Container Gardening

[PammieD]

I think it's awesome that it's possible to grow such a wide variety of edibles in containers. I wish I had a greenhouse and a few spare acres, unfortunately I have only a balcony. If you are stuck with containers only like me, I would try to grow whatever saves you the most money, or whatever you enjoy eating the most. Cutting my own basil will save me a few bucks compared to buying the little plastic thing from safeway, potatoes I could probably buy for less than the price of dirt.

Couldn't agree more about growing edibles that will save you the most money. I also look at the convenience of having it on my own balcony vs going to the store. I always find that I go to the store, buy a pepper or two, some cherry tomatoes etc in anticipation of eating them over the next few days, and then something inevitably happens and produce always goes into the garbage. I'm all about trying to grow the stuff that I can snack on or keep on the vine until I'm ready for it. Cherry tomatoes, going to do snow peas again next summer etc. Just pluck and munch!

[nightlite]

Couldn't agree more about growing edibles that will save you the most money. I also look at the convenience of having it on my own balcony vs going to the store. I always find that I go to the store, buy a pepper or two, some cherry tomatoes etc in anticipation of eating them over the next few days, and then something inevitably happens and produce always goes into the garbage. I'm all about trying to grow the stuff that I can snack on or keep on the vine until I'm ready for it. Cherry tomatoes, going to do snow peas again next summer etc. Just pluck and munch!

AND it tastes better. It is absolutely shocking how much better home grown vegetables taste when they're not covered in pesticides you have to wash off. I just plucked some lettuce for a salad and I swear to you I didn't need dressing. I felt like Oh is this what lettuce is supposed to taste like? It's making me planning on doing some container lettuce buckets all winter long indoors in the kitchen against the window light.

[Mystic]

I had another thought that would promote good health and cut out the price of expensive herbs:



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7vIhEvnex14

http://ripe6.net/2012/05/13/how-to-d...r-herb-garden/


You could also use a grow light in your kitchen to grow the herbs all year long.

http://www.mygardenaccents.com/herb-...r-herb-garden/

http://www.compostguy.com/category/indoor-gardening/

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v_p4t...eature=related

[Big Pink]

I have an Aero Garden, too. Love it... but my pump broke!

I got tired of perennials not coming back in my containers. I built a step stand, using storage containers as planters. It worked!

I used semi-transparent containers, and it has come in handy to monitor moisture in the soil.

The hanging planter on the right of the photo came with pansies in it a couple years ago. I'm trying it with cherry tomatoes this year. You can't really tell from this photo, but I've also got three full size tomato plants, chives, lettuce and snap peas are the vine in the back. I'm even trying to grow some millet for my birds but I don't think there's enough sun.

[Tweetybird999]

Just throw in some black dirt. Nasturtium do not like nice light soil.

GoJays,

Could you please tell me what soil mix you used for your nasturtiums and how often you water them ? I'm growing a bunch of them and the ones that have access to the ground (broke the bottoms of the containers) seem to be doing fine... but the ones in containers keep getting yellow leaves or simply remain stunted. I keep trying to rotate them trying to figure out if they want more sun, less sun... I read these plants didn't like much watering or rich soil, but I'm having the hardest time figuring them out.

ETA: My mix is 1/3 perlite - 1/3 sand - 1/3 compost . But this mix was used for my sweet potato bed last year so the compost should be spent, not too rich.

[Ciel]

Regarding nasturiums-I used to have them in a kind of stacking container, not strawberry pots, but each level had 3 pockets for planting. Had potting soil in the container and yes, the leaves tended to yellow (could have been the full sun in morning and early afternoon location as well). I figured maybe too many flowers are having to get food and somehow the leaves can't keep up so I trimmed off the affected leaves and thinned the flowers.
Come July or August, the nasturium stems were covered in tiny black flies like they were at homecoming or something. I made certain not to bring the flowers in when the flies were obvious-too hard to remove them!

[Tbites]

Regarding nasturiums-I used to have them in a kind of stacking container, not strawberry pots, but each level had 3 pockets for planting. Had potting soil in the container and yes, the leaves tended to yellow (could have been the full sun in morning and early afternoon location as well). I figured maybe too many flowers are having to get food and somehow the leaves can't keep up so I trimmed off the affected leaves and thinned the flowers.
Come July or August, the nasturium stems were covered in tiny black flies like they were at homecoming or something. I made certain not to bring the flowers in when the flies were obvious-too hard to remove them!

I had actually planted my nasturtiums as a companion plant for my tomatoes and a few other veggies because aphids apparently love nasturtiums. The fact that the plant is also edible was just a bonus.

[GoJays]

hmm.. haven't seen an aphid around yet.. maybe too hot for the little suckers

[GoJays]

here are a couple of containers



tomatoes are finally starting to ripen


first cucumber

[Ciel]

GoJays, you have corralled cucumber sprawl! Wow, that veggie cage seems to keep cukes tidy and looking good!

[GoJays]

lol!! I should take a picture of the full thing so you can see what i did

[GoJays]

Ignore my poor dead lawn.. I'm a firm believer in not watering it just to keep it looking pretty.. it's dormant, it'll come back when it gets rained on. Anyway, I bought these little trellises from the dollarama and tied them together at the top



You can see the cuke in the right corner of the planter.. the other plant in there is my watermelon.. the pea-sized one that I took a picture of a few weeks ago is long-since shrivelled up and died but there's a new one on there about the size of a small walnut.. not sure where it's going to grow if it makes it that far.. I guess I'll cross that bridge when I come to it

[Mystic]

My newest container is loose Spinach, pretty shortly I will be able to have fresh Spinach salad daily. Seriously this type of gardening is easy and fun!!

[cowgirlmama04]

Nasturtiums thrive best on neglect I have found, Mine are in full sun in a sub-standard dirt that I had left over from my planters last year, I would fertalize them for the first couple of weeks that they grow and then I left them alone. Didn't water them unless they are starting to droop and they are blooming profusely now some of the leave have gone yellow but they are working on flowers instead of leaves. My DH says that if I plant anymore flowers, he is moving because our acreage smells too girly :D

[tobiwobi]