If I had plenty of spending money, I wouldn’t need to ask this question. But since I can’t go out and buy lots of equipment, I thought I’d ask.
I do have a flower garden but I have everything from deer to groundhogs and I have only a 6x6 critter protected area, which is full of tomatoes.
Can anyone recommend ways to get lots of bang from that small area? Or maybe you can link me to a source.
And I’m in zone 5. Can anyone recommend ways to accomplish edibles in the house over the winter? Herbs count. Veggies would be a blessing!
Need advice on growing FOOD without a yard!
nilly: What do you mean by critter protected? Is that behind a fence? I might suggest self watering containers on tables or something that would get the self watering containers off the ground. It would make it harder for the critters to get to. Of course there are also other planting ideas such as the stacking planters, these can be viewed at www.instagarden.com and there are lots of threads that are showing these in use for growing lots of veggies in a very small area.
joy
Joy -
I have 5 6x6 panels of chain link fence put together (One panel has a door and 5th panel is used as a lid) on the deck.
This looks really promising: BocaBobs Commerical Veggy Producer
Thanks!
Nilly: Some people are growing quite a bit in theirs and in confined spaces too. Your welcome. Well, my stink bugs that I thought were gone aren't, they just migrated from the back yard to the front. Darn it. Now my canna lilies are getting it.
joy
Nilly: I've successfully grown herbs indoors (I'm also in zone 5) and will try lettuce this year. If you have a window with good sunlight (probably southern exposure) you can grow herbs. Your outdoor space will do well with containers...just make sure they are large enough, and use a good quality potting mix (NOT soil). I've used earthboxes, large pots (16 - 20") and Boca Bob's 5 gallon grow bags very successfully. The key is good growing medium, a steady water supply and proper fertilizer. Look at crops where you can do successive plantings--lettuce, cabbage, peas in the very early spring when it's still cool, then moving to tomatoes, peppers, eggplants, cucumbers that like the heat. Being able to get more than one crop per season is important when you have a small space. I've got a small (8' x 16') fenced veggie bed, but I've learned to tuck grow bags and planters in between my shrubs and flowers in my yard. I would recommend reading back through some of the older threads on this forum--there's a lot of good information, and a lot of people sharing their experience. Best of luck to you.
Thanks "Mom"!
And Joy - I think those vertical things are my favorite suggestion that I got so far!
Nilly: I just bought some startings for my fall garden today, spent a whopping $41 on plants, you get a flat with 9 plants for $3.99 at the local nursery, bought broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage and lettuce, all kinds, yeah I know $41 is a lot of plants, now the day after tomorrow, they go into the EBs, my friend wanted collards, mustard greens and turnips, but I never eat them and he says I need an above ground bed for them, hmmm, maybe I might get one? LOL
joy
Well, I envy your zone!
I'm going to try the herbs, lettuce, spinach, and hanging tomatoes indoors this year. I hope I can keep the house warm enough for the toms.
I can eat my weight in tomatoes on a daily basis!
nilly: I know what you mean about the toms, I love them too, and am going to miss them this fall/winter, Boca Bob and TPlant are lucky, they can start their tomatoes already, I gotta wait til Feb.
joy
New questions:
It's not so much about the containers (although you've given me some new scavenging ideas!) as it is about the yield. When I got my 6x6x6 critter proofing "cage", I also got some containers to fill it up. I'm just not getting enough FOOD out of the effort! Which brings me to my new questions:
Square foot gardening.
I've watched all 3 of Mel Bartholomew's video tapes about it, and perused some books. There's lots of time spent doing the math, and I totally get the concept. They never discuss DRAINAGE though. It looks like I can just slap together a shallow 4x4 (or 3x3 to fit better inside my cage) frame and plant it. Even when they show them on decks they are only supported by cinder blocks and things like that. So here are a coupla questions:
Won't I rot my deck?
How can I translate this yield process indoors?
Anybody know?
Is your deck stained and waterproofed? If so, it should be no problem. I am reading a book right now called " The Backyard Homestead" it teaches how you can produce all the food you need on just a quarter acre of land it also includes how to make sauces and such, and how to lay it out in the yard where you can have your wheat, veggies, chickens and other animals and fruits and berries, then even goes into making smoked jerky and everything. Seems like it might be the book we will all need for survival soon.
joy
Thanks Joy, for recommending the book! I found it in the Carnegie Library system and requested it.
No, the deck is weathered grey. It came with the house that way. Someday when cash is available, I hope to tear it down and replace it with terraced beds where I can get great yield. But alas, not yet!
Nilly: You will love that book, I can't put it down, there is so much in it.
joy
Grow some lettuce indoors all winter, I did it all summer down here
Bob: It looks like you got two kinds of lettuce growing together there???? I'm glad you posted that pic, now I know what mine should look like. LOL I take it that is romaine lettuce and looks like spinach perhaps intertwined in it???? I planted romaine and head lettuce by Bonnie Bell plants, I cheated, bought startings this time.
joy
Yeah Bob,
I decided to try spinach, leaf lettuces, parsley, cilantro - the things that tend to bolt on me when I try to grow them outdoors anyway - plus basil, chives, mint, some other herbs AND DANDELIONS - shockingly enough! See, I have house rabbits to feed! I'm sure I'll get SOMETHING grown. Doubt I'll feed nmself much though.
Really would like to get set up to do that.
Will definitely put a 3x3 square foot situation in my 6x6 critterproof outdoor cage next year!