Picking dinner.....

[RogueRose]

Okay, got to admit I was a tad skeptical about this system at first, but I think I am going to do it again next year. Not really a fan of the soil I used so I want to use another potting soil next year but overall I got to admit this is kind of awesome. It did overcrowd a little bit (mostly because the crappy soil and some drainage issues and the seed ended up crowding), but overall worked pretty well.



Pros:
- you don't have to bend over to get your food
- keeps the pesky critters out of your food

What I've learned:
- I had some drainage issues - mostly due to the potting soil I used. It would only wet down a millimeter or so and then just dribble out. I noticed this didn't happen with the one I used miracle grow potting soil in (I used some organic potting soil in most but had 2 pockets I didn't have enough so I borrowed some and it was miracle grow). I remedied this by poking tons of drainage holes both front and back and all of a sudden my issues were pretty much solved. This also created a nice drip effect.
- plant something "icky" to the animals on the bottom (I did arugula) and they won't bother it.
- strawberries seem to LOVE this system.

[amylong]

what were you able to plant in them?? i am thinking of trying it in next year for space consideration...my four ten gal pots are taking up more space than i anticipated..thus i was thinking of doing that and hanging it by the wall or somewhere sunny..would lettuce do ok in it or is it too small??

[RogueRose]

In mine I planted herbs - basil, cilantro, thyme and a bunch of different kinds of lettuces, arugula, and strawberries. I have four different panels. I put arugula all along the bottom row to deter critters since they don't like arugula.

[amylong]

Thanks..maybe I will try it next year..before i am doing more than I can handle, but I love the way it can save space and plant so much..it would be nice if it can be done in doors too haha..but the dripping from the bottom might be a problem...unless a drip tray??how big was each slot?

[RamonaGS]

Are those compartments in a hanging shoe organizer, you used to plant in?

[applestar]

Looks great! now is this the shady side you were talking about?
What did you plant on the sunny side?
(We need to find your other thread and post the link.)

[RamonaGS]

I was also wondering if your set up is indoors or out doors? If your set up is not a shoe organizer, do you think a shoe organizer could be used instead?

I know...I'm a dork, LOL!

[amylong]

viewtopic.php?p=291368 (is this the thread applestar??)

I really wonder if it can be done indoors:( I am tempted to go to like our value depot store and get a shoe organizer to try for winter..from the linked thread, if i hang it indoors, i may have to put plastic behind it to keep the wall dry..and a tray..i am thinking of putting lettuce..and green onion, and my strawberry (see if they survive the winter) in it..(our green onion is in the yard and it survives the winter, but i don't want to go out in the cold to harvest it I may tell my coworker about this, since she loves herbs and lives in an apartment and doesn't have an outdoor space to plant. what other vegetables would do well in them while being indoors for the winter??

[RogueRose]

I have four shoe organizers but pictured are only two. Here's the plan I did up so I remembered which lettuce was where and such:



Ignore the bottom, those are long planters.

These are on the sunny side. I couldn't move them after they were up - they were too heavy. I bought 4 bags of potting soil and it took about all of those to fill up the shoe hangers. I did use some of those bags for the planters too though. The fence gets sun from about 10:40am til evening. I am watering it about every other day....sometimes every day. It depends on the rain. It got a little wilty when it hit 80s but it other than that its been fine and happy.

I have two shoe organizers per fence panel...and I probably could fit a whole lot more...so I can plant a whole lot more. Its amazing how much space this saves. I think next year in one panel I might try planting some store-bought lettuce directly into the organizer instead of starting it and see how that goes. The strawberries really love the organizer. The lettuce is starting to love it too now that I fixed the issues (going to the front). I think using a better potting soil mix definitely will help it though.

I gotta admit I was skeptical at first....and wasn't going to do it again next year but right now that its actually working and such, definitely planning on doing at again next year. Its awesome.

[mattie g]

I like to keep things simple, but I gotta say...that's one sweet setup!

[RamonaGS]

I'm thinking I might use your shoe organizer set up to grow cucumbers. Maybe not this year, but next year? Looks like a great way to grow strawberries too, but I don't bother growing them here where we live. We live next to a city that's famous for strawberries, so it's easy to get good ones for cheap. I am going to concentrate on other more expensive berries, lol

[RogueRose]

Well fiddlesticks! Two of the panels came down today. The last two days we have had crazy wind. It was too much for the canvas which just ripped at the eye holes and crumbled to the ground. I am going to definitely salvage the strawberries and put them in the strawberry patch. And going to see if I can put the lettuce anywhere in the garden. Maybe between the tomato plants and such. Still have 2 panels up...but don't have much hope for that. Maybe there's a stronger one out there than the $10 ones.

[RamonaGS]

Well fiddlesticks! Two of the panels came down today. The last two days we have had crazy wind. It was too much for the canvas which just ripped at the eye holes and crumbled to the ground. I am going to definitely salvage the strawberries and put them in the strawberry patch. And going to see if I can put the lettuce anywhere in the garden. Maybe between the tomato plants and such. Still have 2 panels up...but don't have much hope for that. Maybe there's a stronger one out there than the $10 ones.

Maybe they'll last the season if you reinforce the areas where they're tearing with duct tape or gorilla tape. Gorilla tape is pretty darn strong. Or wrap some cardboard with duct tape and then duct tape it to the areas where the shoe racks are weakest. I just don't want you to lose your sweet set up there.

[RogueRose]

Well fiddlesticks! Two of the panels came down today. The last two days we have had crazy wind. It was too much for the canvas which just ripped at the eye holes and crumbled to the ground. I am going to definitely salvage the strawberries and put them in the strawberry patch. And going to see if I can put the lettuce anywhere in the garden. Maybe between the tomato plants and such. Still have 2 panels up...but don't have much hope for that. Maybe there's a stronger one out there than the $10 ones.

Maybe they'll last the season if you reinforce the areas where they're tearing with duct tape or gorilla tape. Gorilla tape is pretty darn strong. Or wrap some cardboard with duct tape and then duct tape it to the areas where the shoe racks are weakest. I just don't want you to lose your sweet set up there.

Thanks. I started to replant some of the ones that had fallen. The strawberries I meant to replant into the patch anyway, just not YET so that's no big deal. The lettuce is a pain as I didn't expect to replant that. I have tons of planters so I can put the lettuce in those. I will have to figure out a way to reinforce the last two panels. The canvas is pretty weak though. I think its a combination of the wind, the planted goods, and the potting soil - then the sun weakining the canvas as it hits it. These things aren't made to be outdoors - nor hold the weight of potting soil that they're holding.

[applestar]

It must have been disappointing.

I'm thinking sandwich the canvas between two strips of wood screwed or nut-and-bolted together (put the screw in from the back with countersunk holes? ...canvas might still rip though

[RogueRose]

It must have been disappointing.

I'm thinking sandwich the canvas between two strips of wood screwed or nut-and-bolted together (put the screw in from the back with countersunk holes? ...canvas might still rip though

Yeah theere's nothing that's gonna stop it from ripping. It was falling to pieces as I was dragging the fallen ones over to the patio. It's a bummer....but not the end of the world.

[jemsister]

Such a bummer that it ripped, but I *love* the idea! I wonder if you could do something similar but more sturdy, like cans or planters wired to the slats of an old shipping pallet or something. It's really a great idea, especially for those of us who don't have a lot of space.

[RamonaGS]

It must have been disappointing.

I'm thinking sandwich the canvas between two strips of wood screwed or nut-and-bolted together (put the screw in from the back with countersunk holes? ...canvas might still rip though

I bet that would work if she used wood glue instead of nuts and bolts. The glue would distribute the weight of the canvas evenly without making holes in it to tear. Wood strips is a good idea!

[ReptileAddiction]

This is kind of amazing. I have been looking for months for something to hang on my fence for plants and this seems perfect! All of the ones I have found are really small and at least $100. It is not windy here at all so I will see if mine rip but I LOVE this idea!

[RogueRose]

It must have been disappointing.

I'm thinking sandwich the canvas between two strips of wood screwed or nut-and-bolted together (put the screw in from the back with countersunk holes? ...canvas might still rip though

I bet that would work if she used wood glue instead of nuts and bolts. The glue would distribute the weight of the canvas evenly without making holes in it to tear. Wood strips is a good idea!

It's wherever the stress of the canvas is that makes it begins to tear. I rigged it up with string and with hooks - utilizing the eyebolts that they have in the hangers. I think next year I will put duct tape down the whole length AND use wood and rig something up.....but I still think the canvas will rip. I'll have to consult my contractor friend who is a professional rigger. But the good news is that as a planter - it DOES work! It's a matter of evenenly distributing the stress on the canvas...which is hard. I'll get a pic of the planter that shows what I mean.