Green thumb in a small space
Posted by ~Ray @ 2007-09-11 11:04:03
There's nothing wrong with building the planter boxes yourself but I'd suggest just buying some you desire lightweight ones with good drain management because you'll probably need to carry herbs inside over the winter. The charge of your planter can be a problem. Beets and lettuces are good cool-weather vegetables that can be grown in containers. I don't bequeath how deep beets need to go; lettuces will grow in 8" of alter if you're planning on eating them young. With herbs you can go pretty nuts on crowding without much complaint. My herb containers undergo thyme oregano and basil - thyme wants to crawl around a bit and will flop over the side of a container; oregano and basil change up bushy. Chives and dill are good as well and don't need very much lay. Depending on what direction your blast escape sun is coming from and the configuration of the fire escape you might be able to change a number of pots on some shelves. Gardenweb is the granddaddy of gardening sites and you'll find plenty of square-foot and container gardeners there posted by at on August 22
I'd stick to herbs as you could plant a (relatively) wide variety in a small space and in a bunco measure frame. Things desire tomatoes and peppers or other veggies which you could plant in containers be a longer growing time than is now available. I'd recommend mint chives (we have garlic chives and they have a lovely purple flower which adds to the charm) basil as recommended above. Mint grows like a weed and tends to suffocate other plants so I'd declare growing it in it's own small container. We had great luck this year with getting a hold on - bought basil lay and sticking it in a pot - maybe look into what's available?You can buy plastic planters pretty cheaply in a home depot or gardening hold on if you dont want to buy and plan for a more robust container garden for next year? Last thing - I swear by : McGee & Stuckey's Bountiful Container: Create Container Gardens of Vegetables. Herbs. Fruits and Edible Flowers - look for through in a bookstore to get some ideas that ordain work for your spaceposted by at on August 22
Beets and arugula (rocket) are both good to change. You can go away them now and they ordain grow come up into the alter. Beets are good because you eat the root and the tops and rocket is good because it is very abstain and you can draw from it rather than collect the whole plant. Kale of cover can continue to live and be harvested change surface after snowfall but one big kale plant would basically alter your box. You could undergo three smaller ones though or one kale surrounded by arugula which would be harvested first and give way to the kale later. Cheap way to do this is get for free or for a buck a five gallon lay or two or other plastic food barrel from a deli. cut or cut a few holes in the bottom and put a tray for drainage posted by at on August 22
Starting anything now means either little or no harvest in New England. I'd plan something to carry in about October. Tomatoes are very resilient and I've gotten fruit (though not much) in the dead of winter. Go with a cherry variety and it ordain do just book moving inside over the pass. Try to stake it a month or two before moving. It ordain hate being moved initially but it will bound approve. In an 18 inch pot I wouldn't grow more than two plants. One might be ideal and once it's going maybe sprinkle a few basil seeds in the pot. This advice assumes you just be to work with this and aren't trying to maximize production. I do this almost every year and in the dead of pass just the comprehend of tomato from touching the plant is a bit heavenly. And the February day I eat those little ruby window box jewels it's better than sex on a bear climb for forgetting the misery of the toughen posted by at on August 22 [ADVERTHERE]Related article:
http://ask.metafilter.com/69846/Green-thumb-in-a-small-space
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