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f13.net  |  f13.net General Forums  |  General Discussion  |  Topic: Container gardens 0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.
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Author Topic: Container gardens  (Read 10814 times)
Khaldun
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Reply #35 on: April 28, 2015, 12:08:44 PM

I plant 10-15 tomato plants a year also. End of summer make a lot of sauce. It's the only way to get a lot of the great varietals that I really like that are never in markets (or are crazy expensive). Black Krims and Brandywines are especially fantastic, though Krims can be hard to get a good yield with.

The other vegetables that completely repay growing are beans of all kinds--they taste completely differently than what you get in market--and peas.

Herbs, lettuce and hot peppers are worth it for the convenience in terms of summer cooking, plus hot peppers of various kinds preserve well--just dry them out at the end of the summer. Lettuce you can keep cutting off the leaves while the plants are small and you'll get a continuous yield for a long time.

Squash and eggplant I'm on the fence about. Good to have but fussy and inconsistent. Zucchini are good if you take care always to harvest them very small; when they get big they're mealy and tasteless.

I'm trying carrots and radishes again this summer but the yields are usually ridiculously low. Soil has to be loose for there to be any hope at all. Pickling cucumbers are good.
RhyssaFireheart
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Reply #36 on: April 28, 2015, 12:49:49 PM

I don't have a lot of good space for more (short of digging up a fair amount of the front yard, which the husband would nix) so I'm only doing 1 tomato plant and lettuce again (fresh romaine was awesome!) plus maybe a green pepper plant.  Don't have space or containers for more, although I wish I did.

Tmon
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Reply #37 on: April 28, 2015, 06:16:21 PM

Have you considered a community garden plot?  The plots are generally big enough to grow a decent selection of produce and the price is fairly low.  They usually handle the heavy work like tilling and provide convenient water spigots for watering.  Although finding an available plot this late in the season might be difficult.  I help run a 30 plot garden and we've had a waiting list since February.   We are expanding out to 40 plots but the new plots won't be usable till next spring.
RhyssaFireheart
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Reply #38 on: April 29, 2015, 08:39:16 AM

Have you considered a community garden plot?  The plots are generally big enough to grow a decent selection of produce and the price is fairly low.  They usually handle the heavy work like tilling and provide convenient water spigots for watering.  Although finding an available plot this late in the season might be difficult.  I help run a 30 plot garden and we've had a waiting list since February.   We are expanding out to 40 plots but the new plots won't be usable till next spring.
My village does have a community garden, but like you said, it's probably all filled up by now.  Plus, it's over on the far west edge of town and I love on the far east side of town, so it's not very convenient for regular visits. 

I think this year I'm going to add some pots on the side of the garage since that gets good east/south exposure.  We have a concrete pad outside the side door (that we never use) where I can put the pots.

Tmon
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Reply #39 on: April 29, 2015, 02:40:09 PM

A friend of mine made one of these for the deck of her condo.  It might work out well in the space you are talking about.  http://www.growingagreenerworld.com/creating-a-pallet-garden-step-by-step-instructions/
veredus
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Reply #40 on: May 09, 2015, 01:16:18 PM

So I just finished building this for my mom for Mother's day. It's 6 feet by 3 feet and 30 inches tall. Pretty much just winged it but feel it turned out pretty well. Thinking when I line it I'll staple gun the liner to the top and then put a lip on it to make it look nicer.

MisterNoisy
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Reply #41 on: May 10, 2015, 12:48:24 AM

My brother just built a bunch of these using cedar fence pickets which were dirt cheap - 5/8" x 4" x 6' pickets are $1.29 each, but you'll need a planer.

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Bunk
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Reply #42 on: May 11, 2015, 08:06:25 AM

My homemade earthbox I posted last page has had some interesting results. The mixed leaf lettuce is growing like crazy and I've pulled several small salads worth so far. The beans on the other hand have grown about three whole inches, so I'm not expecting much there. Then there's the brussel sprouts. I've never grown them before and really didn't know how big they got. Yea, they get big. Growing like weeds, so I expect I might get some good results (if the whole thing survives moving across town next month).

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Khaldun
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Reply #43 on: May 11, 2015, 04:12:00 PM

Brussel sprouts grow huge and they are kind of hard to handle. Not good for your average container box, actually. Also need to be planted early spring or late late summer--they like cold.
veredus
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Reply #44 on: May 11, 2015, 05:39:54 PM

My brother just built a bunch of these using cedar fence pickets which were dirt cheap - 5/8" x 4" x 6' pickets are $1.29 each, but you'll need a planer.

That's a good idea and I may try that on the next one. Using those would probably save me $15 to $20 depending on the price I can find.
MisterNoisy
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Reply #45 on: May 12, 2015, 02:29:36 PM

My brother just built a bunch of these using cedar fence pickets which were dirt cheap - 5/8" x 4" x 6' pickets are $1.29 each, but you'll need a planer.

That's a good idea and I may try that on the next one. Using those would probably save me $15 to $20 depending on the price I can find.

He got his at Home Depot, if that helps.

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Khaldun
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Reply #46 on: May 12, 2015, 05:43:39 PM

My brother just built a bunch of these using cedar fence pickets which were dirt cheap - 5/8" x 4" x 6' pickets are $1.29 each, but you'll need a planer.

That's a good idea and I may try that on the next one. Using those would probably save me $15 to $20 depending on the price I can find.

He got his at Home Depot, if that helps.

I don't get the planer part. Why not just cut off the tops with a crosscut and sand them a bit?
MisterNoisy
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Reply #47 on: May 12, 2015, 08:38:15 PM

My brother just built a bunch of these using cedar fence pickets which were dirt cheap - 5/8" x 4" x 6' pickets are $1.29 each, but you'll need a planer.

That's a good idea and I may try that on the next one. Using those would probably save me $15 to $20 depending on the price I can find.

He got his at Home Depot, if that helps.

I don't get the planer part. Why not just cut off the tops with a crosscut and sand them a bit?

He wanted a nice finished look, to the point of miter cutting all of the visible joints, etc. and the planer let him work with nice straight boards instead of slightly wavy/warped ones.  Not really necessary with this sort of carpentry, but he's got the same OCD I do and overdesigned/overbuilt/overworked a bit.  I probably should have noted that 'a planer would make the finished product look nicer' instead.
« Last Edit: May 12, 2015, 08:40:22 PM by MisterNoisy »

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Polysorbate80
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Reply #48 on: May 12, 2015, 10:27:24 PM

I'm the one who overbuilds  Ohhhhh, I see.



That's this year's garlic crop (heirloom hardneck red variant), planted last October.  Can't see it in the terrible picture, but the one behind is asparagus.  It's only in its second year so it's not prolific enough to harvest yet.  I've currently got 8 boxes, with another 4 planned.  I also need to add bark or something for grass/weed control between boxes, it's a bitch to mow in there.

Mine are 2x6 redwood, 8' long by about 3 1/2' wide.  Fence pickets would be too flimsy for my taste.  Wet dirt is heavy, and the sides might bow.  I added the extra (possibly unnecessary) side bracing to control that, and to allow for support of the 2x4 top rail.  It's nice to have a place to put things or to sit while working.

The downside is price; they're about $200 apiece, but they're super durable.  They're also crazy heavy, but they only need to be moved once

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Lantyssa
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Reply #49 on: May 13, 2015, 07:33:44 AM

They also look awesome.

Hahahaha!  I'm really good at this!
apocrypha
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Planes? Shit, I'm terrified to get in my car now!


Reply #50 on: May 13, 2015, 08:53:41 AM

*Adds notes next to Polysorbate80 & veredus - ask for advice on building coffins for next time*

"Bourgeois society stands at the crossroads, either transition to socialism or regression into barbarism" - Rosa Luxemburg, 1915.
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