Container Fruits

[Adam79]

I've briefly brought this up in previous threads but I'd figure I'd give it its very own thread. What have you sucessfully grown in containers/pots? Some of the advantages I can think of for this is easier to move in/out of rain, wind, sun, cold etc. It just seems that all maintenance in general would be easier to control. Of course the limitation would be the size of the plant/bush/shrub/tree. So I'll leave the rest up to you: What have you successfully grown or heard of others growing in a container? I'll exclude flowers and other decorative plants because those seem like a given, so please keep discussion around edibles.

Thanks!

[Adam79]

Its been a couple days and I'm bored, so.....
Time for a shameless bump.

[Rob Tucker]

I believe the downside of plastic container is that they need regular hand watering. Planting in the ground holds more water. So basically plastic pots are good for starters and nursery stock for sale and transport.

[Rumi in Hawaii]

Hi Adam, this is a topic of interest to me right now because I'm trying to grow a variety of things to eat, both in pots and in the ground. I'm in Mountain View with lots of rainfall, so that may affect my success. Right now, I have a Meyer lemon and a Tahitian lime in pots, and they're doing well - lots of blossoms and small fruit setting, but most of it falling off (this is the first year, tho, so that's fine). I tried broccoli in pots, and they did well at first, but only produced very small heads or almost immediately went to seed. I have carrots in a pot (the short kind) and they're doing really well. Harvested lettuce and mizuna and tatsoi from pots as well. Herbs are in pots, and doing well, some up high on the lanai. I now have Swiss chard, both in the ground and in pots, that is doing well in both locations. My kale is being eaten by something, both in pots and in the ground. Have a tomato in a pot, growing well, producing blooms, but so far no fruit set. Our huge purple lilikoi is in a huge pot and doing well (too early to set fruit). I'm struggling with more bugs in plants that are set out in the ground at this point. Maybe having the plants lifted up six inches off the ground helps to some degree? It does seem that new seedlings and young plants do better in pots until they're strong enough to handle all the rainfall and variations in sunshine. I tried a Kubocha squash in a pot, and it grew, but fruit died on the vine; have planted it in the ground now, and we'll see what happens. It's a grand experiment right now, and I'm also considering hydroponic on a small scale and possibly some sort of greenhouse arrangement to further aid in controlling the growing environment (of course, that also increases the amount of work involved, but hey, at this point, that's alright).

Katie

Wherever you go, there you are.

[StillHope]

There is a very useful book "Bountiful Containers" (McGee/Stucky) about growing edibles in containers.One of the things I learned that most herbs and vegetables requires at least 8-10 inch deep container to get decent plants.

[kani-lehua]

heh,katie: just went to this hydroponic store on waialae (o'ahu). thought about doing some of that. oh, boy just to get started can get costly! geez, i didn't know so much was involved. one thing i did see over there was mostly organic and natural insecticides/pesticides and fertilizers including neem oil (which i asked about in another thread) and bat guano (which i'll be using for my puakenikeni, nanea (hawaiian gardenia) and awikiwiki (the hawaiian mauna loa vine/flower).

malia paha o lohe aku

perhaps they will hear

[StillHope]

Adam,I was able to grow a huge German heirloom tomato in the big pot.I just planted the seed from a fruit I bought in organic store and used good soil.I didn't expect much of that venture but it came out perfect.
Lettuce,spinach dill weed,radish was easy.I live in CA,Hawaii experience for growing plants in pots is different,but I tend to believe is better.

[Adam79]

I've started my first couple experiments. I planted peas and green onions in a small raised bed. I've also planted a type of spinach in a 2 gallon pot. The most surprising one though is the one I had the least faith in. Before I went and bought pots and potting soil, I made my own little mini pot out of a tin can. I snipped holes near the bottom with a can opener and put some cinders on the bottom for drainage. Then I just found what soil I could and mixed it with fine cinder and planted some green onions. Its been just over a week and they are sprouting. At night I keep it on the kitchen counter in our under-cabinet mini spotlights and in the daytime I keep it in the window sill. This may not seem that cool to some of you green thumbs out there but for somebody who's never grown anything its pretty sweet. All my outdoor stuff was planted several days later but I'm hoping they can catch up even though they don't have the unfair advantage of a night light.

[Liz]

Yay, Adam! Congrats on the little green onions in a can! Very clever! Good luck on all your other planting experiments, too.



aloha, Liz

"The best things in life aren't things."

[Adam79]

Thanks Liz. I figured it was also a good way to reuse/recycle. There are many types of cans or bottles that could serve the same purpose. I did the same with a one liter water bottle.

I'm looking for two items right now. Meyer lemons and purple passionfruit. Walmart had Meyer lemons but I was too slow and they were gone next time I checked. Does anybody know who has either of these two items in stock right now. I've checked Walmart, Home Depot, and Garden Exchange. I'm sure things come and go so I'm the mean time I'll keep my eyes open.