2013 Container Garden Plans

After an involuntary year-off from gardening, I am SO excited to finally be working towards rebuilding our deck!

This year I will have an 8'x16' deck off my dining room again, and the entire thing will be "landscaped" as a garden. Due to contaminated soil issues, my entire garden must be in containers, and due to living in a neighborhood where garden-produce becomes missiles hurled at cars by local urchins, it must all be ON my deck.

My seeds are on their way, the money to build the deck is ready & waiting for a sale on supplies, and self-watering 18-gallon bins are ready & stacked in the dining room. All we need is spring to arrive, and we can start!

Here are our plans for this year:

The only changes I've made since creating this, are to a few of the plants. Instead of purple jalapenos, we'll be planting "Santa Fe" peppers. And we're not planting zucchini after all, we'll be attempting to grow Lemon Squash on the arbor with our mini pumpkins.

We took our plans from last year and added just a bit to them, to maximize every last inch of our space. I am SO excited, this is the biggest garden we've ever planned! Can't wait to get started, and to share updates!

What is everyone else planning for this year?

 

I've always loved and respected how well you plan your gardens. They should be studied in a how-to-do-it text book.

Peace,
poor_old_dad

 

Awww, thank you BOTH!

SIPs are sitting behind the fainting-couch in my living room. Seedlings are started in egg-cartons along the kitchen counter, and I've been watching Craigslist for a secondhand Bistro set. I'm on my way!

Drumminmama... a lemon tree sounds positively heavenly. That's the one plant on my dream-garden list I haven't found a way to grow quite yet. The overwintering is a problem in my limited space.

With mint - dunno about your growing zone, but here in zones 3 & 4... it's aggressive enough to be considered a noxious weed. Might want to consider containerizing it - OR pit it up against something like chives, and sell tickets to the plant-battle of the century. The stuff is TENACIOUS!

Amusing hiccups in the care of FIL are starting to take over our lives again, but I have threatened insanity if my garden doesn't take priority this year. So far I'm winning the battle...

love,
mom

 

Around here we have acidic soil, something mint does not like. Also the summer heat isn't a favorite with mint. So I apply lime to my mint beds and leave the surrounding soil acidic, makes for a natural container. I only grow a couple mints in the ground & a few others (apple, orange, chocolate, Corsican, etc.) in containers.

A few years ago one of my farm products was to use Terracotta strawberry pots and plant a few different mints in the side holes with spearmint in the top. Worked well, looked good & sold quickly.

BTW, I really like your "plant battle" idea. Sell the idea to cable TV network or maybe PBS. Get a dozen or so plant battle combinations of 2 or 3 plants each, then use time lapse photography to see how each battle plays out over a growing season. Interrupt the replay occasionally for commentary. Maybe get some celebrity gardeners to do the growing and host some shows. Hey, there are worse "reality" shows on TV.

Peace, eace:
poor_old_dad

PS: A weed is just a plant in the wrong place. - POD...

 

I had to look up a pineapple guava. That looks WONDERFUL!

I'll have to remember the acid-trick for keeping mint in line. Maybe when I have blueberries in an actual yard I could use that to curb my mint!

And yes, I would totally watch a show on plant-battles. Well, I would if we had reception. *grins*

love,
mom

 

I've already started mine since i can't wait until the warm weather. Heres some pics




Norfolk Island Pine, ive had it for about 2 or more years



Unknown plant



Basil, Rosemary, Thyme, Sage, and Parsley



Tulips


But I can't wait for it to warm up so i cant plant stuff on my deck and grow lots of beans and tomatoes along the fence.

 

Your garden is pretty! I love the flowers. Rabbits ate the bulbs for my tulips, and I'd never thought of growing them in a container!

love,
mom

 

usually they do great, but the tulips arent doing so well for some reason. I don't know if its because of too much light so i tried moving some of them around the house. But scarlet begonias do real well under lights, i had some for a year and half that got huge. Might be able to dig up some old pics if you care to see.

although the herbs seem to have brought flies in. home and garden spray will take care of them right?

 

I'm allergic to a TON of sprays & chemicals, so all I know is organic gardening.

When you say flies - do you mean regular flies, cluster-flies, or fruit flies?

Regular flies, I just swat 'em. Cluster-flies, I've had to resort to those sticky-paper traps which were ugly and only marginally worked.

With fruit flies, which is what I get with my indoor plants, my favorite trick is apple cider vinegar in a dish with a drop of dishwashing detergent dropped on top. They'll be lured by the smell of the vinegar, and the soap breaks the surface-tension so they drown.

The biggest trick I know is a bit of prevention. A pretty pot of lemonbalm (I've also heard tansy or nasturtiums help) or my herbs near every doorway help keep flies from ever getting IN to my house! Now if I could just get my 17yo to close the door on the way out... but I suppose that's a different story.

love,
mom

 

i think they might be fungus gnats but im not sure, some bugs are crawling around in the soil of the plant i dont know the same of. The flies are all very tiny so definitely not regular flies. Wish i could be more descriptive. but thanks for the help ill try your suggestions.

 

If they are flies a pot or two of basil should do the job.

 

the basil came with the flies

 

??? Worked in San Fran, .....maybe it was something else in the air:sifone:

 

my roommate has plenty of that in the air too

 

thanks that seemed to work on all except one pesky bugger that just wont die

 

well flies are still back and i'm seeing fungus gants in the soil too. I'm guessing i'm over watering? The spray bottle and pan filled with water/vinger/soap is taking care of some but not all. Do you guys think i should abdandoned the indoor gardening and move the plants outside once it warms up enough in ohio?

Damn this is stressing me out. Ive been gardening indoors for 3 or 4 years now and never had any trouble with insects before now.

 

Fungus gnats are typically harmless and may indicate over watering. Allowing the soil to dry may reduce their numbers. Put about half an inch of sterile sand on top of the soil around plants; the gnats can't get back to the soil and the larvae can't escape.

Another thing you might try is, depending on how cold it is there and how sensitive your plants are, is to set them outside a few hours per day. In cool (45 - 55 degrees) weather most plants won't die, but bugs will sometimes look for warmer hiding places.

Unless you and your family need to do it to eat, gardening is supposed to be primarily fun. If it is no longer fun, you may be tempted to quit. But you've been doing indoor gardening, successfully I'm guessing, for a few years. And again guessing, you've enjoyed it. If you give up, you'll probably miss it and probably miss your plants.

Peace,
poor_old_dad