RE: Container Gardening Help (Full Version)

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uponeagleswings -> RE: Container Gardening Help (6/28/2008 5:54:30 PM)

You're brilliant Zippy, thank you! We actually are in Maricopa county- that covers Phoenix and all of its suburbs- basically most of the population of AZ. It looks like there is a planting season here in late August. We're talking about starting some tomato and pepper plants from seeds to try and transfer outside once it cools off.
If we want to do 100% containers (our dirt isn't generally good for digging in), what sort of size containers are we looking at needing for the plants? I have a 32 qt. rubber-maid container that's wide and shallow. I think its about 7" tall- is that tall enough to start seeds in, or to do something like lettuce?



agapetos -> RE: Container Gardening Help (6/28/2008 6:13:19 PM)

The depth of the container depends on what you want to grow. It should be find for most lettuce and starting off seeds (though you may want to think about getting something that's only a couple of inches deep as it saves on the compost). You will need to be careful not to overwater them though (unless you punch holes in the base of it).

I've got my plants in old storage boxes and bags (similar to the bags compost comes in. I've heard some people will use the really good quality (tough) black bin bags to grow potatoes in too! I've also got hanging baskets.



HisCovenant -> RE: Container Gardening Help (6/30/2008 8:16:11 PM)

I think I may have just discovered that I have green aphids on my yellow squash blossoms. I'm looking online for solutions and am not finding information that I can really understand, so I am hoping you all can educate me/help me. I guess I should just go to the local nursery tomorrow. Is it OK to take the bugs in a ziploc bag? Where do you purchase things like "good" insects? Or do you attract them? I'd prefer to be as organic as possible in my solution.



pumpkin -> RE: Container Gardening Help (6/30/2008 10:39:30 PM)

aphids hate soap. I would spray my plants in a soap/water solution if I were trying to go organic in nature.

Yes, it's ok to take the bugs in a ziplock bag... probably on a leaf or petal or something... to the store. I've done that a couple of times with things, and the local gardening center has been helpful. I did that at Lowe's once too... and they were helpful as well.

They can also tell you the organic treatments for such things.



agapetos -> RE: Container Gardening Help (7/4/2008 6:09:32 AM)

quote:

aphids hate soap. I would spray my plants in a soap/water solution if I were trying to go organic in nature.
I agree with the weak soap/water solution. I have also read that a strong squirt of water directly on the bugs will do the job too.

My new raised beds arrived today ~ and I have the compost too[:D]. And I have teeny tiny cabbage seedlings[:D][:D]



uponeagleswings -> RE: Container Gardening Help (7/4/2008 5:03:47 PM)

We now have sprouts of basil, peppers, lettuce, and one little tomato sprout. They're currently in a container in our bathroom window. The goal is that when it cools down they'll be big enough to separate into containers and put outside.



agapetos -> RE: Container Gardening Help (7/5/2008 6:43:33 PM)

I have a courgette[:D][:D][:D]. I'm so happy! Doesn't take a lot[;)]

I've put both my raised beds down. My sprouts are in one and I've put one of my cuc in another. I'm going to sow some fennel in some of it tomorrow.

We've had a crazy day weatherwise and it's going to continue ~ rain, sun, wind (gale force)[:'(]. I want sun.

Lady that lives a few doors down is a Buddist. She saw me today as I was in my garden and we were chatting and she asked what the copper rings did. I told her they deterred slugs and snails. Her response? 'Oh, so you don't have to kill them. That's good.' I chose not to upset her and tell her that I went out with a salt pot at night!



HisCovenant -> RE: Container Gardening Help (7/5/2008 11:34:39 PM)

Very gracious and merciful, Aga!



agapetos -> RE: Container Gardening Help (7/8/2008 11:00:36 AM)

The crazy weather is set to continue this week. I've put my aubergine in a bed. Not sure it it's going to appreciate being moved at this time of year, but never mind, I think it needed doing. It's still under a cloche but I may need to put it under another one.

My neighbour looks after a little boy and he came outside when I was in the garden so he helped me pick 3 pea pods. He, my neighbour and I ate the peas straight away ~ I think we had 4 each! They were so good though.

I've got flowers on my cucumber plant[:D]. This is the one that sowed at the end of Feb. I'm so pleased. I've grown it under a cloche and while I've thought about removing it, the weather is telling me not yet!

A couple of the tomato plants have been slightly damaged in the rain, but not the main stalk or the one plant that has tomato flower buds on it, thankfully.

It's all very exciting![:D]



HisCovenant -> RE: Container Gardening Help (7/8/2008 3:51:56 PM)

Is it still frosting there?

Things are going well here. One tomato isn't producing tomatoes. It flowers, but I don't see any fruit.

My eggplant still isn't doing well. It's less than 2 inches tall. It's kind of funny. I look at it and think about what a miracle it is that the rest of the garden isn't stunted with my record with houseplants!

It's rained here, but not enough to damage the plants. The spring is when we have trouble, with lots of hail that can hurt the smaller plants. We get afternoon showers that are pretty gentle about once a week. I'm still having to suppliment because of the full sun.

This isn't your first gardem, Aga? How do you keep the excitment? I keep thinking how sad it will be next year when my garden isn't a miracle to me, but normal. I know myself well enough to know that I will take it for granted at some point. How do you avoid that?



agapetos -> RE: Container Gardening Help (7/8/2008 5:00:53 PM)

I did grow some stuff last year, but the weather was terrible and even experienced gardeners came away with very little ~ but I did get tomatoes! I guess that while the weather is still a bit iffy (no frost, lots of rain though) the things I'm growing are much further along than they were this time last year. Other than that, the last time (which was the first time) I did any veg garden was in '97.

I think that I'm in a far better place mentally has helped a lot too. Last year I don't think I really cared that much.

I think the keeping the excitement comes from watching something that you grew from seed or bought as a young plant develop and grow and produce something that I can eat. In '97, my courgettes flowered but didn't produce any courgettes. This year I have at least 1 (I think there's another there too!). Last year, I killed my cuc seedlings. I learnt why (overwatering) and now I have flowers. I haven't figured out about fertilising them as they're under a cloche but I'm sure that whatever I do this year, I won't do next year if I don't get anything![:D]

It's not just gardening, it's learning, exploring, enjoying. It's coming to this thread and being excited for someone else that they've got something growing (and sharing and hoping someone has the same excitement for me). It's learning from others and being able to share the little I know (like the mint thing) with others. It's learning to know that I can do something and learning to know that I can deal with failure as well as success.

It's learning to care about something and so care more about myself. It's an outlet for me. I can talk with my neighbours and friends (even my mother) about my garden when I sometimes can't talk about anything else.

Not sure if any of that makes any sense...



HisCovenant -> RE: Container Gardening Help (7/8/2008 5:19:26 PM)

That makes perfect sense. I like what you said about how caring for something else increases your care for yourself.



agapetos -> RE: Container Gardening Help (7/8/2008 7:12:18 PM)

Thanks!

I posted a couple of pics in my blog (link in my siggy, post #120). The other pics weren't being terribly cooperative (or I'm too tired) so I'll post more another day.



HisCovenant -> RE: Container Gardening Help (7/8/2008 9:04:52 PM)

Looks healthy! I LOVE your wall. Wasn't your house built in the 1600's? That is amazing to me. The contrast of the stone makes the green of your garden even more beautiful.



uponeagleswings -> RE: Container Gardening Help (7/9/2008 12:26:39 AM)

At what point do we need to start thinking about repotting the larger plants (peppers and tomatoes), and how do we go about separating them?



agapetos -> RE: Container Gardening Help (7/9/2008 12:05:11 PM)

quote:

Wasn't your house built in the 1600's?
Yeppers, 1668. I love the wall too. The gardens were actually simply a place to store coal and wood ~ there was another area that was provided for people to grow veg ~ sadly this has long been sold off.

Funny thing happened today. Someone knocked on the door and it was a delivery guy with a large parcel for me. I signed and took it in and opened it. It was a raised bed! Dug the paperwork on it and it clearly stated on it that all they should have sent out was 2 corner pieces. They sent the whole thing![&:] I called them up and explained the situation. They were really nice (I think it helped that I had to shoo Munchie away from chewing the end of the phone and told the lady this cos she was chuckling) and told me under the circumstances (they goofed) I could keep the whole thing FREE if I wanted. I confess to being a bit dubious but I accepted. I can just squeeze it in.

quote:

At what point do we need to start thinking about repotting the larger plants (peppers and tomatoes), and how do we go about separating them?
I separate and repot when I've got at least 4 'true' leaves on them. I tend to buy those pots where the roots can grow through and will fall apart. Not sure where exactly I read it but for tomatoes and cucumber I read that you should increase the size of the new pot gradually to avoid causing stress to the roots. Someone gave me some pepper plants in a pot and they didn't look very happy (nor did they do much so I actually potted them into a smaller pot and while still small, they seemed to grow faster!

First pot for my plants was about an inch square, second one about two inches square. After that I put them in a plastic pot that was slightly bigger and then, when the temp was ok, I put them in their final pots. I guess it depends on how big your plants are now though.

The earlier you separate them the better though as the roots will start to tangle.

Don't handle the plant stems, especially if they are small ~ the stems can be easily crushed and once damaged the plant may die ~ use the leaves. You may loose a couple of leaves but that's ok. I tend to water my plants the day before repotting (read it somewhere!).

And when you repot, you can put them plants into compost up to just below their 'baby' leaves. I was sure that doing that was going to kill my tomato plants off but it seems to work!

I moved my two hanging baskets so one would be more exposed to the rain (saves me watering it) and found what I think is a cucumber plant growing out of the compost[:D]. I've decided to leave it there to see what happens.



HisCovenant -> RE: Container Gardening Help (7/9/2008 3:56:42 PM)

Lucky you, getting the raised bed!! Dh had to build mine from scratch.



agapetos -> RE: Container Gardening Help (7/10/2008 10:41:55 AM)

Yeah, but I had to buy the others! And yours probably have more character than mine! Was thinking of the question you asked about maintaining interest. The other thing you can do is to grow some totally different veg that you haven't grown before, different varieties or hmmm... now there was another idea but it ran away from me[&:].

I bought some cloches earlier this year and I put one together (they clip together) and decided that I didn't like it. I decided that my aubergine could really benefit from one of this kind though and so dug another out, read the instructions, put it together and then realised that I'd put it together incorrectly (as I had the other one). I undid it and reconstructed it and it looks so much better. Doesn't give my aubergine much more room, but I figure any little helps.



HisCovenant -> RE: Container Gardening Help (7/10/2008 8:25:28 PM)

I could grow them in a different way... like out of the bags.

I thought a cloche was a glass bell that kept the plant hydrated and protected. That's not gelling with your description of putting it together. Is a cloche what I think it is, just there are different varieties besides the glass ones... or am I just mixed up?



agapetos -> RE: Container Gardening Help (7/11/2008 2:56:17 PM)

Nope, there are different varieties. These are what I was putting together, though I do have some more traditional looking dome (bell) shaped ones too. Now I've figured out how to put them together properly, I fully intend to use 'em next year for a lot of my plants, before the last frosts!



uponeagleswings -> RE: Container Gardening Help (7/11/2008 5:10:54 PM)

I'll admit I've never heard of a cloche, nor seen anything like that. It looks like a miniature greenhouse though.



agapetos -> RE: Container Gardening Help (7/11/2008 5:28:38 PM)

quote:

ORIGINAL: uponeagleswings

I'll admit I've never heard of a cloche, nor seen anything like that. It looks like a miniature greenhouse though.

Yep... not sure the landlords would be too happy with my building a greenhouse![:D]



HisCovenant -> RE: Container Gardening Help (7/11/2008 5:34:26 PM)

I recall my grandfather making a terrarium in a 2 liter coke bottle when I was little and I always associate a cloche with that... even though my glass idea wasn't the same.

Your cloche is cute!



agapetos -> RE: Container Gardening Help (7/11/2008 5:50:38 PM)

My cloche is cute now it's put together properly[:D].

I've never made a cloche from a drinks bottle, but I've heard it can be done and some can be sophisticated with little air vents and such.



agapetos -> RE: Container Gardening Help (7/14/2008 12:24:33 PM)

I cut my first courgette.[:D][:D] Not sure what I'm going to have it with, but I couldn't resist!

The property I live in needs regular checks. Today the landlord arranged for the 5-yearly inspection (to make sure there was not structural damage given the buildings age), the check on the smoke detectors and then to have some work done on the water tanks done. They came and did my tank and I saw my landlord (he has to hang around unlocking doors for people who aren't in) and he said that the engineer would come round within 10 minutes. Sure enough, someone knocked on my door ~ but it was a delivery guy with my 'greenhouse' (pvc one). Took me a minute to figure it out.

Will put it together tomorrow probably ~ and will probably put some of my tomato plants in it, maybes a cuc too.

I've got a strawberry ripening nicely. I looked at it closely yesterday and it had a hint of red. Today it was obviously red from a couple of metres away.



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