fruit Garden. The timing truly could not have been more perfect!
I LOVE growing mint! I love it so much that I have seven different varieties and am constantly on the lookout for new ones. One of the most important spring chores for growing great mint is to divide it every year. Since we are growing our mint in pots to keep it from spreading all over the garden, it is inevitable that the mint will become rootbound and use up the nutrients in its pot. For me, this happens quickly over the course of a single growing season. Dividing mint every spring not only creates more plants to grow and share, it gives the plant the breathing room it needs to flourish the rest of the year.
I started growing sweet peas in containers out of necessity. I had an incredible desire to experience in my own garden these gorgeous fragrant flowers I was seeing all over Instagram. But I don’t own land. I’ve been renting for 10 years and have moved four times within that time period (once I had to move my baby sweet peas with me!) So container growing was, and still is, the only option for me. After five successful years growing sweet peas in containers I am ready to share my secrets! I can tell you that they grow amazingly well and you will be astounded at the amount of blooms your plants will produce!
I don’t know why, but I have always been hesitant to grow carrots in containers even though I have been a container gardener for years. I thought that a container would just not give them enough space to grow properly. I also thought they would be difficult to grow. Well it turns out that none of these things is true with ‘Tonda di Parigi’ carrots! They are SO easy to grow and SUPER delicious!!