moving, what to do about my garden

[Casha'sMommy]

We discovered we were going to have to move (staying within about an hour of our current home) by mid-august after I'd already invested about $100 into seeds and plants for this years garden. I didn't bother planting the seeds and figured I'll just put those in next year at our new house but my onions, potatoes and tomatoes are just sitting here. I have 16 tomato plants sitting in their box and I'm not sure what to do with them.

Any suggestions as to how I might still be able to grow them and move them?

fwiw, we are trying to find a place asap so that I might be able to get the plants in the ground at a new place but I'm not very optimistic at this very moment.

[artekah]

If it comes down to it you can give the plants away to friends or even strangers. When we moved cross-country I posted on Craigslist for people to come take what they wanted from our garden beds and compost from our compost pile. But then you'll know they will be taken care of and used.

[Casha'sMommy]

I know, I've already considered that I may have to do that but I can't really afford to just eat it on the plants. I invest in my garden because the way our family eats costs quite a lot and growing my own veg saves me a lot of money. So, if I give the plants away I'm going to lose what I invested and have to buy produce. This is going to eat into our food budget. A lot.

I would love to container the tomatoes but I don't know how I'd come up with all the containers! That alone would cost a small fortune.
 

[MariesMama]

Use anything you can for containers.  Go to your local recycling place - they will have a TON of black pots from landscaping companies.  Or contact a local landscaper directly.  Tomatoes are very hardy and will take a lot of moving about.  I did it a couple years ago and they thrived! 
 

[Casha'sMommy]

Originally Posted by MariesMama 

Use anything you can for containers.  Go to your local recycling place - they will have a TON of black pots from landscaping companies.  Or contact a local landscaper directly.  Tomatoes are very hardy and will take a lot of moving about.  I did it a couple years ago and they thrived! 
 

I'd been thinking about that. I posted on freecycle so far and am checking craigslist. I'll make some calls tomorrow to see what I can come up with.

Thanks for your idea. Glad to hear this worked well for you.

[prescottchels]

I've had success making my own self watering containers from 5 gal buckets that the local sub sandwich shop saved for me. They get their pickles in 5 gal buckets so most/all sandwich shops will have 5 gal buckets to get rid of on a regular basis. Also soy sauce often comes in 5 gal buckets so checking asian restaurants can work too.

If you google self watering containers you'll find a couple different places w/instructions.

You can TOTALLY take your plants w/you!

Good Luck!!

[Casha'sMommy]

Ladies, thank you so much! I so appreciate your help and you've given me hope.

Off to research self watering containers.

[Casha'sMommy]

After watching many videos online I feel strongly that I can make this work!

I already have some empty containers so I plan to make a run for soil. I think I'm going to shoot for a Mel's mix sort of a blend.
Any suggestions otherwise?

Any other suggestions before I begin?

I'm thinking of doing a few self watering containers and a few planting containers simply because I already have some containers and it'll cost that much less. With 16 tomato plants, 2 kinds of potatoes, and onions I'm going to have quite the container garden going. lol Maybe I should take pictures and blog about this one.

Thanks again and please update with any ideas or suggestions you might have.

[Casha'sMommy]

While I cannot use this in my current situation I am considering trying this next year at our new house.

This person made potato growing sacks out of garden fabric. She sewed it into cylinders and grew potatoes in them!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o9J-bUbNSK0&feature=fvwrel
 

[prescottchels]

Those tater sacks are awesome!! For the past few years I've been thinking about tires stacks for taters, but not feeling convinced they're the healthiest option to grow things in so I love love this idea! Thanks for posting it!!

My only tip about the self watering containers is to make sure you don't put the drain hole in the bottom bucket too low. When the water level is full the yogurt container should be at least an inch in the water. So measure from the bottom rim of the top bucket (where it will rest on the top lip of the bottom bucket), down to the bottom of the yogurt container-that might be like 18" let's say...then measure from the opening/top lip of the bottom bucket down 17" and that's where you'll drill a drain hole. I hope that makes sense.

[Casha'sMommy]

Originally Posted by prescottchels 

Those tater sacks are awesome!! For the past few years I've been thinking about tires stacks for taters, but not feeling convinced they're the healthiest option to grow things in so I love love this idea! Thanks for posting it!!

My only tip about the self watering containers is to make sure you don't put the drain hole in the bottom bucket too low. When the water level is full the yogurt container should be at least an inch in the water. So measure from the bottom rim of the top bucket (where it will rest on the top lip of the bottom bucket), down to the bottom of the yogurt container-that might be like 18" let's say...then measure from the opening/top lip of the bottom bucket down 17" and that's where you'll drill a drain hole. I hope that makes sense.

I agree with your feelings about the tires. I've considered the same but always steer away from them for fear chemicals may leach into my food.

Along the same lines, how do you all feel about kitty litter buckets? They're not food grade but, after posting for buckets on freecycle, a lady offered me a stack of these kitty litter buckets. Wondering, even if they're not the best bet, if maybe I can at least use them for the time being and transplant my plants. What kinds of success, if any, have any of you had with transplanting tomato plants once they're established?

Thanks ladies. You've been a tremendous help.