Thinking Outside the Rows!

Let me give you a little background to this blog. Hubby and I were discussing our soon to be empty nest and we both agreed that we would indeed downsize. A nice condo or townhome or even maybe a truck and 5th wheel but then my thoughts turned to my garden. Gardening is my escape, my way to relax. So I got to thinking about how I planted gardens when we lived in student housing, or apartments before. I started jotting down notes as I remembered things that I had done. This is sort of my way of organizing those notes.

There are several options open to those of us that live in small places. One option is container gardening. You will be surprised just how much you can grow in containers. If you have a cat or know some one that does and the buy the buckets of cat litter this is a perfect way to recycle them. They are just the right size to grow a pepper plant or even a tomato plant. How about plastic totes. Those 15 gallon totes that you can pick of for $3 or $4 are perfect for bush beans, squash, or cucumbers. What happens if you plant vines instead of bushes well just stick a trellis in the bucket and let the vine grow up the trellis.
Or better yet plant it upside down in hanging basket with herbs or lettuce on top.

Let me stop right here and say DO NOT USE POTTING SOIL. Why because potting soil is too heavy for most garden seeds. If you must use potting soil use 2/3 potting soil and 1/3 sand, it will help with drainage.

That’s correct go vertical! Make your own planting bags. Pick up one of those cheap 50 cent reusable bags that all the grocery stores are selling and fill it with dirt and either cut circles out of the side for plants or plant from the bottom. I have strawberry plants that I intend to plant this way and hang them on a shepherd’s hook that is stuck in a huge planter and the front yard. That way I can cover it with netting and keep the birds off of my berries and I can plant herbs and lettuce in the planter. The water that will run out of the strawberries will water the herbs and lettuce.

I have learned that with container planting to think outside the row…like with lettuce I can use one of those long rectangle planters and just harvest the leaves. Every 10 days I can sow more seeds in on top of the lettuce that I already there. Because by the time the new seeds come up I will have stripped the old leaves clean. Same goes for those big planters and litter buckets. Just plant a seed every 10 days and you will have a continuous harvest all summer.

Don’t be afraid to be adventurous. Have old shoes and they are too worn out to give to the Goodwill well turn them into herb planters. Just drill drain holes in the soles (unless they already have holes in them) and plant a few seeds. Then make a display like you would see in a shoe store window of with your herbs. It will be a conversation piece for sure. How about old Tonka trucks? You know the ones your kids out grow before wearing them out. Those dump trucks make good parsley containers.

Need some way to start seeds but don’t want to spend money one those little tabs that expand when you add water? Well make your own using news papers. Take the newspaper fold in half long ways. Roll it around a plastic cup allowing about 1/3 of the sheet of paper hanging over the open end of the glass. Now fold the hang over into the glass and slide it off. Then fold the inside edges down overlapping them so they hold the dirt in. There now you have a starter cup. Fill it with garden soil (remember no potting soil because it is too heavy.) Now put your cups in a sturdy tray and start your seeds. Since you are using newspapers then when you transplant your seedlings you can plant newspaper and all. I always squeeze the bottom a little until it pops open then plant it. The newspaper will help put nutrients in the soil especially if you are reusing an old pot and old soil.

The trick to container gardening is water. I would suggest that you visit a garden center and get the gel beads to put in the soil that holds the water and slowly releases it. It will prevent water waste and daily watering.

Don’t forget to be sure and drill drain holes in any container. I never drill mine on the bottom I always drill mine about 2-3 inches up the side (depending on the size of the container) That way the plants will have some type of water supply but will not drown when it rains.

Want to plant green onions radishes and even baby carrots? I have found that if I use those plastic starter trays like what you buy Pansies in I can plant continuously in them. I will have 3 trays of like 24 little trays and I will plant seeds weekly and as I harvest I plant in a seed in its place. Dishpans and disposable pans make wonder planters for these also; they are shallow and make harvesting a breeze. Just do a square inch garden instead of a square foot garden and plant a green onion, radish or carrot per square.

Container gardening also allows for extended seasons. You can recycle those empty milk jugs just by cutting off the bottom and setting it on the containers over young tender plants. Just remember to remove the lids so that it will have air circulation. Not only that but you can move these to the corner of a room and install a grow light and grow herbs, lettuce, and other salad items year round.

Remember just because you don’t have a yard doesn’t mean you can not grow a garden…THNK OUT SIDE THE ROWS!