so who is planning what this year?

i am really interested in container gardening for vegs. article in todays paper about lettuce. good place listing for seeds in san diego and the prices are good. it is the soil and containers to get started that are expensive. gonna give some a try though.
 
Babe, I have had a container garden for 20 years and love it!

I recommend buying plants if you want tomatoes, peppers, eggplants, herbs and flowers. They take awhile to start from seed.

Radishes, beans, cucumbers, and leaf lettuces are great from seed, but if you have limited space and only want one or two of those plants, you can buy them already started (except for radishes).

Here are a few pictures of my recent gardens, and the last picture is all that was left in the fall, that I picked before a frost.

I live in a townhouse complex, where there is only an inch or so of topsoil, enough to root some grass. We are only allowed to place pots where they won't be in the way of the landscapers, so we have to be creative about what we plant, where.

Added bonus - my cat, Bud, is in two photos; my toes are in one. :flowers:

Lee



herbsearlyib8.jpg


pictureto1004091ip7.jpg

By qsis, shot with Canon PowerShot S230 at 2009-02-02

pictureto1004075it0.jpg


back40earlysummercw9.jpg


endofgardenseason2006zo0.jpg
 
I am going to try to do some plants in 5 gallon buckets. Bell Peppers, tomatoes, lettuce, bacon, cukes...
 
Lefty said:
I am going to try to do some plants in 5 gallon buckets. Bell Peppers, tomatoes, lettuce, bacon, cukes...
Click to expand...

hey Lefty I did some 5gals last year.... they are sort of a pain... hard to get them to drain right and a bit small for tomatoes/cukes.... way deeper than you need for lettuce got much better results from the cheapo plastic planters


can you send me some of your bacon seeds cant seem to find any here.... nothing better than fresh off the vine bacon:dizzy:
 
PanchoHambre said:
hey Lefty I did some 5gals last year.... they are sort of a pain... hard to get them to drain right and a bit small for tomatoes/cukes.... way deeper than you need for lettuce got much better results from the cheapo plastic planters


can you send me some of your bacon seeds cant seem to find any here.... nothing better than fresh off the vine bacon:dizzy:
Click to expand...
Thanks for the tip. I must have been thinking of a BLT :lol:
 
I've got some chives, rosemary, lavender, and sage in pots out in the back. I really ought to clear some yard and transplant the rosemary and lavender into the ground. They'll probably take off.
 
hey qsis, thanks for the advice and inspiration in the pictures. i just thought seeds offered more varieties. i will check out plants before i plant. i live in southern calif near san diego, do you think it is too soon for vegs. planting in containers?
 
i was told last fall that i'm not planting a veggie garden this year since we'll finally be putting the house on the market. hopefully.

my herbs are perennial or reseeders (parsley, sage, rosemary, thyme, cilantro, catnip, horseradish), so they'll be there for the taking.

i argued that a well kept garden looks nice and will attract prospective buyers that are gardeners, and dw saw my eyes light up when we passed a display of seeds in target last weekend, so i think i may be able to get in a few rows.

something tells me that i'll be doing a lot of weeding and straightening up at night, however.
 
Funny you should mention the perennials Tom, I actually got some basil that came up last year unexpectedly. I had replaced the area we grew them in with a rock garden which was a real surprise to see a single plant come up after regrading and covering the area with weed guard and rocks. Some tomatoes are forever too it seems. I planted one cherry tomato plant that just won't die. I even pulled out the plant roots and all only to have it back last year.
 
I'm hoping to be able to restrain myself with the planting. We didn't get time last fall to turn over more space to add on to my garden and doing it in the spring always makes me get my stuff in too late. If we don't get out there as soon as the ground thaws I'm screwed.........
My mother decided she didn't have enough room for her strawberries and brought them up here..... they took up alot of my space. I hope she realizes that once her dear grandchildren see a ripe strawberry its a goner.
 
Just ordered my seeds yesterday ( peas, tomatoes, chard, carrots, beets, soy beans, okra, pole beans ( yellow & green). cukes, scallions.

GArlic and jerusalem artichokes in the ground waiting for spring

Usually the peppers, eggplants, leeks, basil, parsley.. I get as plants since i have trouble starting them from seed.

I use raised beds and have been fillingthem up quickly. each year i find a way to expand the garden without my wife yelling at me that im taking up more of the yard.

As far as flowers go, Theonly thing im good at is killing them. Got a black thumb with flowers.

Also thinking of rearranging the pond this year and the garden around it.

larry
 
Not sure what we're going to plant, if anything. We've had really rotten luck with the tomatoes the last few years. They start going like gangbusters, the plants get big a beautiful, and then seem to start to wither and die. We end up with only a few tomatoes from each plant. We've tried a couple of different locations around the yard.. no luck.

So this year we may just have whatever manages to come back up from last year - if anything.
 
ronjohn, it sounds like you have bad soil.

maybe a hard clay layer under the topsoil that acts like a pool liner and drowns the roots when they get down that far?

tomatoes can handle less water, but too much will root rot them.
 
Thanks BT!

I've dug down pretty deep in the spot where we've had them twice now, and there isn't much sign of clay. Who knows? We do keep trying to compost in (especially with my brewing grains) so hopefully we'll get it turned around soon.

We're lucky enough that Sheila's parents live in the thumb area of MI on a fair amount of land. They have a garden that's roughly the size of our lot down in the city. So we got a couple of 5 gallon buckets of tomatoes from them last summer :)
 
When I first came to Kentucky I had a problem with growing in just some spots. I dug down a bit then got some Miracle Grow garden top soil and I've not had a problem since.
 
QSis, your cat is huge! I thought he was a raccoon. Our lot is problematic because we don't have alot of direct sun...one huge mimosa tree with a 50-60 foot canopy that shades the front yard, and a lichee tree in the back with a 30-35 foot canopy. That's wonderful for keeping our house cool in summer, however. We do have a few papaya trees that are starting to bear fruit, and our two banana trees are loaded with bananas right now that are starting to ripen. I just planted some herbs on the roof patio where they can get some sun....
 
these are what i plan on growing this year... may have a few others as well...

Caribbean Red Habanero

Caribbean+Red.jpg


Chocolate Habanero's

habanero-chocolate.jpg


Jamaican hot chocolate

41qEsdxtErL._SL500_AA280_.jpg


devils tongue

DSC05098.JPG
 
Nice peppers, we are going to plant some this year as well, along with lettuce and cabbage and leeks maybe carrots, who knows depends on what we can fit in our small garden space, LOL.
 
The Giant Mojito said:
Here was my "garden" from last year :tiphat:
Click to expand...

you know you can plant marigolds and tomatos in the same container..they like to grow together and deter bugs...

"companion gardening" is an interesting read for everyone

http://www.kidsgardening.com/growingideas/projects/mar03/pg1.html

[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Scientific research supports some of the claims about which plants make good bedfellows, but many are based on historical observation and tradition. So digging into the science and lore of companion planting can enable your explorers to conduct investigations that break new ground! [/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]If you have limited gardening space, planting companions with different growth rates or requirements can lead to a more fruitful harvest. Some plants provide support or shade that help others thrive. Plants that need lots of nutrients are often paired with those that "feed" lightly. Perhaps the most common reason for companion planting is to prevent pest problems. Specific crops (typically flowers and herbs) are believed to repel certain pests, lure them elsewhere, or confuse them. Others entice beneficial insects, birds, and spiders that have a penchant for dining on problem visitors. [/FONT]​
Click to expand...
 
Will do my usual container tomatoes we are buying a house so I ordered some self pollinating dwarf fruit trees I'm going to do my best to get them to thrive. This is what I will be getting apple, cherry, nectarine, peach, apricot. pear, purple plum a blackberry and raspberry bush. Bought a couple of books on growing them I hope I succeed.
 
We plant a lot of marigolds here also, but I never ever ever ever want to grow another tomato as long as I live. I've had zero success with them other than some cherry tomatoes which I can't kill short of weed killer. Even mints aren't as big a problem and it does grow wild in Kentucky.
 
well, since I'm lucky enough to be self employed..my buddy wants to grow a garden with my help, and can/split the harvest.
He just had his pond dredged, thats what we're planting in..Were thinking cabbages, tomato, red bell peppers and maybe hot peppers. The stuff that gets pretty expencive in mid to late winter-- red bell pepper is 4.99/lb right now.
 
I always thought that red, green and yellow bell peppers where basically the same just allowed to ripen longer. I grow jalapeños too which start out green turn kind of a yellow orange then red if allowed to stay on the plant.
 
joec said:
We plant a lot of marigolds here also, but I never ever ever ever want to grow another tomato as long as I live. I've had zero success with them other than some cherry tomatoes which I can't kill short of weed killer. Even mints aren't as big a problem and it does grow wild in Kentucky.
Click to expand...

Aw c'mon Joe... even I can grow tomatos and I am black thumbed... Won't claim my yield was great but I got some great tomatoes on my tiny patch of concrete in undersized containers.
 
It isn't me it is the location, Kentucky weather has changed in since I came here (5 years). The first year got a great crop of cherry, beef steak and plum tomatoes but since then all I get are the cherry which I want to get rid off for ever but keep coming back. The last 4 years the plants come up and look great but produce no fruit and if they do winter is here before they ripen. I get I'm not alone as several of my tenants have always gotten great tomatoes until the last 4 years.

Cucumbers, peppers (every species I've tried), basil (3 species I've tried), dill, tarragon, thyme, mint, parsley (flat leaf), scallions, chives, and egg plant grow great. I really don't grow much more for the most part. I'm growing most of my herbs and spices now using an AeroGrow planter in my garden window which works great. I have some pepper seeds I've yet to try with it but will this year.
 
Huh strange Joe... my back yard gets blasted with sun which is why I think the tomatoes came good. The best came from the plants (beefsteak) I bought at a bodega... the worst were the fancy ones from the local urban farm.

my goal this year is to grow cuttings from my great-grandparents fig tree and grape vine in the Bronx. House wont be in the family much longer and those are thriving despite years of neglect. Hope I can pull it off. I am a terrible gardener.
 
I get sun where I plant most of the day during spring, summer and autumn, so I can't say why. Just know after 4 out of 5 years I've not gotten a single tomato other than them damned cherry which I don't like particular to begin with. I have even put down a lot of fresh top soil at no light expense either.
 
Hey joec..........I'll ship you some of my tomatoes if you'll ship me your cherry tomatoes. I love cherry tomatoes, I put in 4 plants every year. I end up eating half of them while I'm working out in the garden. I also plant early girl, celebrity, Big Boys, and beefsteak. I usually get quite a crop. The only problem is you'll have to wait til mid-July early August for the crop to come in. lol

Barb
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top