Hanging Baskets Time: Get Out Those Shepherd's Hooks

Spring, and a certain commercial for upside down tomato plants, has me inspired to head down to the local nursery in search of hanging baskets. While my husband plants a vegetable garden each year, critters such as possums, bunnies, and rats, pilfer their fair share of lettuce, zucchini, carrots, strawberries, and tomatoes. Hanging baskets could very well solve this problem! Plus, baskets are ideal for smaller yards. If you don't have room for a traditional container garden, hang a few baskets and enjoy flowers, fruits, or veggies.

Advantages of Hanging Garden Baskets

By hanging your plants instead of planting them in the ground, you'll have fewer weeds to pull. This makes hanging planter gardening especially attractive to people like me who hate to weed. Your plants won't be crowded out by other plants, either.

Hanging baskets on garden hooks or from patio covers is also quite attractive. Try mounting garden hooks or brackets along your fence, say every six feet or so, and placing a series of hanging baskets along the fence line. This makes a pretty effect, especially if you hang flowers like fuchsias or petunias.

Disadvantages of Hanging Garden Baskets

Hanging planters and baskets are versatile and decorative additions to the garden, but they do have a few downsides. Watering hanging plants is a bit trickier than watering container gardens. After all, the hanging plants are airborne. You may need a step stool or a wand extension for your garden hose to water your basket plants. Depending on where you hang garden plants, you may be able to rig your drip irrigation system. It's fairly easy to run a drip line along a patio cover which solves the problem of watering outdoor hanging plants.

Another problem with hanging baskets, indoors or out, is that the water flows through. While good for the hanging basket plants and their roots, it's not always so good for the floor below. With that in mind, select the location carefully. For example, don't place your hanging baskets over a sitting area. That's why I like hanging plant baskets from shepherd's hooks. These garden hooks go anywhere, allowing you to place your plants in the yard or garden. The water then seeps through the container into your garden or lawn, perhaps even watering the plants below.

Garden Pest Control

About those critters, hanging baskets in the garden does discourage many of them from nibbling on your garden vegetables. But don't expect miracles. Rats and squirrels are excellent climbers and well known for their acrobatics. Birds and garden pests will still peck at your hanging strawberries.

Spring is here and what better way to celebrate than by hanging baskets in the garden?