Author Topic: Container Farming (Read 4822 times)

littlerose · « **on:** December 21, 2009, 11:50:54 AM »

I have a small apartment with a patio. I have a lot of family experience with "kitchen gardens", but now I am looking at the full urban scenario.

So, how much actual food can I produce out of no more than half-a-dozen containers? No bigger than those 18-gal plastic bins you can buy for storage?

What foods should I attempt to grow? Will potatoes or carrots or other root veggies do well in a container?

To start this thread, Let's start figuring out how much of each food we need per year, for one person.

Basic survival foods that I will try to grow:
potatoes
yams
carrots
beets
cabbages
onions
garlics
strawberries

Just a starter list. I won't try them all, but some from this list. Anyone else out there playing with container gardens for food?

Also wondering about the feasibility of keeping a pet hen. Would one lay eggs?

Belloc · « **Reply #1 on:** December 21, 2009, 11:57:42 AM »

I have used-on and off-big flower pots, variable success...

Catholic Samurai · « **Reply #2 on:** December 21, 2009, 01:17:33 PM »

Considering how deep the rubber-maid container is I would think you could grow some root crops in it. But just make sure there's plenty of room for them because they'll compete with eachother for nutrition. You definitely want to throw some redworms in there too.

littlerose · « **Reply #3 on:** December 21, 2009, 01:26:17 PM »

Quote from: Catholic Samurai

Considering how deep the rubber-maid container is I would think you could grow some root crops in it. But just make sure there's plenty of room for them because they'll compete with eachother for nutrition. You definitely want to throw some redworms in there too.

Thank you, sam...

Actually, I referred to those as an indicator of size. I will be using decorative containers because I think I will have to disguise the garden in order to avoid the neighborhood pc-yardies (not that there are many, but this is Austin, after all....)

I think a regular kitchen wastebasket that is tall might be a good candidate for depth. I can decorate the outside of it with papier-mache & poly to make it look like some more expensive jardinieres...

Belloc
what did you grow?
(roscoe, I can see you lurking over there! And I can smell what you are smoking! *lol*)

Belloc · « **Reply #4 on:** December 21, 2009, 01:31:41 PM »

Tried cucuмbers for pats 3 yrs-first yr, not too bad sucess, last yr went out of town for week and the sun freind them..this yr, not really sure what happened to them, never really got too big before yellowing and/or dying......used the Organic brown soil they sell at Home depot..for veggies, fruit and plants...