Any tips for growing small melons in containers
I live on a slight slope and the ground is like concrete so I was thinking of trying containers. I have a level garden spot where a pool was that I’m building back up but that will take some time. Thanks.
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- Super Green Thumb
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Last season, I grew 3 melons in a homemade SIP - sub-irrigated planter. Earthbox says 4 can be grown in theirs, which is 2 cu ft, but I thought that might be a bit too much; however, they did not suck out the water in the reservoir like tomatoes, which are only 2/container, and the roots were small, compared to most other plants, so maybe 4 would grow in 1 container. I didn't grow them again, but only because of certain bugs in my area - the plants did great. If you aren't into making these, and don't want the higher prices of Earthboxes, Lowe's and HD sell their versions of them.
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- Super Green Thumb
- Posts: 2882
- Joined: Wed Oct 15, 2014 1:52 pm
- Location: Woodbury NJ Zone 7a/7b
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- Super Green Thumb
- Posts: 2882
- Joined: Wed Oct 15, 2014 1:52 pm
- Location: Woodbury NJ Zone 7a/7b
Dobro, Here's a link that you could find useful - while not active, it is the old forum for Earthbox, before they were bought out, and I found all sorts of useful info on it, when I was starting out with these things.
https://web.archive.org/web/201611242034 ... ox.com:80/
There are also many videos on YouTube for Earthbox. And here is the original site I found for making them out of tubs or buckets:
https://www.postoilsolutions.org/documents/Earthbox.pdf
https://web.archive.org/web/201611242034 ... ox.com:80/
There are also many videos on YouTube for Earthbox. And here is the original site I found for making them out of tubs or buckets:
https://www.postoilsolutions.org/documents/Earthbox.pdf
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- Super Green Thumb
- Posts: 2882
- Joined: Wed Oct 15, 2014 1:52 pm
- Location: Woodbury NJ Zone 7a/7b
Glad you found this useful, Dobro. There is an incredible amount of info on that old site. That's where I learned a lot of tricks, one of which is putting that fertilizer in a "brewing sock" - a stretchable fabric, that I put 2 c of 10-10-10 fertilizer into a piece of, about as long as the container, tie off the ends, and lay it in a trench, about 3" up from the bottom, and this can be taken out the next season, and topped off with a little fertilizer, and put back in. This helps because you don't always want the fertilizer in the middle (where you put it for two rows of plants) or on one side (for only 2 or 3 plants, you put it on the opposite side). You don't want to plant directly over the fertilizer - did that one time, and the plants were stunted.
You don't need to do this, but using the regular method, of just pouring into a trench, be sure to mark it, so you know where that line of fertilizer is.
Along those lines, if you decide to use organic fertilizer, you will see many suggestions that you will have to use twice as much, as it is less quickly accessible to the plants. But I've also been told that you can mix that up totally with the soil mix, as it doesn't burn the roots.
You don't need to do this, but using the regular method, of just pouring into a trench, be sure to mark it, so you know where that line of fertilizer is.
Along those lines, if you decide to use organic fertilizer, you will see many suggestions that you will have to use twice as much, as it is less quickly accessible to the plants. But I've also been told that you can mix that up totally with the soil mix, as it doesn't burn the roots.
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- Super Green Thumb
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- Joined: Wed Oct 15, 2014 1:52 pm
- Location: Woodbury NJ Zone 7a/7b
I have grown ice box watermelons in containers. I did not use a SIP. Instead I used a half barrel and I planted 3 vines. I planted sugar baby which is about the size of a thai watermelon and about 11 lbs. Although the vines produced a lot of flowers only 1-3 melons matured on any one vine. I water every day. The vines grew to be about 6 ft long. I think I should have fertilized it heavier because I think 3 vines were too many even for that size pot, not because of root volume, because the roots could still go into the ground under the pot, but because the vines were heavy feeders.
I used my standard peat lite mix with osmocote, but I did not add the extra 1/2 cup of 6-4-6 that I usually do with the tomatoes. The leaves were not as big as they should have been. I do find that especially with vine crops, it takes a lot of leaves to produce fruit.
I used my standard peat lite mix with osmocote, but I did not add the extra 1/2 cup of 6-4-6 that I usually do with the tomatoes. The leaves were not as big as they should have been. I do find that especially with vine crops, it takes a lot of leaves to produce fruit.
Thanks Apple star, I’m looking forward to trying these out. I had always assumed that these were more complicated than they are, like hydroponics. I started really looking into them at Dave’s suggestion and I’m interested. I’d enjoy any input you have as well and I’m hoping that I have good reports to post.
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- Super Green Thumb
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- Joined: Wed Oct 15, 2014 1:52 pm
- Location: Woodbury NJ Zone 7a/7b
Good luck, dobro! I'm sure you will have success with these. Let me know when you start making them - I'll share the tricks I have learned, and some of the cheaper items to use.dobro13 wrote:I ordered an earth box today and I’ve got the stuff to make a couple as well. I looked around and the prices were all close so I figured I’d give that kit a try.
I have made SIP with rubbermaid tubs using the postoilsolution instructions. I find the cover used as a separator does not last more than one season. I need to find a substitute. Since the bins are cheap when they go on sale, I might get a second bin and insert it into the first one and use that instead. I think it will be stronger. The homemade SIP I made with a rubbermaid tub had a 5 gallon water reservoir and a 10 gallon soil volume.
Thanks for the reply imafan, what I have so far is the same 18 gal tote as I made a hydro DWC with. I’ve got a load of plastic coffee cans that I didn’t know why I kept saving, until now. I’m going to cut and use those to support the screen and as wick baskets. The top cutout as the screen and I’m hoping these coffee cans will solve the weak screen issue as there will be 5. This is a rough draft from a rookie so I hope I haven’t made this sound as if I actually know what I write about. (I had some grin and wink emojis but they wouldn’t post)