Pots on paving slabs on the ground (soil)

Dedekind

Hello, 

I have a soil bed outside my back garden door. We are building an extension after the summer so I really don't want to plant anything there -- everything will be gone. At the moment there is nothing, just soil which is boring to look at. 

I have lots of potted plants that I could put there, would placing them on a paving slab be good? Only worry is waterlogging? (I have spare slabs hence how I came up with this idea)  I am not looking to pave the whole thing just one slab per pot.

Busy-Lizzie

Yes, it would be just like placing them on a terrace. If there are drainage holes in the bottom of the pots the water will drain anyway. If you put them directly on the earth you may find the roots growing into the earth which would make things awkward when you want to move them.

Fairygirl

They'll be fine, but it would be a good idea to put them on pot feet too, rather than them sitting directly on the slabs. 
You don't need posh, shop bought ones - anything will do - bits of timber etc. 

Pauline 7

I use off-cuts of timber as 'feet' for all my pots 

Busy-Lizzie

Gosh, shows the difference between being in Scotland and Yorkshire, @Fairygirl and @Pauline 7. I'm in SW France and rather than feet for drainage I often use plant saucers to stop too much drainage. Plants in pots here can dry out very fast when it's hot.

Pauline 7

In Yorkshire we need umbrellas for our pots.😁😉

LG_

Yes I always think that when pot feet are suggested. I have some, but only use them for  lavender, and only ever in winter - saucers under every single one for most of the year!

Fairygirl

Same here @Pauline 7 - I don't think I've ever put a saucer under a pot 

6 out of 10 of the wettest areas in the UK are in the west of Scotland. The others being the north west of England [Cumbria] and Wales, and they reckon over 90% of 'wet ground' is in Scotland.  It's why we all have webbed feet....

LG_

While London is the driest city and the surrounding areas of Essex, Kent and Cambridgeshire are the driest areas in the UK. Such different experiences! Though they were saying on Beechgrove a couple of episodes ago (before the recent rains) that it had even been very dry in Scotland this spring. Perhaps only in the East? 

Fairygirl

@LG_ - it was certainly far drier in April than we would normally have here, but the frosts meant sunny days, which was great. Normally, we would still expect lots of rain/sleet/snow/wind  in April, which is why it takes longer to get plants growing. First half of May was more like our usual April weather, whereas May is usually a great month here. The east is often much drier than the west, as our wet weather predominantly comes out of the west, so we cop most of it 
A lot of Scotland has a similar latitude to parts of Denmark, and southern Norway and  Sweden. The north east regularly has the coldest temps in the UK. 

I believe Suffolk and Norfolk are very dry too. For such a small island, the UK has a huge range of conditions, which can make it tricky when offering advice for plants. 

LG_

I do love how we have such a wide range though  
Long live proper seasons! (I say that in hope rather than certainty though)