Container Gardening

[simple girl]

You can get some ideas of the types of plant supports you can make yourself with a little ingenuity and the right supplies.

Gardener's Supply Company - Search Results

Some of these are very expensive, but the long term durabilityand quality is a tradeoff to the cost. I own an expandable pea fence, and several of the upright single plant supports. I used to make my own and finally spent the bucks.
No buyer's remorse.

Ooh, I'm enjoying looking at those products in that link...thanks!

 

[freebird5825]

Ooh, I'm enjoying looking at those products in that link...thanks!

You can substitute inexpensive coated 4' yard fencing for these products. Use a pair of wire cutting shears, some coated florist's wire, maybe a metal hanger of 2 or 3, and have fun.

I just bought some faux bamboo and the connector set at the link. I will use that for all of my veggies in the Earthboxes.
My existing supports will still be used in the open garden.

 

[simple girl]

So after more research I found this system (The Barefoot Gardener: No, You Don't Need A Loom) which we felt we could implement rather easily and cheaply. We also would be able to dismantle and put it away easily every year. Spent $16 on the wood and modified the system (using diagonal lines) for how our plants are arranged. Seems like it will work - we'll see!

 

[samclem]

So after more research I found this system (The Barefoot Gardener: No, You Don't Need A Loom) which we felt we could implement rather easily and cheaply. We also would be able to dismantle and put it away easily every year. Spent $16 on the wood and modified the system (using diagonal lines) for how our plants are arranged. Seems like it will work - we'll see!

Looks good. What holds the sticks upright?

 

[simple girl]

Looks good. What holds the sticks upright?

DH was able to screw them into the pallets that the containers are sitting on. Hopefully they will be sturdy enough, guess we will find out as the plants grow...

 

[freebird5825]

Cucumber Mania

I filled both of my Earthboxes yesterday. Filet bush bean seeds were planted in one, and the other holds my Bushmaster cucumber plants grown indoors under a grow light. The seed packet indicates that Bushmaster cuke vines will only grow 2-3', perfect for vertical gardening in containers.
It is now warm enough at night to keep the cuke plants out in my plexiglas protected screened porch.
I am waiting for the snap-on connectors for the faux bamboo poles to arrive. I have the faux bamboo poles in hand. Then I shall construct a growing trellis for them.
My tomato plants are a bit leggy in spite of trimming them back twice, so I may buy some sturdier nursery plants when the time comes to plant in the standard round oversized containers.

 

[Corporate ORphan]

Finally got DH to put chicken wire up to protect the plants from the bunnies multiplying in our neighbors year. It felt great watching one come right to my rose bush and then go up and down the fence before giving up! (Did you know rabbits love the leaves? They were eating ever last one! WE watched them get on their hind legs and eat our neighbors the leaves off the low hanging branches)

Now the weather has turned a little cooler (lows in the 40's at night) and I fear my tomato plants don't like it. A couple of them are drooping. Anyone ever experienced that about a week after you plant tomatoes?

 

[freebird5825]

Finally got DH to put chicken wire up to protect the plants from the bunnies multiplying in our neighbors year. It felt great watching one come right to my rose bush and then go up and down the fence before giving up! (Did you know rabbits love the leaves? They were eating ever last one! WE watched them get on their hind legs and eat our neighbors the leaves off the low hanging branches)

Now the weather has turned a little cooler (lows in the 40's at night) and I fear my tomato plants don't like it. A couple of them are drooping. Anyone ever experienced that about a week after you plant tomatoes?

You can cover yer little 'maters with anything plastic and tall enough to not squish the tops. A plastic milk carton with the bottom cut away, a simple cheapo dollar store wastebasket, or a metal tomato cage with a tall kitchen garbage bag stretched over it are very simple solutions. If you don't have tomato cages on hand, use sticks driven into the ground in a circle and cover with any type of plastic bag.
The warm ground will radiate heat and keep those little babies toasty.
Remove the protective coverings during the day so they can breathe and do their photosynthesis thing.

 

[veremchuka]

Finally got DH to put chicken wire up to protect the plants from the bunnies multiplying in our neighbors year. It felt great watching one come right to my rose bush and then go up and down the fence before giving up! (Did you know rabbits love the leaves? They were eating ever last one! WE watched them get on their hind legs and eat our neighbors the leaves off the low hanging branches)

Now the weather has turned a little cooler (lows in the 40's at night) and I fear my tomato plants don't like it. A couple of them are drooping. Anyone ever experienced that about a week after you plant tomatoes?

They do that and typically recover. Depending upon where you are located it may be too early to put tomatoes out. It does not pay to put out plants that need warm soil and warm nights too early because they'll do nothing until it warms up or they'll just die. Putting out tomatoes here now would be asking for trouble, hey 2 weeks from now would be too early!

 

[Corporate ORphan]

You can cover yer little 'maters with anything plastic and tall enough to not squish the tops. A plastic milk carton with the bottom cut away, a simple cheapo dollar store wastebasket, or a metal tomato cage with a tall kitchen garbage bag stretched over it are very simple solutions. If you don't have tomato cages on hand, use sticks driven into the ground in a circle and cover with any type of plastic bag.
The warm ground will radiate heat and keep those little babies toasty.
Remove the protective coverings during the day so they can breathe and do their photosynthesis thing.

Thanks so much for the suggestion! I will try it tonight. Maybe I can save them. One this morning looked really pathetic but it is suppose to be warmer today and sunny (it's been rainy and cooler for the last few days). I will try covering them at night until it warms up more.

I have lived in this area all my life but I still get the gardening bug when the weather warms up early (we have had a 90 degree day already!) and start planting too early. Luckily this year it didn't snow in April.

 

[veremchuka]

Here is something I came across that may be of interest to some.

How to Turn a Pallet into a Garden

 

[simple girl]

Update: my garden is doing really well overall. At 4 weeks post planting, I have my first green tomatoes, and buds/flowers on my cucumbers, peppers, and squash. Issues so far - one of my squash plants died (the other is flourishing), and I found black gnat-like flies on the underside of my cucumber plants. I looked up natural pest control techniques and sprayed the plants with a mixture of soapy water and oil. That did the trick for the bugs, but today I found two of the leaves partially blackened and dried up. I'm thinking perhaps we put too much soap on, and it burned the leaves in the sun? Other ideas? I don't think it's going to kill the plant. I will need to lighten up on the soap amount in the mixture next time, if the bugs come back.

 

[samclem]

That did the trick for the bugs, but today I found two of the leaves partially blackened and dried up. I'm thinking perhaps we put too much soap on, and it burned the leaves in the sun? Other ideas? I don't think it's going to kill the plant. I will need to lighten up on the soap amount in the mixture next time, if the bugs come back.

Hmm--I had some cukes with a few little bugs, I did nothing, and the leaves, one by one, turned all black and crunchy over a two-week period. That was the end of my cucumbers. I never found out what it was, and I hope you have better luck. I don't think you caused damage with the soap.

 

[simple girl]

Hmm--I had some cukes with a few little bugs, I did nothing, and the leaves, one by one, turned all black and crunchy over a two-week period. That was the end of my cucumbers. I never found out what it was, and I hope you have better luck. I don't think you caused damage with the soap.

Guess I'll just cross my fingers and see...I did research the bugs online and could not figure out what they were. Most people referenced cucumber beetles. These were not beetles - definitely looked more like gnats..

 

[simple girl]

New little baby squash, cucumbers, and yellow peppers this week in my garden. So cute - can't wait to eat'm!

 

[Ronstar]

I just dragged my containers out of the garage after a long winter. This one was stored behind my boat, and I hadn't seen it since October when I took out the flowers and moved it indoors. An oak tree sprouted during the winter with no sun or water. I need to find a place to transplant it.

 

[freebird5825]

I transplanted 4 seed grown Roma tomato plants into large round containers, now happily sitting on nice sturdy plant dollies. I planted some edible pod snap peas into a medium container. I am using a metal tomato cage for the supporting trellis for the peas. I will plant some more peas in the open garden [-]if it ever[/-] when it stops raining.

I had some fun with the faux bamboo and the connector set I bought a few weeks ago. I started with 5' lengths and built a nice frame for my Bushmaster cucumbers to climb up. Give me a tape measure, a hacksaw, a file, and some snap-on swivel connectors and this is what happens. Ta daaaaaaa

 

[simple girl]

I had some fun with the faux bamboo and the connector set I bought a few weeks ago. I started with 5' lengths and built a nice frame for my Bushmaster cucumbers to climb up. Give me a tape measure, a hacksaw, a file, and some snap-on swivel connectors and this is what happens. Ta daaaaaaa

Nice! It's so fun watching cucumbers climb UP. The garden I grew up with was in the ground, and I just remember them going all over the place.

 

[freebird5825]

For anyone who needs this info....the coated hollow steel poles were very easy to cut to length and the connectors were a piece of cake to use. I filed the cut ends to avoid cutting myself when it comes time for picking. I arranged the horizontal and cross pieces so it is completely self-supporting and very sturdy.

Faux bamboo poles
Faux Bamboo Poles | Buy from Gardener's Supply

Connectors
Faux Bamboo Swivel Connectors | Buy from Gardener's Supply

 

[freebird5825]

1 month later

It is amazing what some sunshine can do for plants. Here is my mini garden 1 month later.

Regenerated geranium slips and jalapeno peppers
Tomato Alley (2 bush container types + Roma)
Cucumbers climbing and just forming teeny tiny cukes
Sugar snap peas in a tomato cage, escaping on the right side
Garlic and another tomato plant

 

[freebird5825]

And....Filet bush beans in 2 successive plantings

I think I'm practicing for growing a balcony garden in my eventual condo.

 

[simple girl]

It is amazing what some sunshine can do for plants. Here is my mini garden 1 month later.

Regenerated geranium slips and jalapeno peppers
Tomato Alley (2 bush container types + Roma)
Cucumbers climbing and just forming teeny tiny cukes
Sugar snap peas in a tomato cage, escaping on the right side
Garlic and another tomato plant

Looking great! I want to do sugar snap peas next year - love those!!!

I think I'm practicing for growing a balcony garden in my eventual condo.

Smart! And as you can see, you can grow quite a bit on a balcony or deck!

 

[freebird5825]

Looking great! I want to do sugar snap peas next year - love those!!!

Smart! And as you can see, you can grow quite a bit on a balcony or deck!

Thanks!
Growing the peas in a container is an experiment. The tomato cage is pretty tall, so all they need to do is wrap themselves around the cage tiers and do what they do best. I herded them away from the porch railing and back where they belonged, the little rascals.
Picking them will be interesting - I'll have to feel for them in the dense vines.
I have 1 Earthbox left to fill. I will plant some standard garden peas in that remaining Ebox in about 3 weeks.

 

[simple girl]

Thanks!
Growing the peas in a container is an experiment. The tomato cage is pretty tall, so all they need to do is wrap themselves around the cage tiers and do what they do best. I herded them away from the porch railing and back where they belonged, the little rascals.
Picking them will be interesting - I'll have to feel for them in the dense vines.
I have 1 Earthbox left to fill. I will plant some standard garden peas in that remaining Ebox in about 3 weeks.

Please keep posting your progress and/or issues with the sugar snaps - it will help me for next year.

BTW, I motivated my next door townhouse neighbors with my "jungle garden". They said they have been admiring it and decided to start two planters of peppers. Oh, and I checked out this book from the library, which so far is pretty good - for anyone who is interested in container gardening:

McGee & Stuckey's the bountiful container : a container garden of vegetables, herbs, fruits and edible flowers [Book]

 

[freebird5825]

You can read the first 79 pages of McGee & Stuckey's book (TY for the link ) for free here

McGee & Stuckey's the bountiful ... - Google Books

Amazon has a Container Gardening for Dummies for the Kindle for $9.99 here

http://www.amazon.com/Container-Gar...?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1309215456&sr=1-1

I think I will download the Kindle version. I am an experienced gardener, but new to container gardening. This will give me something fun to read until Mr B gets back.

I intend to continue some container gardening indoors when the climate turns to winter here. I will use grow lights indoors, using shop light fixtures I already own. I grow some of my own seedlings indoors, so all I have to do is put together a lightweight frame that will allow for taller plants. I have plenty of left over faux bamboo that will w*rk perfectly.