Question about growing a SMALL garden

[jkeeley1]

Ok, I have never tried to grow my own food before and was thinking I might give it a try, here's the thing. I live in a second floor apartment on the shady side of the building. Am I S.O.L.? is there any type of veg, potato, herb that needs very little sunlight that I can grow in a small space (like a window box or small pot)? I was looking at the burpee seed rack in the Home Depot and the only thing that didn't need full sunlight was spearmint. I'd like to do this on the cheap, I cant afford an ellaborate hydroponic contraption.

 

[M1911]

I live in a second floor apartment on the shady side of the building.

Yes, you are screwed. You need sunlight.

Check to find if there are some community gardens near you where you can use a plot.

 

[green_metalflake]

2nd on the community garden. Or, you can do some guerrilla gardening (look it up). Perfect if you have no usable space of your own.

 

[Kaos116]

you can do some guerrilla gardening (look it up). Perfect if you have no usable space of your own.

I did this when I was in the same predicament as the OP. I planted a small garden right in back of my parking spot. Surrounded by plants that hide a 4'x2' tomato garden. I'd open my trunk when I did anywork to it and it hid me from the rest of the apartment building. God I am glad I moved.....

 

[glostamon]

Question about growing a SMALL garden

Question for all of you w/GREEN thumbs
I want to stay on thread topic,different question:
Is it safe to use P.T.(pressure treated/ground contact) timbers when constructing a raised garden (consumables) planter box? Are there health conserns with eating produce grown in these structures?
Please advise.

 

[coastie]

You should not use PT. I had some raised bed I made with regular 2x8s and they lasted 5 seasons before starting to rot.

 

[M1911]

Question about growing a SMALL garden

Question for all of you w/GREEN thumbs
I want to stay on thread topic,different question:
Is it safe to use P.T.(pressure treated/ground contact) timbers when constructing a raised garden (consumables) planter box?

NO! No PT. Use red cedar. It will last for years, but is not full of chemicals.

 

[MasterShinken]

if you're interested in growing your own veggies and such, theres something called an aero garden that's available. it's a hydroponic system that had built in lighting. grows stuff quite quickly and is great if you like to cook.

ETA: heres the link: http://www.aerogrow.com/

 

[glostamon]

O.K. No P.T. timbers- Thanks

One other question on my first "Victory Garden"

Is it advisable (safe)to attempt to grow Tomato Plants in clean plastic 5gal. pails?

 

[M1911]

You'll need drainage holes in the bottom. 5 gallon may be a bit small for the root balls. Why not buy plastic plant pots instead?

Btw, tomatoes can be really finicky to grow. They are very susceptible to cold (don't put out until Memorial Day), fungus, etc.

 

[M1911]

You should not use PT. I had some raised bed I made with regular 2x8s and they lasted 5 seasons before starting to rot.

I used cedar 4x4 10+ years ago. No rot.

 

[glostamon]

I have numerous 5gal. pails "In Stock", Im considering drilling holes in the bottom & using the metal stakes w/rings also (free-bees)
I was thiking about purchaing the tomato plants(seedlings).
This will be my first attempt w/ a Victory garden.

 

[gillis51]

5 gallon pails will work fine. Check the variety you’re growing and make sure they do well in containers. Other varieties will grow but will be stunted a bit and will only produce a fraction of what they would in full soil. Make sure you add fertilizer on a regular basis and plenty of water.

 

[pernox]

I have numerous 5gal. pails "In Stock", Im considering drilling holes in the bottom & using the metal stakes w/rings also (free-bees)
I was thiking about purchaing the tomato plants(seedlings).
This will be my first attempt w/ a Victory garden.

I have done this. It works.

Put large-ish rocks at the bottom, and make sure you're working with a good, compost-rich soil. Add worms, too, whenever you come across them. That will help keep things from packing too tight. Also, stake the damn things even if the label says "NO STAKING NEEDED!!!!" - I lost a great looking plant due to not staking last year. [sad2]

As for the PT wood, I had access to some railroad ties a while back, and while I decided against using them, I was going to tack some 1/4" plywood on the inside of each beam, at soil level, when using them. Assumption being that by the time the plywood had rotted into uselessness, the chemicals would already have leached out of the wood. Just my $.02 - you'd of course be "guaranteed" safe with cedar. ...And it smells nice.

-edit- I see that you already mentioned staking. I used the metal posts with the ring at the top, and hated them. Wound up tying the plants off anyway, with strips of nylons. I won't be using them again.

 

[matt]

You'll need drainage holes in the bottom. 5 gallon may be a bit small for the root balls. Why not buy plastic plant pots instead?

Btw, tomatoes can be really finicky to grow. They are very susceptible to cold (don't put out until Memorial Day), fungus, etc.

+1 I've never had good luck with tomatoes... though I keep trying. I need to find a better (read: more sun exposure) location this year. Cherry tomatoes do great in containers on the deck.

For the OP: Lettuce and other greens will do well in a window box I bet. We do it every year and a small patch keeps us in salads all summer, until it gets too hot and the lettuce croaks. This year we're trying it in containers so we can move it out of the sun in the heat of summer.

 

[glostamon]

What container grown veggie is the "Easiest" for a newbie?

+1 I've never had good luck with tomatoes... though I keep trying. I need to find a better (read: more sun exposure) location this year. Cherry tomatoes due great in containers on the deck.

For the OP: Lettuce and other greens will do well in a window box I bet. We do it every year and a small patch keeps us in salads all summer, until it gets too hot and the lettuce croaks. This year we're trying it in containers so we can move it out of the sun in the heat of summer.

 

[stixnstones]

OP, have you approached the landlord about placing a small garden/window box on the sunny side?

 

[pernox]

What container grown veggie is the "Easiest" for a newbie?

I've grown green beans in five gallon buckets - four plants per bucket, spaced evenly around the edges, and they produced like mad. Hard to kill, green beans.

 

[M1911]

+1 I've never had good luck with tomatoes... though I keep trying. I need to find a better (read: more sun exposure) location this year. Cherry tomatoes due great in containers on the deck.

Tomatoes need full sun. Cherry tomatoes are apparently some of the easiest tomatoes to grow.

 

[Mousegirl]

You can def grow tomatoes in a 5 gallon bucket. A good soil and drainage holes and you're good to go. And I second what M1911 says...hold off on planting until late May. I've lost a lot of window boxes and what-not because of rainy May and cold nights.
Good luck!

 

[glostamon]

You can def grow tomatoes in a 5 gallon bucket. A good soil and drainage holes and you're good to go. And I second what M1911 says...hold off on planting until late May. I've lost a lot of window boxes and what-not because of rainy May and cold nights.
Good luck!

Welcome to NES Mousegirl!
Thanks for the advise,I'll wait awhile.
Maybee the topsy-Turvey (as seen on T.V.) is for me!

 

[jkeeley1]

OP, have you approached the landlord about placing a small garden/window box on the sunny side?

no, probably not worth it since the landlord is equity international and they only have a rep on sight every other tuesday. I think what I am going to do is plant a garden out in a secluded wooded are behind my parents house in middleboro. I can tend to it frequently as I am there a few times a week.

 

[green_metalflake]

Is it safe to use P.T.(pressure treated/ground contact) timbers when constructing a raised garden (consumables) planter box?

Well covered previously, resoundingly NO. Same for using reclaimed pallets anywhere near a garden. They are usually dunked in anti-bug chemicals. Fine to burn, not so fine anywhere else.

Onto raised beds, yesterday my son & I cleared out our old small 4x4 raised beds. I've settled on 3' max width as easier to work from either side. Even though I can still touch my toes, mostly, leaning over to get to the middle of the 4' bed was a bitch. We used cedar purchased 3 years ago. Bugs have definitely eaten into it. Not sure what but termites do look like the culprit. Even bug eaten they would last a few more seasons. That said, the new beds will be made from pine 2x10's and will each be 12' x 3' running E-W. I would imagine I will get the same life from pine as I would cedar, at much lower cost. The cost to build cedar beds the same dimension is way beyond what I want to spend. Way beyond. The nice thing about raised beds of course is that I don't have to worry about my stone filled New England yard. I bury it and laugh.

On tomatoes, this will be year 6 and I've learned a lot. Soil, sun, fertilizer, & the correct amount of water. Cheat & buy established plants too, less care, more tomatoes. The cherry tomato plant I got a Lowes last year delivered pounds of them. It got full sun (8+ hours) and was right by my front door so I remembered to fertilize 1x each week while it established in the big pot. Ones that got less sun still produced but the tomatoes were smaller and less of them. Don't use the same soil each year either. If you have 2 plots, tomatoes on one & something else on the other. Re-fertilize at the beginning with what is required for the specific plants. On water, too much leads to split skins. Still edible but they look like crap. Soil should feel just dry before you water. In July & August that is usually every few days. For fertilizer I bought Miracle-Gro for tomatoes (looks like pink sugar) and it worked well. Mix a tablespoon in a gallon of water and go.

Back to guerilla gardening, do you know your terrain? I mean, have you really walked it in day & night to see what is there? I live in a residential 'burb ~30 minutes out of Boston but it is just amazing the amount of hidden & unclaimed spaces you can find just by walking around. Spaces that never or rarely get seen by anyone, even the dog walkers. Figure everyone on the M-F, 9-5 schedule has the same focus each day and isn't looking outside of their routine. Much of the space therefore is never seen because it is never looked for. I'd bet within 150-300' from your place you can find a number of places to grow that are covert. Just don't plant more than you can care for on (1) trip. Assuming you do this, each time you visit you want to pack in everything you'd need such as enough water. If you have a huge garden you won't be able to care for it in one trip and will have to go back again & again. Repeated trips to one spot will attract attention. Better to have multiple spots and a weekly rotation. Not that I've put much thought into this......