| 4 years ago :: Jul 21, 2009 - 2:14AM #1 | |
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Does anyone have one? I would like to start one. I'm mainly interested in growing vegetables/fruits. I don't know much about gardening in general. I live in Texas...very hot and humid. Any advice on what is best to grow? What kind of containers to use? Soil/Fertilizer mix? Best time to start planting? Help! |
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| 4 years ago :: Aug 03, 2009 - 12:16AM #2 | |
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Hello, I'm in Ohio, not nearly the high temps as Texas, but we are familiar with hot and humid! I have had success growing several varieties of tomatoes in containers. Last year I chose a "container recommended" variety along the lines of a Better Boy or Better girl (round tomatoes, not quite baseball sized). I used to blend my own potting mixes, but tried the Miracle Gro soil that has some timed release fertilizer and the moisture-holding pieces, and it worked very well. Since containers dry out so quickly and tomatoes love their water, it was a good choice. Unfortunately, when the tomatoes were nearly ready to pick, something came along and at them! I also grew grape tomatoes in lined hanging wire baskets - you can plant a whole cell pack of seedlings in one basket by planting a couple normally, then slicing openings in the liner (ie cocoa fiber or spagnum moss) around the sides, and insert the remaining plants. They grow down, while the others grow up. The liner helps retain moisture during the day. Again, I "cheated" and used the Miracle Grow soil. Good luck! |
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| 4 years ago :: Aug 06, 2009 - 10:30AM #3 | |
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I had successful container gardens for years. I lived in an apartment. if you are going to grow vegetables, get very, very large containers. I recommend you buy cheap potting soil and use the following mixture. 60% potting soil 20% peat moss 20% cow manure. Mix it up. You can plant all kinds of peppers, tomatoes (use varieties made for containers for best results), miniature roses, Gerber daisies really do well and create a lot of showy color in containers. To add some pleasant greenery, try some shrubs. yes, Garden shrubs. They can give a patio or indoor area a great feeling of being outdoors. They can create a very pleasant atmosphere. A fun and cheap thing to try are blackeyed peas. Buy some peas at a grocery store, plant, water and place somewhere that you can tie the vines to a fence or wall. They can be pretty. Fresh peas are so much better than dried ones that you won't believe they are blackeyed peas. I had success with tomatoes, peppers, roses, pansies, chrysantheums, daisies, salvia, blackeyed peas., strawberries Bananna peppers really do well. Ornamental peppers en mass are beautiful. They don't require very big containers. You can use children's kiddie pools to plant bedding plants. I have done that successfully. |
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| 4 years ago :: Aug 24, 2009 - 2:00PM #4 | |
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