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Garden Gate:  Container Vegetable Gardening  |
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chicken necker
True Blue Farmgirl
509 Posts
Sherry
Eastern Shore
Maryland
USA
509 Posts |
 Posted - Jan 03 2008 : 06:06:40 AM
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I've grown herbs in pots forever, but this year I am planning to try vegetables in containers. My deck is facing the perfect direction and very large. Has anyone done this? I'm looking for sources of nice container varieties, seeds and even started plants. Any ideas?
I love deadlines. I especially like the whooshing sound they make as they go flying by. ~anon |
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KYgurlsrbest
True Blue Farmgirl
4853 Posts
Jonni
Elsmere
Kentucky
USA
4853 Posts |
Posted - Jan 03 2008 : 06:13:12 AM
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A friend of mine grew squash and bell peppers in pots. She used the side of her house with trellising to train the vines, so that they grew up and out--almost like a tree. It was like a sculpture, and she had a huge harvest--really beautiful!! Of course, it is somewhat difficult to ruin squash, but...it works, I guess it what I'm saying.
I think she just got her seeds from the garden store--picked the type of peppers and squash she liked.
I know that there are certain peas--Tom Thumb, I think, is the name, that grow in pots and produce english type peas. Check Seed Savers for those.
I usually just do hot peppers, all my herbs and tomatoes in pots. Last year was not such a good year for me container gardening, though. The drought really took a toll.
Farmgirl Sister #80, thanks to a very special farmgirl from the Bluegrass..."She was built like a watch, a study in balance ... with a neck and head so refined, like a drawing by DaVinci"...
NY Newsday sportswriter Bill Nack describing filly, Ruffian.
http://www.buyhandmade.org/ |
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Marybeth
True Blue Farmgirl
6418 Posts
Mary Beth
Stanwood
Wa 98292
USA
6418 Posts |
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lisamarie508
True Blue Farmgirl
2648 Posts
Lisa
Idaho City
ID
USA
2648 Posts |
Posted - Jan 03 2008 : 06:47:25 AM
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Actually, Sherry, I think you can successfully grow everything but corn and root crops in pots. If you are growing in pots on your deck, you don't really have a worry about keeping vining-type fruits clean when they trail over the sides of the pot. I have found though, that garden plants do not do well in pots with heavy soil, so you'll want a light potting soil. But then this also poses a problem with drying out in hot and/or windy weather. If you can, use plastic pots or paint clay pots to prevent evaporation through the pot. Cover the top of the soil with some kind of mulch. You still may have to water twice a day depending on the weather.
Farmgirl Sister #35
"If you can not do great things, do small things in a great way." Napoleon Hill (1883-1970)
my blog: http://lisamariesbasketry.blogspot.com/
My Website:
http://www.freewebs.com/lisamariesbasketry/index.htm |
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catscharm74
True Blue Farmgirl
4687 Posts
Heather
Texas
USA
4687 Posts |
Posted - Jan 03 2008 : 09:02:45 AM
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I am "building" a garden on my deck this year. It gets full sun pretty much all day- so perfect for growing things. I am doing tomatoes, peppers, maybe I will try the peas, and I am still debating what else to put out there. The porch is about 10 feet wide by 5 feet deep. I can build up to have a depthness of 14 inches of soil. The good thing is the sprinkler system here hits out porch on one spot, so less watering for me!! : )
I had neighbors who grew a ton of vegetables in a small 6 x 6 plot of dirt. They had tomatoes, peas, squash, cucumbers, peppers, radishes, carrots and 2 types of lettuce. It was all jammed in there but it worked for them. She is not much of a gardener but mulched and "fed" the plants of lot of good organic soil every 2 weeks. I am going to try it myself.
Cheers,
Heather |
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sleepless reader
True Blue Farmgirl
1022 Posts
CA
USA
1022 Posts |
Posted - Jan 03 2008 : 11:25:29 AM
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I have had good luck with using "Earth boxes" for growing basil (like crazy), peppers and tomatoes. I like them because they have a reservoir you fill. Very easy and water wise. They are pricey and there are others similar on the market that may be less so. Good luck!
Sharon
Life is messy. Wear your apron! |
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country lawyer
True Blue Farmgirl
1022 Posts
1022 Posts |
Posted - Jan 14 2008 : 09:41:00 AM
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I read up about those EarthBoxes and they sound super. So....I went to the website to order an earthbox to give it a try.
Wowzer, the shipping is what kills me.
Any other recommendations for containers? |
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BarefootGoatGirl
True Blue Farmgirl
1495 Posts
Corrine
North Carolina
USA
1495 Posts |
Posted - Jan 14 2008 : 09:49:16 AM
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I use just about anything that will hold dirt...tin coffee pots, old chicken waterers, pots and pans, etc. last year i even took an old charcoal grill and unhinged it making two pots, then spray painted them white. my favortie pot is deffinately the heavy plastic "look like terra cotta" ones as they hold moisture better than most, but they are expensive.
corrine
It sounds so good to hear myself laugh. --Rascal Flats, "No Reins" |
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Garden Gate: Container Vegetable Gardening |
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Container Vegetable Gardening
