Small Spaces Gardening Guide

PREPARE

Like building a house a good foundation is the key to success in your garden. The better the soil, the better your plants will grow. When planting in pots or containers, choose a potting mix that is free draining and is suited to what you are planting like Tui Outdoor Container Mix specially formulated to provide the optimum balance of nutrients and water holding capacity to create ideal growing conditions for outdoor plants in pots, containers and hanging baskets.

Mix in Tui Mini Sheep Pellets to add organic matter to improve soil structure, encourage earthworms, and nourish plants.

PLANT

Choose the pot or container suited to your small space. Get creative with the containers you use – you can buy pots or you can upcycle containers, just make sure they have drainage holes in the bottom.

Great options include: concrete planters, troughs, wine barrels, terracotta planters, wooden planters including retained planters on top of a retaining wall. Pallet gardens are a fun option to plant into that will add interest to your garden. Watch our Pallet Garden Gardening Hack here

We have range of products that help make growing easy no matter the size of your space. The Tui Mobile Vegetable Patch is a self watering planter designed to grow and nurture your plants. It comes with a 12 litre water reservoir, an extendable support trellis for climbing vegetables and has wheels so it's portable and easy to move around. 

The Tui Urban Oasis Planter is another self watering planter designed to grow and nurture your vegetables, fruit and flowers. It comes with an extra large 16 litre water storage, a support frame for climbing vegetables and a cover to protect plants from harsh conditions and extend your growing season. It's perfect for patios, courtyards or small spaces. 

Select your plants. Excellent options for your small space garden include:

• Dwarf fruit trees.
• Salad greens and herbs: mesclun, spinach, lettuce, silverbeet, coriander and basil.
• Vegetables: tomatoes, potatoes and cucumbers.
• Flowers: alyssum, pansy, polyanthus, petunia, viola.

A useful system to follow is to plant a 'Feature' 'Filler' and a 'Spiller' in larger pots. E.g. a fruit tree as the 'Feature', lavender as a 'Filler', and then a flowering plant which will 'Spill' over the edge of the pot.

Directions for planting in pots and containers:

• Fill your chosen container or planter with Tui Outdoor Container Mix.
• Before potting, soak plants in a bucket of Tui Organic Seaweed Plant Tonic and allow to drain. This will help prevent transplant shock.
• Dig a hole approximately twice the size of the root ball of your plant.
• Gently loosen the root ball and position the plant in the planting hole. If planting multiple plants, space accordingly in the container.
• Press soil gently around the base of the plant.
• Water plants well after planting.

NOURISH

Feed your plants and they will reward you. Plants use nutrients from the soil as they grow, so replenishing the nutrients ensures your plants remain healthy. Tui NovaTec Premium fertiliser is an all purpose controlled release fertiliser for potted plants. Well watered, well nourished plants will have a better chance of keeping insect pests and diseases at bay.

Keep in mind plants grown in containers dry out quicker than in garden beds so regular watering is needed. It is best to water deeply twice a week rather than a little each day to encourage deep roots. Water in the morning or evening to avoid water evaporation.

PROTECT

The weather, weeds, pest insects and diseases can all impact on the success of your potted plants. Keep your pots weed free. Be vigilant and stop unwanted insects and diseases from ruining your plants.

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