Convert Garden to Pots?

[mass_burner]

okay, containers, not pot! Although I believe I can now legally. I have 4 8x4 plots. But keeping them weed free in spring and cleaning up the dead tomato stalks and other crop leftovers is getting old. I'm thinking of letting 2 of the plots go and going to potted veggies. With the room maybe planting a walk through garden with perennials/small trees. Anyone use only containers outside?

 

[moey]

Ive always planted my pot in containers its easier to maintain the environment. It also lets me move them easier to be more stealthy. Although I no longer have to be stealthy.

I could not resist SORRY..

 

[begreen]

Have you considered using stock tanks? If so, be sure to drill drainage holes first and cover the bottom couple inches in gravel.

(broken link removed)

 

[semipro]

Have you considered using stock tanks? If so, be sure to drill drainage holes first and cover the bottom couple inches in gravel.

(broken link removed)

I'd suggest also adding some landscape fabric over the gravel to prevent the soil from clogging the drainage layer. I do this in all my potted plants.

 

[mass_burner]

Have you considered using stock tanks? If so, be sure to drill drainage holes first and cover the bottom couple inches in gravel.

(broken link removed)

$100 A POP? On to plan b.

 

[EatenByLimestone]

I mulch heavily. This includes throwing all the garden debris on top of the bed and more mulch on top of that at the end of the year. The worms take care of it. Its almost all gone by spring, and i dig and plant right through what's left. New beds can be a bit weedy until seeds get buried deep enough, but it all sorts out.

I put in a small bed of containers this year. At Lowe's I found big, blue round tubs, for something like $6-7 each.

Here's what they look like, and where I got the idea.

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I'm interested in the grow bag idea, but they probably cost more. The smaller the container, the quicker it dries out too. I tried the upside down tomato thing, but the amount of water it needed kept me too busy watering it.

 

[mass_burner]

i do the mulch thing too. at the end of fall, I pour all my chipped leaves on top also. i guess it wasn't too bad this year. i heard about this farmer guy somewhere talking about continuous planting to reduce plowing, he says that's bad for the soil.

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[EatenByLimestone]

I do no till. Yeah, plowing solves some issues and makes others.

I'm shooting to try to replicate a forest as much as possible. If I could grow only perennials, I'd only be planting once and harvesting every year! Forests grow their soil too. All those leaves dropped every year turn into organic matter with the nutrients to feed the tree. Better soil every year sounds attractive.

 

[begreen]

$100 A POP? On to plan b.

That's pretty cheap when you consider the size, depth and volume vs building a bed.

 

[begreen]

i do the mulch thing too. at the end of fall, I pour all my chipped leaves on top also. i guess it wasn't too bad this year. i heard about this farmer guy somewhere talking about continuous planting to reduce plowing, he says that's bad for the soil.

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Yes, there is a strong developing body of tests that show that proper no-till farming can almost match full chemical farming in output and protein in the food. The huge difference is that one method saves and builds the soil a bit deeper every year and the other destroys and depletes the soil every year until the topsoil is dead and just blows away. The case is so strong that the USDA has gotten behind it. There are numerous videos online of Ray Archuleta lecturing to farmers about the differences and demonstrating. David Brandt is an Ohio farmer that has been practicing this for decades. The results next to his neighbor's conventionally farmed land is dramatic. He has some good videos as well and his son now sells no-till covercrop seed mixes.

 

[EatenByLimestone]

Longevity plays a part too. A SPF bed looks pretty shabby after 14 years. They are still there, but a shadow of what they were. I suspect the metal would still be in good shape provided it can drain.

I started using corner brackets at $2 each. Since corners normally go first on a bed, they should keep it around longer. Plus should be reusable. But they add cost.


I put 2 strawberry beds in this spring. 3x14. I used 3 14' long 2x6s at $14 each. Plus 16 corner pieces at $32. Total $74 plus 4 drywall screws in each bracket. But they will need to be replaced eventually.

 

[begreen]

I've heard that giving doug fir a heavy coating of boiled linseed oil will match cedar's longevity. If you want cheap, get a bunch of used 20" rim tires and stack them. Or use old bathtubs. Often these are free.

 

[EatenByLimestone]

I've heard of people growing potatoes in tires. I bet you could get an early start on veggies since they would heat up quickly in the sun.

 

[mass_burner]

The other attraction of pots or planting boxes, is that you can position them in the ideal spot for sun requirements where you wouldn't or can dig.

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[EatenByLimestone]

That's the same as a raised bed.

 

[jeanw]

That's the same as a raised bed.

yeah they all have the goods and bad. I did ground most of time by mowing close then putting down cardboard , newspaper or landscape fabric then made hole for bean or seedling. then mulch. worked fabulously.
Later did straw bales . Lots of work though. Then yr later Hubby tilled gigantic garden. Got smarter (?) did raised many bed.s Yes so far. had to filled . Last yr big nursery size black plastic s. Lots Work filling those too with bought soil or load from local compost .
hen, What a pain watering close to 50 container. Some were drywall buckets. Pain to keep watering
now doing big circles out of wire fencing the hardware cloth then landscape fabric the cardboard around the inside standing up the thin layer of straw. Circles most are 4 ft in diameter
now this year both
but mulching oh do in raised beds to