Container Gardening

[chrysnblue]

I've just moved to a new apartment so I need tips on organic container gardening. There is a tree, but I still seem to get a lot of sun. At my old place I grew tomatoes and peppers with out a problem. I am looking to try organics and something that stays relatively compact. Any suggestions? Have you had success in this area? I also want some thing that is different. My kids love cucumbers, so I am thinking about a container variety.

[cercis]

Container gardening, start with a good soil and a good container. Make sure you water regularly (daily or more often, containers dry out very, very quickly).

On seed packets, look for code-words "compact" "container" "low growing".

Tomato cages work great for peppers, but suck for tomatoes (they're too lightweight for most containers).

The best peppers I've ever had are marconi peppers. The giant marconis are HUGE. And the colored marconis are gorgeous. These grow amazingly well in containers.

Tomatoes - juliet is a great small paste tomato. Sun gold or sun sugar are amazing grape tomatoes (they get up to cherry tomato size). I don't know where you live, but you can extend the season by bringing them in at night and on cooler days.

I love container gardening. It's especially wonderful if you believe in organic gardening, you don't have to worry about what might be in the soil.

For organic fertilizer - alfalfa pellets smell wonderful and provide nutrients. Eggshells are good for tomatoes. Compost (you can vermicompost almost anywhere) adds micronutrients and aid water retention and draining (seems like a contradiction).

I'm about ready to start my garden, so I'm sure it will start coming back to me.

[flash]

Cercis, excellent advice. It is very important to make sure you have container/compact appropriate plants. My DB does this, he's heavily into organic and hydroponic, with not much space.

Is there a container size cucumber plant? This is one plant that I've always had spread everywhere!

[contrary1]

There are many compact bush type cucumbers. I usually get some of them by mistake, as I've got tons of room to garden & I find an errant bush variety in the mix. They are great for small areas & containers.

I've taken to mixing my veggies in with flower gardens, even putting brocolli plants along borders of walkways. Makes for some interesting combinations and sometimes a closer walk for dinner!

[chrysnblue]

thanks for the great advice! I will try the sun gold. I have a lot less space then last year. I'll have to use hanging pots for the strawberries. Maybe one tomato, such as the sun gold and one cucumber. I have had lots of success with peppers, but we don't eat them much. Maybe a blueberry also as I heard they are really good for you.

I live in GA and start indoors around March, usually.

[katwoman]

OMG! I'm so happy someone started a thread like this.

I would LOVE to grow grape/cherry tomaotes in a hanging basket or a container and I've been reading some garden web sites but no one has mentioned a variety or seed company. Do any of you know? I don't want to sacrifice taste!

Also, how about those tomato trees or lemon tree that can grow indoors? Gimmick or for real?

[cercis]

Here's where I buy my seed: http://www.tomatogrowers.com/

I love the juliet for a small paste-type tomato. Sungold and sunsugar (as I've already said) are good low-acid tomatoes. They're gold colored. Snow white is a white tomato with a surprisingly good taste.

And if you want tomatoes for the rest of your life - yellow pear are open pollinated and will grow forever in that spot if you let just one tomato drop each year (seriously, they can be weeds).

As for trees indoors - the problem you have is with maintaining the right light levels. Plants are more affected by light than by temp (which is why the deciduous trees in my area have no leaves even though it's barely dropped below 50F). Plus, you have to have pollinators. A tomato will pollinate itself, but you have to shake it (with wind, or they sell - and I swear I am not making this up - special vibrators) or allow insects in your home.

[katwoman]

A tomato will pollinate itself, but you have to shake it (with wind, or they sell - and I swear I am not making this up - special vibrators) or allow insects in your home

Grow, dammit!

[cercis]

OMG, kat, you should have seen my face when I had to sit through that class. Next to a guy named Bob (for thost that don't know, OL vibrators are referred to as battery operated boyfriends or "BOB").

I had to pretend I was coming down with a cold.

Yes, I am so juvenile.

[katwoman]

LMAO!