spurred by the insane costs of eating organic produce, I'd really like this to be the year I start growing some of my own. I rent, so I don't really want to dig up my yard, and in addition I don't trust the soil at all.

things I'd definitely like to be able to pluck at will: tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers (hot, maybe bell?), and herbs. lots of herbs.

does anyone have any resources, recommendations, or anecdotes on getting started? I realize there is a plethora of information on the webs, but I thought I'd get some discussion started here.

3/14/2012 10:31:53 AM

This could more than likely go into the gardening thread.

3/14/2012 10:33:03 AM

message_topic.aspx?topic=622761 ???

3/14/2012 10:33:23 AM

DAMNIT GUYS

THROW IT IN THE TRASH

[Edited on March 14, 2012 at 10:34 AM. Reason : i am a worthless, lazy member of TWW. ]

3/14/2012 10:34:08 AM

Google "earthtainer" I've made two and will be making more this year.

3/14/2012 8:08:44 PM

Don't worry about the big thread, I'd be happy to give some container-specific advice

Generally, the smaller the fruit, the easier to grow in containers. Cherry tomatoes do VERY well. Cucumbers are viney, so they will need a trellis to climb. I used Alibi, "pickling" variety that produced prolifically. Pick them when they're small and look up how to make refrigerator pickles, it's very easy and you don't have to boil the jars or anything. Best pickles I've ever had in my LIFE!! Jalapenos and other small peppers are pretty easy to grow, I've never had luck with bell peppers in a container. If you like eggplant, I've had Japanese or Ichiban eggplants do well in a container.

Herbs ... The good news is, they don't need fertilizer! IMO, herbs are tastier when they've had a hard life Pretty much all herbs are easy to grow in containers. My #1 recommendation is basil. (I use "sweet basil" because it has big leaves, Thai basil and others have tiny leaves that are just a pain to pick) Rosemary is another good one, and can live through the winter in Raleigh. Parsley, mint, oregano, and dill are easy to grow and versatile for cooking.

In general, herbs are a pain to start from seeds. I would just go by Home Depot and buy all the herbs, vegetables, and containers that your heart desires! The bigger the container, the better. And make sure you have enough sun. Vegetables need at least 6 hours of sun a day, herbs can survive on less.

3/14/2012 9:36:41 PM

^ do you have a cute single sister?

3/14/2012 10:04:10 PM

^^thank you so much! You are awesome.

3/14/2012 11:52:53 PM

I wish that I had something to add. I want more of a green thumb

3/14/2012 11:56:18 PM

Quote :

"peppers (hot, maybe bell?), "

Hot peppers, at least the few I've tried to grow, do fairly well in containers. The only problem I had was that I used Miracle Grow and they didn't turn out nearly as hot as they should have. Seems like I read somewhere that you should use fish emulsion (wtf?) as or more likely with other fertilizers.

3/15/2012 8:49:21 AM

lol yeah fish emulsion is basically just a fish smoothie. Plants love it though.

3/15/2012 9:00:09 AM

I guess I can buy it at Lowe's or Home Depot?

3/15/2012 9:13:48 AM

Yep they sell it in jugs and you mix it with water before applying. I have a watering can I use just for applying that stuff. Be warned it STINKS.

3/15/2012 9:52:59 AM

Before you run out to home depot and buy all the plants, soil and containers you need,
you must really make sure these last two elements are right to succeed... the container and the planting medium. these two elements greatly affect whether the plant will have the proper amount of water or die due to excess or insufficient water during the summer.

the pot needs to have a hole in the bottom that is large enough to drain the entire pot easily. you can drill holes in the bottom of plastic containers. If the hole is too big, you can lose soil so blocking it with some rocks is a good way to prevent this and slow the escape of water from the pot. Oversized saucers can help keep a little extra water during the summer, but make sure the soil is drying some before re-watering. most species will not do well with water always standing in the saucer.

The pot also needs to have a certain shape to promote proper draining. this is probably best demonstrated visually.

GOOD POT




BAD POTS








The ideal pot is much wider at the top than the bottom, like the traditional plant pot.

The first of the "bad pots" is too wide at the bottom. water will surely collect there and may drown the plant or encourage fungus. In the 2nd picture, the pots have straight sides but this is still not ideal. The third picture is of a shallow bowl-like pot. the pots need to be at least as tall as they are wide. This shallow bowl will also not drain well, but it also may dry out too quickly. pots with the ideal shape create a column of water in the potting medium, and plant roots can access both air and soil.



The second issue is potting medium. you don't want any SOIL in your pots at all. we need air and moisture, not heavy sand and silt which will become compacted. Ingredients you want to see are sterilized compost, peat, bark/cocofiber, vermiculite, perlite, and maybe some sand if you know the plant needs especially good drainage. NO soil or dirt!!

I've used seed-starting medium with silica gel that absorbs water and slowly releases it with good results some of my very large/sensitive containers.


containers require at least daily waterings during the hottest months. probably morning and evening if you want plants to produce, not just survive. you might consider putting more sensitive plants in an area which receives shade at least part of the day. if you decide a plant needs more sun, move it out slowly, just a few inches a day so it can adapt to stronger light without getting burned.

3/15/2012 11:22:55 AM

Quote :

"Herbs ... The good news is, they don't need fertilizer! IMO, herbs are tastier when they've had a hard life Pretty much all herbs are easy to grow in containers. My #1 recommendation is basil. (I use "sweet basil" because it has big leaves, Thai basil and others have tiny leaves that are just a pain to pick) Rosemary is another good one, and can live through the winter in Raleigh. Parsley, mint, oregano, and dill are easy to grow and versatile for cooking. In general, herbs are a pain to start from seeds. I would just go by Home Depot and buy all the herbs, vegetables, and containers that your heart desires! The bigger the container, the better. And make sure you have enough sun. Vegetables need at least 6 hours of sun a day, herbs can survive on less."

this and the rest of her post is spot-on. I started herbs last year and I'm in a townhouse and can't dig up my yard either. I've been pretty successful at growing throughout the winter but starting from seed - even with grow lights - is a total pain in the ass. it's cool to try but out of a dozen seedlings, very few survive. It is sooo much easier to go to the farmer's market and buy a bunch of them for cheap. they'll even make deals with you if you buy a bunch at once. I had used miracle grow potting soil and had mixed success. I talked with a farmer at Indigo Farms in Calabash and he actually took the time to show me exactly what they do to start seeds and/or transplants. I bought some soil from them that has a lot more perlite in it and it has made a huge difference. I also bought fertilizer concentrate that I mix in with my watering jug, and have had good results so far.

Basil - my seedlings are doing pretty well and I had about two out of twelve come out pretty strong. last summer I got a wonderful red basil from the farmer's market that did excellent and even survived indoors through the winter. Basil is easy to clone. Basil is also a water-stealer so you can't have many in a single pot, and you can't have it with other plants because it will choke them out. It has a wonderful aroma and can be used in cooking just about anything. definitely the most versatile herb for cooking (which is why I started gardening to begin with).

Cilantro - I have had terrible luck with cilantro - the seedlings died quickly and the transplants I tried last summer didn't do well either. They hate being transplanted but I'm going to try again this summer.

Vietnamese Coriander (cilantro) is very easy to grow, takes over very quickly (keep it separated) and is viney so you can put it in a hanging pot or whatever you want. you have to trim the leave frequently because the younger leaves are much tastier. EXTREMELY easy to clone. put a few cuttings in water and in about three days they'll have long roots and you can plant them. This stuff grows like weeds.

Mint - easiest herb to grow. explodes early and will take over a whole garden. keep it separate. Reasonably easy to clone and it's not really picky and can survive in partial shade or cooler temperatures. Peppermint is better to grow indoors because it's got a more concentrated flavor and you don't need to use as much of it and it's much more compact.

Rosemary - for some reason I have had trouble keeping rosemary alive indoors. others have had success but I find it to be a picky plant. I got a big one from the FM and left it outside and it's done well so far. I LOVE rosemary and make rosemary potatoes often.

Dill - another easy to grow herb, although my seedlings all flopped over and died when I transplanted them. I'd get this one from the FM. I plan to grow my own dill and cucumbers and pickle them as nerd chick mentioned.

Sage - my sage has done very well. pineapple sage has an amazing aroma but I have not tried cooking with it yet. my traditional sage has also done very well potted indoors.

oregano - this one actually did very well from seed and continues to thrive. there are several varieties and the seeds are tiny so you can just throw them in the pot and cover with a thin layer and they'll do well. I used italian from seed and bought some hot and spicy from the FM. it grows pretty slowly though.

I also got some 10-gallon containers to grow carrots and onions in, respectively. I've just planted them a week ago so I'll update their progress in the main thread as they grow. I've started seeding a variety of peppers and tomatoes and will plant them in 10+ gallon containers when they come up and it gets warmer. I heard that Good Friday is the rule of thumb for planting summer veggies but you may be able to get away with planting them now since it's been such a warm winter.

I also plan on doing cucumbers and some blueberry plants and strawberries this summer as well.

Remember my experience is very limited, but this is what I've found so far. wolfpackgrrr is an excellent person to ask about anything gardening.

the main things to remember about herbs are they don't like wet feet (i.e. they need very good drainage). they do well in shitty soil and don't like to be overwatered. they need a lot of sun. the only reason mine did ok indoors was I have a bright south facing window and have them on a table to take full advantage of the light.

and just because I like putting up pictures of my garden, here's my set up right now. I'll be moving them outside (as I have this week) very soon when I'm sure there won't be another frost - although it seems unlikely but you never know.



also, those long planters closest to the window are not very good for herbs, but I had bought them last summer not knowing that and just use them because of how well they fit in that space. I use them for cloning and transplanting more than anything.

Pots don't have to be the generic plastic or terra-cotta ones and I've found it fun to hunt for them. Most of them are beautiful ceramic ones and I've found them for cheap as hell on craigslist, at various gardening centers, marshals, home goods, tjmax - places like that. They do need the hole in the bottom, however and you need to make sure they drain well - sometimes the saucers at the bottom retain water and wet their feet and kill them so be careful using those if you can.

[Edited on March 15, 2012 at 2:44 PM. Reason : lots of words]

3/15/2012 2:41:33 PM

Also I forgot to mention, you can get a lot more milage out of your basil if you pinch off the tops while they are well-established but still young. That makes them bush out and grow. Here's a pic to show my nice leafy basil from a few years ago.



And here's the Ichiban eggplants. It's a beautiful plant, especially the stately, purple veined leaves. And that is only a 3 gallon pot! I usually try to put tomatoes and other veggies in a 5-gallon.

3/15/2012 6:25:05 PM

hey, we had a whole 10+ page thread on this in 2009! here's a page with a bunch of pics of nerdchicks, mine and others container gardens from that year

http://thewolfweb.com/message_topic.aspx?topic=563384&page=4


my kumquat tree is a lot bigger than that now, i had to change the pot. left most of the plants in NC, sigh.

3/18/2012 12:47:14 PM

That thread was a blast from the past. I miss that balcony. It got insane sun.

3/18/2012 8:36:44 PM