I finally have all of the containers (maybe) for my new garage deck garden! I’m still about a month away from planting these, but I want to get everything in place to start figuring out irrigation.
Crescent Garden and Edgeright containers were sent to me for free. All other containers I purchased or got from Deronis aka @grandmas_gardener on Instagram.
I have a 15% off discount code for Crescent Garden, CHICAGO15. This is not an affiliate code and I don’t earn any commission from purchases using this code.
Below are all of the containers for this deck garden:
Gardener’s Supply Titan Arch: https://www.gardeners.com/buy/titan-garden-arch/8594535.html
Veradek Block Pedestal Planter (Tall): https://edgeright.com/products/cor-ten-steel-planter-box-32-l-x-14-w-x-30-h
Cup Trudrop Tall Planter (Caviar Black): https://www.crescentgarden.com/product/cup/
Rim 22” Planter (Caviar Black): https://www.crescentgarden.com/product/rim/
Agave 21” Planter (Parchment): https://www.crescentgarden.com/product/agave/
Brunello 20” Planter (Parchment): https://www.crescentgarden.com/product/brunello/
Steel Planter Boxes (Black): https://edgeright.com/products/cor-ten-steel-planter-box-32-l-x-14-w-x-30-h
My Amazon store: https://www.amazon.com/shop/chicagogardener
hello everyone I am on the garage deck today it is absolutely beautiful it is 60° right now I don’t know what the temperature is for the rest of the week because I refuse to look and get disappointed because I’m pretty sure it’s not going to be this warm but I am out here because I finally got my final I’m pretty sure because I’m running out of room my final loads of pots for this deck now if you weren’t here last year we basically had a deck on top of our garage that was wooden and r so we never used it for the first 5 years that we lived here last year we got it redone and now we can finally use it which of course means I’m going to be putting some plants out here I will link down below the summary of this whole deck building process and a little bit of the differences between here and my rooftop decks so nothing has been planted here yet I am hoping to start maybe next month but I am going to try to take it slow because I don’t want to overwhelm myself and I want to make sure I’m making the best choices so what I’m going to do today is I will go over the newest loads of pots that I have I will quickly go over the pots that I’ve had I know I’ve done a tour before but I’ll touch on that and I will link everything down below and then we’ll get things moved into where I think they’re going to be I am so excited to have this finally set up it has we haven’t used it last year because it got finished in November so this is really the first time I’m going to be able to be out here so in this last batch of pots I got two of everything that I’m going to show you one of the differences between this deck and my rooftop decks is I’m going for more of a modern feel I guess especially with I mean we have a lot of black here with the pera I think it just makes more sense so I’m going with either black containers which most of them are except for the ones I’m about to show you and then these Stone colored ones because I thought this would work well with our tile since our tile is like a creamy white color now everything I’m going to show you first is from Crescent Garden and they sent me these I did not pay for these they sent me these because I’m going to again be shooting some content for their social media which is exciting but I always want to put out a realistic idea of gardening at least for me I know that for me if I was not partnering with container companies I would not be building my deck this fast my deck Garden like I would not be able to spend all the money to put all the containers in the first year it would be a much slower process so I am very grateful I will say though I think of the plan I have up here these are the lowest cost ones so I’m going to go over these two different types first then I’ll show you the other ones because these are just regular Planters drainage hole super lightweight before you put the soil in it this one is shaped more like a traditional terra cotta PT again three drainage holes there in the bottom this one here is the Agave planter I went with a 21 in diameter I think most of these there are a range of diameters that you can get so this is closer to the largest end but again it’s only like 5 lb so I can easily get it up here before I plant it up which is very important when you’re not gardening on the ground and then this is the Brunell planter it is 20 in in diameter so it is just slightly smaller but not by much at all and the color that I got these in was parchment now I have a whole page here of a Google doc of all of the information on every single container out here because I was trying to calculate the amount of potting mix I’m going to need which is a lot well not a lot compared to I think what a lot of people do but a lot for me at one time in the garden so these well the Agave planter is a 17 gallon soil capacity this one is 11 Gall so it is I guess a six gallon difference between these two but I think these are going to look really pretty my plan is to do my mini fruit Orchard in here so I have right now two colar apple trees One Mini Peach tree and then one Chicago hardy fig and I thought cuz again I have two of each of these I think the apples will probably go in these two and then maybe the other two in this pot I’m not sure yet but I am going to be planting those this spring I got them last spring they lived in their Nursery containers all of last year so I think they will be happy to get potted up the other two Planters I got are self-watering and I am very excited for that right now there is no irrigation set up here here because I want to get the containers in place first but these say that they can potentially water your plants for 6 weeks before you need to refill them which would be fantastic I also have a couple other self-watering containers I’m going to put out here as well that I’ll show you but I’m trying to be more low maintenance this year so things like this will be very helpful now this one here is the 22in rim planter this is the cup true drop tall planter both in caviar black which matches everything else that I’m working with really well I’m not sure yet what I’m going to put in these it’s well so here’s how these work all of the containers that I have out here can be left out over winter which is also fantastic because I don’t feel like having to move anything down to the garage even though we are much closer to the garage now but they can’t hold water in them so I don’t know I mean I could do a perennial and just tip the water out and then keep it out here or I could just do annual so these I do not know what I’m going to plant in them and I’m also not sure exactly where they’re going to go yet but these are still lightish weight like I carried these out here but they’re definitely heavier compared to the non true drop self-watering containers this one here is 10 gallons this one here is 18 gallons and then in this Ziploc bag are all of the pieces that I need to put in it to turn it into the self-watering planter I’m not going to do that until I’m ready to actually pop these up but essentially let me see if I can show you if you can see that little indention and circle that is where the water drains out if it goes over the maximum amount of water in here so if you fill it too much it’ll flow out if it rains after you’ve watered it it’ll flow out so for this if you’re going to have it outside you want to leave that open but these can be used for house plants which I don’t think I have any pots this big I don’t think I’m we going to need them so these are definitely going to be Garden containers for me but they do come with in that bag I just threw down at the bottom they do come with plugs in case you do want to use these indoors I will go through the setup process which seems very easy based on the videos I watched once we get these planted up but today is all about getting things potentially in their spot for this season so I’m just going to wander around and set things down and once I’m happy with them I will take you on a little tour right now the sun is coming from behind the camera so this is where I’m going to get more full sun there’s a little bit of shade cast over there so I think I’m going to put my mini Orchard over here outside of the trellis now I did also get saucers for these but I think I’m going to put everything on Wheels out here but I’ll put the saucers under it for now all right so I have all the pots in a place I think it’ll be close to where their permanent place is going to be but again with putting things on Wheels I can move them around as much as I want but here’s what I’m thinking I do have at least a question or two to see what you guys think is best but let me now take you around and show you what I think will be very close to the final setup for this container garden under that Arch is where you would enter into the deck so I have there two Vera deck Planters and then a gardener Supply Titan Arch these I did all purchase myself I found the arch first and then looked for planters that the arch could fit into I think the plan for this is hopefully going to be two climbing roses but this is definitely going in that spot there really isn’t another place I want the arch other than the entryway and you can see those are already placed on Wheels coming around here here there is our grill that we think wasps might have built a nest in so we had to figure that out um and then this is two of the true drop Planters from Crescent Garden and then two of the aquapots which are also self-watering aquapots from Proven Winners and I right now have trellises in them I don’t 100% know if this is going to work that way but I think I would love to have some sort of floral wall so you look at the side of the per and then there’s just a wall of climbing flowers I’m thinking coconut appeal Thia in here and I think that’ be really pretty and then none of these would have to be hooked up to irrigation because they are all self-watering I think the true drop Planters the circular ones on the end do hold a little bit more water than the two in the middle the two in the middle were on my rooftop deck which is 100% full sun all day you can see there’s a little bit of shade here so I’m thinking when the two proven winners were on my rooftop deck and it was the heat of the season I had to water once a week again these say once every six weeks so I’m excited to see how long I can go between watering with each of these the couch and coffee table are there there will be a dining room table here at some point and then this is the back border I have on the far right corner a planter that I got for free from Donis AKA Grandma’s Gardener he was giving it away it was teal I spray painted it black some teal is showing through so I do have to give that another coat then I have two here from Edge right these were gifted to me and return for creating marketing content for them so I did not pay for these These are probably the most expensive ones they are definitely the heaviest which is why I have them on Wheels then I have two of the true drop cup tall Planters so originally that Center space I had empty there’s a plug there in case we have a TV I don’t think we’re planning to put a TV out here anytime soon and I wouldn’t want to put something in here that would be tall and block the TV maybe two hydranges I’m not sure but let me know your thoughts on order of the pots so even though there’s definitely still open space again I have to save room for a table and people and a grill so I do think this is going to have to be my stopping point whether I listen to myself or not that’s another question but let me know one what you think I should put in the drop Planters cuz I really have no idea annuals perennials I don’t know let me know what you think and then let me know what you think about the ordering of the containers on the backboard that is everything I had to do today I’m obviously going to stay outside because it’s so nice but I can’t wait to start planting I’m so excited so I think the color scheme here is going to be more whites and brighter colors so that they really pop out from the black containers the black background so yeah I just have a lot of planning to do and I’m so excited to get started on this it is still march I probably won’t start planting until maybe April we’ll see if the weather cooperates or not but that is everything for this video so I will see you in the next one bye
31 Comments
Good morning, looking great!
Those are fantastic pots! I’m more into the traditional looking ones for myself but I really like the black ones for your space! Looking forward to seeing what you plant in them👍💚🌱🌸
I have three true drop planters and I love them. At the end of the season I emptied the water out through the plug on the side and hand watered the perennials that were in them. I love the double wall feature which is supposed to give more protection for the roots from the elements. The deck is looking amazing what an exciting year ahead to start planting and using it finally after all the work you folks have been putting into it!
❤ I love this! I am just getting into container gardening and your channel has been so helpful! My first set of containers is from Mayne Planters, I love them , they are self watering and did great over winter with pansies, I am in a warmer climate in NC. 🙂 Can’t wait to see your patio! I think how you have it is perfect.
I looove the arch. Cant wait to see it. And i like black planters. My only issue is in atlanta theyd get too hot in the summer.
Finalizing the containers for your new garage garden? That’s such an exciting step! 🪴✨ It’s like putting together the pieces of a green puzzle. Do you have a favorite plant or container that you’re most excited to place, or a creative idea for arranging them all? I’d love to hear more about your vision—it’s like watching a garden masterpiece come to life! Wishing you a lush, thriving garage garden and many happy moments of planning and planting. 😊🌿
Love the planters! Are you going with a color scheme? Something about the black pots and the formality of the patio makes me think a moon garden would be nice. White or lime hydrangeas would be nice as well as white echinacea, and maybe large grasses for movement. Basically Similar to the color scheme you did with your cart in the summer but on a larger scale.
I'm going to try an arch with roses too:) good luck to you. Happy to see you out. It was very spring-y then it snowed yesterday 😅
I can't wait to see your garage deck come to life.
Perhaps have annuals the first year to see how the conditions are throughout a whole season before committing to perennials?
Neon green sweet potato vine would be GORGEOUS trailing down the front of these black containers! Also I think the tv wall planters should go square, rect, circle, rect, rect, circle, rect, square.
Those are some stylish looking pots 👀.
The skinny black tulip sorta shaped pots are SO GOOD. We did Trudrops for awhile and had mega success with them. I gotta show you a picture of this wild sweet potato vine that ate it. haha
What brand are your jeans? I love watching your videos!
Absolutely loving the setup and privacy screens for your new deck! Beautiful! And the black pots look so elegant… I use Edgeright corten steel edging in my beds and I love the look. Sweet potatoe vine or Dichondra Silver Falls will look so good in those pots! Yay! I bought some aster seeds and started them.. so excited to see how they do. Love your channel!!
I love all your pots!
The only thing I might say about the back wall is it would be nice to have some height variation. Everything is the same height. But perhaps you will have some pots in front of some of them 🤷♀️
very exciting 💚💚
Congrats on your new planters!! Looks beautiful! BTW, love your hat! Would you let me know where I can get one?
Looking forward to see how this all turns out. I have a similar type space and need ideas for container gardening as well! I think the arch and roses will be beautiful. Your containers would look great with anything white, chartreuse and of course a punch of your favorite colors. For placement of planters, I really like seeing groups of three in different heights in a corner. Otherwise, it will look great anyway!!! Love your channel! 💞
Love the new pots..looking foward to following along with your new garage deck 😊
Do you have a link for your hat ?? My gardening hat is held together with duct tape, might be time for a new one😉
I'm not trying to be negative but think you'd rather have honest opinions. I think this area looks a bit cluttered with so many planters placed against one another. I like the dark planters the best. It's just my opinion. Others may like it just fine.
Gorgeous, especially the entrance arch.
Congratulations Bethany! Looking forward to see what plants you go with.
Are you getting bags or ordering loose fill? Either way it sure looks like an awful lot of schlepping.
This is interesting! Do you leave your fruit trees and figs on the deck in winter? Do we have to be concerned about buying two zones lower than our zone to leave those outdoors? Does the black pot heat the water in summer…..I feel hot instead of those roots 😂….. I'm sorry for asking so many questions, but containers, especially conifer in containers, are always in my mind, but I hesitate to do so, given I killed them before. So I need to study more, right 😉
Sounds like each deck is a unique experience 🤔
like different beautiful zen gardens 😊
I got a few questions. First, where did you buy your peach tree, and do you have to bring it inside for winter? Where can I buy the black metal long planters? For your grow bags, what wheels do you use? For that matter, how do you add wheels to your planters?
Love your deck gardens. Just curious if you have land around your home or not? Would love you to walk around your home sometime so I could picture the deck and area better. I live in an area where most homes have a lot of area around the house and people only have a few pots on the deck-not sure how to determine how much weight my deck could hold.
Look at the size of those planters!! Can't wait to see what you grow in them
Hello from SW suburbs of Chicago- question love the trellises in the pots can you tell where you purchased? I don’t see in your Amazon store. Thanks