Add instant beauty to any setting with hanging baskets. Dress up the front of the home for all to enjoy or place them around the back deck or garden. Suspend a hanging basket full of summer blooms in front of the kitchen window and enjoy watching butterflies and humming birds while attending to kitchen chores. Some edibles even grow well in hanging baskets, such as tomatoes, peppers, strawberries, lettuce or herbs. Create a kitchen garden where ground space is limited.
[credit: Lachlan Hardy]
To create a hanging basket, line a wire basket with moss. Fill with potting soil and add Soil Moist granules, if possible, to keep the moisture in the basket. Alternatively, line the moss with plastic. Add the flowers or edibles to the soil and water thoroughly.
Consider placing plants around the outside of the basket as well. Cut holes through the moss prior to filling the basket with soil and then add soil to the level of the holes. Carefully insert the plant roots through the holes and cover with soil. Work up the basket until it is filled.
Hanging baskets are heavy, especially when wet. Be sure to hang the baskets from a sturdy structure such as a post or beam. Use a stout hook or bracket and heavy chain or rope. Check the hanging baskets frequently and water when the top of the soil feels dry. Mist the outside of the basket to keep the moss fresh and provide extra moisture to the plants. Add a drip system to make watering easier, if possible.