i want to container garden and know nothing about gardening

[meg-momto2]

here's my situation-
i'm in Atlanta and it looks like i'm zone 8. i live in a rental home that is up for sale. we get sun on our driveway from about noon to 6pm and lots of room for containers. i have very little funds to start with but i have nearly 20 empty 4lb yogurt tubs i can use. i'd prefer to be as close to organic as possible. at the very least no GMO seeds. i'd like to compost as well but it needs to be portable. i will be traveling from this weekend until Aug. 3rd but DH will be home after July 18th and can water.

so, how can i do this? is there something that i could grow well in the yogurt tubs? i'm not against getting some larger containers i just need to be able to move them to a new house when the time comes. would organic soil or seeds be better? can you point me towards some good websites or book recommendations?

[HerRoyallHighness]

Compost is easy. I compost in a couple of big plastic storage bins - could be very portable if need be. My compost project is about three years old now and it's grown to the point where it needs a more permanant situation than the bins, but so far it's been fine in there. I started it by punching drainage holes in the bottom (and air holes in the lid if you are going to use it - you might want it if you are going to move it around) and putting in some old potting soil, newspapers, and kitchen scraps, and it grew from there. I compost anything paper or plant-derived - no animal products except for eggshells. Once the bin gets to be about half full, start another. For us, it takes about a year to get to the point where we need another bin.

Plants are not too picky about what kind of container they grow in, as long as they have what they need - nutrients, water, enough room for their roots. Yogurt tubs should be fine, as long as you put some drainage holes in the bottom. You can even bury the whole thing in the ground, if you find that you don't like the way the plastic tubs look, and then take them up again when you're ready to move.

Go to the local nursery or greenhouse and look (and/or ask) for some annuals that like sun. Even if you aren't getting sun until noon, you're still getting it when it's most intense and anything that wants a sunny location should be happy there. Herbs would be a good choice, too; most herbs want lots of sun and do well in pots, plus they can be pretty useful around the house. If you want something that will tolerate getting a little thirsty, vinca, portulaca, and geraniums would be good choices to start with.

[ms.shell]

Also, you can get big pots from nurseries. They used to give them away, but their price has increased dramatically, and so now they will want you to pay...i got some real big ones, at least 10 gallons, for $1 apiece. Yogurt tubs will be good for seedlings, but veggies will need room to grow, so I think you must get bigger pots.

You should definitely do it, tho. You will enjoy it and learn lots. I am only concerned for you about the time frame of now being the heat of the summer. You will need to be watering them every.single.day for a while....if they dry out they will not thrive. And you won't find the best selection in garden centers right now. What I can think of to try as seeds right now are zinnia, basil, marigold, peppers....you might have fruit by frost and then you could bring them inside or shelter them and have lots of fresh bells for holiday cooking. Tomatoes, too, maybe. I would say buy whatever herbs you can find growing in pots, strawberries if you find them, in addition to my seed recommendations. Especially get a Rosemary Bush and love it well and you will see it grow every year. If you see Pineapple Sage, DEFINITELY try that one. Like I said, don't neglect them, containers especially will need water every day in the heat. Good luck!

[meg-momto2]

thanks ladies. i should have clarified i want to grow edible plants. herbs were already on my list. i do have room in my sunny kitchen to start seeds. i just checked my yogurt tub dimensions and they're 6x6. how long could i expect something to grow in them? can someone recommend a place to buy seeds? compost tub sounds perfect and transportable. i think i'll take a trip to a nearby nursery tomorrow.