- 1). Measure the width and length of your terrace, and note the placement and size of fixtures, paths or areas that cannot be used as part of your terrace garden.
- 2). Draw a rough scale map of your terrace, using your measurements and notes, on a piece of paper or in a graphics program. If your terrace has walls or a roof, keep those areas in mind for hanging containers, if your home can accommodate installing wall and ceiling hooks.
- 3). List the plants you'd like to grow on a second piece of paper or in a word processing program. You may not be able to grow all of them, but this list can help you begin to plan where to place each variety of plant.
- 4). Group together plants which have similar shade, sun, space, vining habits and watering needs. Look up the requirements for each plant in a garden reference, if desired, and sort into groups of two to six similar plants.
- 5). Determine the size of containers and pots you will need to house your groups of plants. Small pots, up to 12 inches, are fine for herbs or small flowers that have similar needs. Vegetable crops, such as tomatoes or zucchini, require larger containers, several gallons in size, to accommodate the size of the plants and their roots. Vine plants, such as pumpkins and some types of beans, require smaller pots than other vegetables, but will require height space to place stakes or trellises to support their vines.
- 6). Sketch in the approximate size of the required pots and containers, as best to scale as you can, in the correct areas of sun or shade, on your terrace drawing or digital sketch. Move around as desired, trying different setups that fit the pots and containers. It's easier to experiment at this stage than move around pots and containers heavy with soil and large plants.
- 7). Make a list of the plants you decided can fit on your terrace -- seeds or starters -- as well as pot and container size, and types of soil required, to take with you when you go to the garden store or nursery.
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