|
I'm starting up a container garden. I live in an apartment and I have a small allotment of land I can use, but I can't till or dig there. I also have a small deck and a small concrete pad at my front door, all of which get decent sun exposure. My plan of attack is to use your standard plastic pots to grow herbs and flowers on the patio, and I'm going to use those large Rubbermaid storage tubs as containers for tomatoes, peppers, and potatoes. I also have enough room for a couple of small troughs which I will use for some onions. I'm posting to share my plans and get some opinions from experienced apartment gardening goons as to how this may work. My gardening experience on open land is extensive, and my seedlings are all doing marvelous ( Fennel, cucumber, eggplant, dill, basil, lavender, parsley, chives, etc.) but I've never tried to grow in containers with such limited space. My plan is to take the large Rubbermaid tubs (4lx 2'w x 2.5'd)and drill 5 drainage holes in the bottom, and 4 on the long sides and 2 on the short sides, about 4 inches up. I am then going to fill them 4" or so from the rim with a blend of topsoil, compost, spent mushroom compost ( if you can get this, or the waste products from a cotton mill, DO IT!!! Also use it sparingly, a little goes a long way), and clay. I might add a little sand if needed, and I may have access to some manure from an organic grassfed beef operation. These will be home to the peppers, tomatoes, potatoes and eggplants. I estimate I could comfortably fit two of each type of plant in each tub. I may also build some hanging tomato containers. These may serve me better and free up a container or two for a squash or zucchini (Only one of these per container). To keep this from looking ghetto my girlfriend is going to paint the outside with various flowers and bees and birds and other poo poo. I'm also going to put out a few clay pots with some various flowers and decorative plants around. I haven't decided what just yet but when they are finished and everything is going, I'll post pics. Anyway, anyone have experience with growing Early Girl tomatoes, or any variety of pepper or eggplant in containers? Any hints? is my idea destined to failure or am I on to something here? would 5 or 6 1/3" drainage holes on the bottoms of each container be sufficient? Any suggestions are welcome, I have pined for my old garden spot in northern Middle TN for too long now and I simply must taste a tomato fresh off the vine, or I will surely die. Edit: Almost forgot, anyone know any ideas fro growing cucumbers from a hanging container? good idea or bad? I might also try melons , I have some netting that would work perfect for holding nice big watermelons. SweatyMeatLoaf fucked around with this message at 08:29 on Apr 13, 2009 |
#
¿
Apr 13, 2009 08:26
|
|
|
|
| # ¿ May 4, 2024 08:58 |
|
|
kid sinister posted:Capsaicin is a skin and tissue irritant. That's why you're supposed wear gloves when harvesting or handling the peppers. The amount of irritation is proportional to that pepper's heat, which is why some people can handle jalapenos without a problem. It's also present though in a lesser degree throughout the plant, which is why I intend to put a little fence around this particular plant. this is some hidden pest control/prevention advice. Humans are the only mammals that eat peppers. plant your hotter varieties of peppers around the edges of your garden if deer and rabbits and such are a problem. they will avoid these plants like the plague. it's not a perfect solution, but I've had success with it on smaller garden plots. with very large ones it's impractical to surround the entire garden with jalapeños.
|
|
#
¿
Apr 20, 2009 20:41
|
|
|
^^^this is what I did in TN on my folks' lot. I had a huge plot, nearly 1/3 of an acre. I wanted to keep it as close to organic as possible, so I planted my peppers at the corners and edges of the plot, along with my garlic. I then sprinkled cayenne on the ground all around. lots of sneezing ensued, but there were no rabbits or deer munching my lettuce that year. the moles also avoided the area. Of course having a dachshund and 2 labs may have helped matters. I've never had blisters or skin irritation unless I was handling habaneros, or when I touched my face without washing my hands very well. It must come from growing up handling the things. to relieve the irritation I used good old noxema, which actually burns worse until you rinse it off. then your skin is left cool, tingly, and sensitive for a few hours. this also works for pepper spray (best not to ask). if you get it in your eyes, you can't really do much except jump in a cool shower and let the water run into your eyes. that woman that ate all those peppers would be well served drinking a lot of goat's milk and eating a lot of fatty or acidic foods( oh god the heartburn).
|
|
#
¿
Apr 20, 2009 22:01
|
|
|
I just re sprinkled after rains. powdered cayenne is really cheap and it's easy to mix a little in a sprayer. you can also make an infusion with the whole peppers and some water. just fill a container with water and peppers and let it set for a week. I don't suppose it could hurt to try the wax product though. has anyone here had any luck growing hanging cucumbers? I'm going to give it a shot this year, I'm thinking of using a hanging tomato type enclosure and some loose netting underneath, to give the plants support and plenty of room to grow.
|
|
#
¿
Apr 21, 2009 00:40
|
|
|
Zeta Taskforce posted:Anyone ever make potato sets and plant potatoes from a big sack of grocery store potatoes? If I get Maine potatoes, odds are they will be a good, solid, old, tried and true variety like Red Norland or Kennebec that does well in the North East. I have 8 of them growing right now. wait until the potatoes sprout eyes, cut them into sections, with one sprout per section, and plant. very simple.
|
|
#
¿
Apr 25, 2009 18:48
|
|