Last April I announced that, this year, I would be trying to grow veggies in containers on my back porch. As the growing season is coming to an end, and since many of us grow our own vegetables, I thought I would report on my successes and failures.
Overall, I think that the results have been amazing. I tried to grow the following: mesclun salad, swiss chard, strawberries, cherry and grape tomatoes, several varieties of peppers, several varieties of cucumbers, radishes, carrots, beets, turnips, green and yellow wax beans, herbs, and zucchinis.
I was disappointed with the radishes, turnips, beets and carrots but MIL also had poor results with them in her in-ground garden so perhaps the weather had a part in it (last year she had great results with radishes and beets).
Everything else far exceeded my expectations despite lighting conditions that are far from ideal for growing veggies (our house is surrounded by a thich tree canopy which lets in about 8+ hours of filtered sunlight and only 2-3 hours of full sunlight per day). I plan on expanding my garden next year and concentrate on what grows best.
Overall, I think that the results have been amazing. I tried to grow the following: mesclun salad, swiss chard, strawberries, cherry and grape tomatoes, several varieties of peppers, several varieties of cucumbers, radishes, carrots, beets, turnips, green and yellow wax beans, herbs, and zucchinis.
I was disappointed with the radishes, turnips, beets and carrots but MIL also had poor results with them in her in-ground garden so perhaps the weather had a part in it (last year she had great results with radishes and beets).
Everything else far exceeded my expectations despite lighting conditions that are far from ideal for growing veggies (our house is surrounded by a thich tree canopy which lets in about 8+ hours of filtered sunlight and only 2-3 hours of full sunlight per day). I plan on expanding my garden next year and concentrate on what grows best.