Container, Balcony, Patio & other urban "small space" gardeners - Page 9

[EarthsSpiral]

I am gathering my supplies currently for our spring garden, still too cold to plant (I assume! I don't know much about gardening ). I'd like a garden that is more aesthetically pleasing but seeing as this will only be my second attempt at growing vegetables and we rent our home I'm sticking with free 5ga buckets from my DF's work.

[Indigo73]

: I have seed packages piling up. Course we are getting more snow tomorrow but I am getting excited. We are rearranging the kitchen a bit so I have a couple feet of space to start some seeds in the coming month or so.

[goodygumdrops]

Hi...I want to join in here. This will be my first year container gardening. I just moved to South Florida from Seattle, WA so the climate is VERY different. I am building 3 earthboxes out of 18 qt containers. I also eventually plan on having a 64 qt earthbox.

I would like to grow the basics, peas, beans, lettuce, tomato, zucchini...and carrots. I wonder if Ill have enough room to do all that in three boxes...their about 2 1/2 feet by 1 1/2 feet.

I just started a post about building the boxes. I have almost all the materials I just haven't figured out if I want to build 6 the hard way or 3 the easy way...

[CariOfOz]

I have no idea how much you can fit in that space goody! All you can do is try

I've got containers going with tomatos, capsicum and herbs. I put my zukes in the ground (I stole part of the garden bed from the palms lol) Everything is growing great, we've had WAY too much rain the last 10days or so though so my tomatos are starting to curl a bit and get black spot on the leaves *sigh* Must find some sort of safe fungal treatment before it takes them out. Suggestions anyone?? The tomatos are about a metre tall now

My zukes are getting nice & bushy and have a few flowers even! Man I'd be stoked if I can get these do to well, cause we are some zucchini eating people in this house They've had an issue with slugs making lace of a few leaves but I think I'm keeping ahead of it.. going to make a beer trap when it stops raining

[captivatedlife]

bump

[Indigo73]

It's been warming up in the afternoon, but most of the ponds are still frozen.

Ugh... it's so hard to wait. I think I am going to have to "hide" my growing stack of seeds for the next couple weeks.

I do have a small stack of paint buckets I need to bring to my dad's house so we can drill holes around the bottoms for drainage.

Anyone ever make hypertufa troughs? I really want to try it out.

[Indigo73]

That is funny Kim, I just came over to bump this thread.

[SeekingSerenity]

Okay, new here and not sure what I'm doing...

I'm in a duplex in central Texas. Usually our climate here is, well, hot and dry for most of the year. Pretty humid sometimes, but for the most part warm. We've had less rain and it's been WAY warmer than usual this year, and the spring-like weather has me really chomping at the bit to get some green things growing. I have to do containers though, because this is a rental home and there's no place to plant in the ground.

I'd love to do some herbs, some peas and beans, maybe tomatoes and peppers, but not sure what would work best or what kind of containers I need to look into. What about onions, garlic, radishes? I get super-good sun in the afternoons from the west, and can shade anything on my side porch which faces south.

Any suggestions from all you wonderful, experienced container-gardenin' mamas would be SO appreciated! THANKS in advance!

[lucifugous]

I'm also new and interested. Not sure about keeping the space free; we have a small kitchen & don't really have extra counter space. There is some space, but no real light-giving windows , & there would be "hazards" to any plants, LoL. Like things are always being moved around to access different appliances and we have a roommate (my BIL) that would probably not even notice if he flattened a little seedling. Then there is the small back porch area, which is close to 6x6 feet. We have a little table & chair out there and some shelves on the North wall, the window is West-facing, and I can make room on the shelves. Perhaps closest to the window they would catch some light. The only problem with that space is that it is the same condition as the outdoors. The window is super flimsy (snow even comes in) and we have a weather-proof door between the porch & kitchen. We live in Chicago, so the growingn season is limited.
It would be possible to have some things out on the porch for the warm season and then take them inside. But it would have to be small, maybe even stackable during the winter. Anyone with similar climate restrictions, what do you grow? Herbs would be nice, &/or some produce would be even better if it's possible!

[Indigo73]

SS, this is what my "garden" looked like last year.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/myindig...7604990355433/

I did beans, tomatoes, zuchinni & cukes in 5 gallon buckets with bamboo & twine cages. Radishes were done in a big salad bowl. And I had a few herbs in smaller pots on the porch.

[SeekingSerenity]

Originally Posted by Indigo73

SS, this is what my "garden" looked like last year.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/myindig...7604990355433/

I did beans, tomatoes, zuchinni & cukes in 5 gallon buckets with bamboo & twine cages. Radishes were done in a big salad bowl. And I had a few herbs in smaller pots on the porch.

OMG, that's awesome!!!

[AlwaysByMySide]

Anyone doing any upside down veggies/fruits? I'm going to attempt to do an upside down tomato with herbs on the top, and I'm trying to decide whether or not to buy the bag thing that Park Seed has (haven't seen it at any brick and mortar stores yet) for strawberries.

[CariOfOz]

Originally Posted by Indigo73

SS, this is what my "garden" looked like last year.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/myindig...7604990355433/

I did beans, tomatoes, zuchinni & cukes in 5 gallon buckets with bamboo & twine cages. Radishes were done in a big salad bowl. And I had a few herbs in smaller pots on the porch.

Awesome garden! Stealing your tomato cage idea I looked at a couple of types of cages at the garden centre the other day.. but I have plastic coated steel garden stakes.. and twine.. I can do that

Originally Posted by AlwaysByMySide

Anyone doing any upside down veggies/fruits? I'm going to attempt to do an upside down tomato with herbs on the top, and I'm trying to decide whether or not to buy the bag thing that Park Seed has (haven't seen it at any brick and mortar stores yet) for strawberries.

I haven't done any upside downs yet, I've given it a bit of thought but over the last 2yrs i've had enough trouble just growing them the old fashioned way lol Don't want to go getting too creative and screw up the marginal success I'm having now

My veggie patch is doing pretty well.. As I said upthread, I had to replant all my pots after I had to be away a month & lost everything. It's been about a month since I replanted and things are growing like mad tomatos have flowers popping up, have a few capsicum (on what looks to ME to be far too small a plant to support them but i'm letting them go to see what happens) and 3 of my 4 zucchini plants have zukes starting the golden ones are about 3inches long and as big around as my thumb now! My herbs are going INSANE... I had to chop my basil way back because it was out of control hehehe.. made a nice batch of pesto with that :

I must say.. there is just something amazing about being able to eat something *I* grew myself.. even if it's just pesto

[Indigo73]

: The weather has been staying in the mid 30s to mid 40s so I've been itching to work outside. Hopefully it dries out a bit today so we can do some yard work (mostly cleaning up trash from neighboring businesses) and start prepping containers and the like tomorrow.

Sigh, I know I can't plant for another almost 2 months, but I can start getting things ready.

[Amylcd]

Originally Posted by AlwaysByMySide

Anyone doing any upside down veggies/fruits? I'm going to attempt to do an upside down tomato with herbs on the top, and I'm trying to decide whether or not to buy the bag thing that Park Seed has (haven't seen it at any brick and mortar stores yet) for strawberries.

I'm doing upside down tomato's this year too. My mother had great luck with her's last year.

[mistymama]

Originally Posted by AlwaysByMySide

Anyone doing any upside down veggies/fruits? I'm going to attempt to do an upside down tomato with herbs on the top, and I'm trying to decide whether or not to buy the bag thing that Park Seed has (haven't seen it at any brick and mortar stores yet) for strawberries.

Yes! I did this last year and it worked out GREAT. So pretty too! I made my own planters and they were much prettier than the bag thing. I took some of those pretty hanging planters that have the straw insert thing and cut a hole in the bottom of the straw part. Insert plant, dirt and herbs & you have a beautiful hanging planter!

I did tomatoes and peppers with oregano, basil and thyme on top, they were beautiful.

It's a great space saver too, we are in an apartment with a small balcony and I don't have room for lots of pots.

[mistymama]

Originally Posted by Indigo73

SS, this is what my "garden" looked like last year.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/myindig...7604990355433/

I did beans, tomatoes, zuchinni & cukes in 5 gallon buckets with bamboo & twine cages. Radishes were done in a big salad bowl. And I had a few herbs in smaller pots on the porch.

Wow, that is so inspiring!!

[AlwaysByMySide]

Originally Posted by mistymama

Yes! I did this last year and it worked out GREAT. So pretty too! I made my own planters and they were much prettier than the bag thing. I took some of those pretty hanging planters that have the straw insert thing and cut a hole in the bottom of the straw part. Insert plant, dirt and herbs & you have a beautiful hanging planter!

Home Depot had these cone shaped hanging baskets with the coconut insert on clearance when I went there to go get pond baskets for my DIY EarthBoxes. I think they were $3, and the cone is probably 18 inches long. I think I'll be able to squish a few strawberry plants into that.

I had just paid $10 a hanging basket for some from Wal-mart...and back they went!

[kmeyrick]

Originally Posted by Indigo73

SS, this is what my "garden" looked like last year.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/myindig...7604990355433/

I did beans, tomatoes, zuchinni & cukes in 5 gallon buckets with bamboo & twine cages. Radishes were done in a big salad bowl. And I had a few herbs in smaller pots on the porch.

I saw giant orange buckets at Home Depot on clearance and wondered if I should get some! Those look awesome!

[Indigo73]

: Just bumping...

The weather has been lovely and of course they are talking snow this weekend. Booo. :

I KNOW I have 4-6 weeks before I can think about planting outside, but it's so hard to wait.