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applestar
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Posts: 30515
Joined: Thu May 01, 2008 7:21 pm
Location: Zone 6, NJ (3/M)4/E ~ 10/M(11/B)

Giving container vegs a try

I ran out of room in the ground to plant my seed started vegs, and decided to try growing some tomatoes and peppers in containers:

[img]https://i290.photobucket.com/albums/ll272/applesbucket/2da9913c.jpg[/img]

Tomatoes are supposed to be shorter varieties -- 3~4' at most: Black Krim and Earl of Edgecombe. I have some Black Seeded Simpson seedlings started so I think I'll plant one each in the corners in the shade of the window box, maybe add a nasturtium or basil in the front sunnier corner of @. Window box contains Golden Summer Hybrid bell peppers.

[img]https://i290.photobucket.com/albums/ll272/applesbucket/22079b70.jpg[/img]

Longer window box with one Golden Summer hybrid bell pepper in the middle and two Ancho Poblano peppers on either end. Sowed some parsley seeds in between. These are supposed to add a little extra privacy for the patio.

I usually avoid container growing, so I'm completely out of practice. I may remember by the end of the season why I prefer to grow in the ground. :lol:

I don't know how everyone does this regularly and in larger quantities though. It took three wheelbarrows of soil I mixed from compost, bagged compost, sand, top soil dug from under leaf piles, and remaining 1/2 large bag of potting soil, and I still didn't have enough. I've mulched the tomatoes with bagged compost but need to top off the window boxes.

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SPierce
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Posts: 732
Joined: Thu Mar 10, 2011 9:57 am
Location: Massachusetts

I have to do a lot of container gardening due to necessity- lack of room. I use them for tomatoes, peppers and potatoes (30 gallon containers). However, yes, they take up a LOT of room. Only reason I get away with it is because my roommate never uses the backyard for anything, so I can just strew them all over the place. No one freaks out as long as they aren't in the front yard!

Yes, it's very expensive too. One container takes 2 and a half bags of soil to fill. However, I look at it this way- I plant 1 plant per container (not individual boxes) so I can attempt to overwinter the container plants without having to disturb the roots- just move them in and out of the basement ;D

At the end of the year, I dump the empty containers soil into my garden boxes, and buy new soil the next year. I spend roughly 60 a week on groceries, though. So an initial investment of 100-150 bucks for soil, in plants that'll give me veggies all season is well worth it to me.



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