Mary, mary, quite contrary, how does your garden grow? Threnodyjones has inspired me.

[icarus]

threnodyjones has inspired me with lettuce.

I've wanted to grow potted herbs and vegetables for years now.

Yes, I'm in Seattle. Yes, I'm in a tiny apartment. But we get a tremendous amount of sun (granted, this apartment gets very hot and dry). Now I'm reading about rising food prices and thinking, "Well, that's mostly because we're buying our food from Timbuktu. If people would just grow a little of their own veggies and whatnot, this problem would be considerably improved."

Well, why not? I used to grow roses.

I'm thinking... a tomato plant (threnodyjones says they're easy to grow in those 16" pots and I eat a lot of tomatoes), some basil, and some cilantro. Maybe some peppers. Buying organic seeds seems the way to go, especially since I don't have to worry about the fauna of the garden plot and those fancy hybrids often don't produce viable seeds. Nuh. Not good for the environment.

What does it take to grow these things? How does one grow these things in pots? Hmm. How about some all-purpose fertilizer?

Time needed

10 minutes for each container

What you need

• A selection of pots 20-45cm (8-17cm, I think this is supposed to inches) diameter
• Multi-purpose compost
• Water-retaining crystals
• Vegetable, fruit or herb plants
• Watering can
• Label and pencil

Here's a bit on growing basil. Planetnatural.com has the goods on basil.

Growing Basil

Native to Mediterranean climates, herb gardeners are growing basil (Ocimum basilicum)for its spicy flavor and wonderful aroma. Excellent fresh or dried, the classic large-leaved variety is a favorite in Asian and Italian cuisine. Fragrant plants grow 18-24 inches and are very productive. Annual.

Site Preparation:
Basil grows well in gardens or containers. It prefers full sun, regular water and fast draining, rich soil. Work in plenty of aged animal manure or compost prior to planting.

How to Plant:
Sow seeds outdoors when the soil is warm and the temperature does not drop below 65 degrees F. Can be started indoors 4-6 weeks before planting out. Space plants 4-6inches apart in all directions. Plant seeds just beneath the surface. Seeds germinate in 5-30 days, so keep moist. An application of organic fertilizer once or twice during the growing season will help promote sturdy growth. At the end of summer, allow the plants to go to seed to attract beneficial insects and bees.

Note: You must keep the flower spikes pinched back to promote bushiness and to prevent plants from becoming woody.

Tip: Make successive sowings for continuous summer supplies and freeze any excess for later use in winter.

Harvesting:
Basil is ready to pick when it gets to be about 6 inches tall. Cut in the morning after the dew has dried just above a leaf node. Do not wash the leaves or aromatic oils will be lost. Basil is best used fresh but can be stored frozen in plastic bags. Dry basil by hanging it upside down in a dark, dry, well ventilated room and store in air-tight containers.

Tip: Harvest frequently to encourage plants to produce new growth (and more basil).

Insects and Disease:
Some common insect pests found on basil are aphids, slugs and Japanese beetle. Watch closely and use natural controls when necessary.

To prevent many fungal diseases, choose a site with good air circulation and apply organic fungicides (copper, sulfur) early, when symptoms first appear.

Seed Saving Instructions:
Basil willcross-pollinate with other varieties of basil and must be separated by 150 feet while flowering. Plants form seed capsules containing four seeds. Allow seed capsules to dry, then harvest and separate by hand.


Here's what I've found on growing cilantro. Gourmet sleuth tells about growing cilantro. The site where I found the link says, "Lots of water and sun." Good. I can do that.

Grow Your Own Cilantro
Cilantro, is a fast growing annual reaching 12 - 24 inches tall. The entire plant including the leaves, the seeds and roots are all edible. Coriander can easily be grown in pots. Simply pick or trim fresh leaves of whole stalks as required. The leaves get a stronger and sometimes disagreeable flavor as they get older and larger. If you want to harvest seed for your next crop, do so after the leaves and flowers turn brown.

How to Grow
Look for seed varieties are slower growing and thus take longer to bolt. (Bolting is when the plant prematurely produces flower stalks and begins to produce flowers and seed). Flower stalks are thickened stems that eventually produce flowers and seeds. Grow in full sun. The soil should be kept moist but well drained. But all things considering the plant is not fussy about soil conditions. Plant seeds in mid to late Spring. Plant in 2 -3 week intervals for harvest all season long.

TOP EIGHT REASONS FOR GROWING HERBS
1.) Herbs are "designed" to repel pests making them "low-maintenance."
2.) Fresh herbs that you've grown are more flavorful than the dried herbs you can buy at the supermarket.
3.) Most are easy to grow and require organic fertilizers in relatively small amounts.
4.) Herbs add color and fragrance to your garden.
5.) They require little space and can be grown indoors, in fact, some herbs prefer the indoors.
6.) They can improve your health.
7.) They taste good and jazz up your meals.
8.) Their fragrance can make you smell good.

And here's the word on Tomatoes. If you're interested in a similar experiment, come and explore. This is all very basic information.

Grow Your Own Tomatoes
You can get tomatoes in a huge range of colours and shapes.

In a greenhouse you want to grow cordon types that are trained into an upright plant, rather than bush types that sprawl on the ground. (Note: roaringmice recommends cherry tomatoes.)

Sow individual tomato seeds into 7.5cm (3in) pots in mid-March, and transplant to 30cm (12in) pots in May.

When transplanting, put in a bamboo cane and train the plant to it as it grows.

Pinch out all the sideshootsthat appear between leaf and stem when 2.5cm (1in) long, and once five or six trusses of fruit have begun to set, pinch out the main stem so that they develop fully.

Tomatoes thrive on a regular feed of tomato food, which is high in potassium. (Read more about nutrients in Module 5.)

I also like the idea of growing peppers. Theoretically. BBC also has the word on peppers.

Grow Your Own Peppers
You can grow several different types of pepper in the greenhouse, including chilli peppers and sweet peppers.

Peppers need a minimum temperature of 12°C (54°F) to grow properly. So while they can be grown outside, you’re more likely to succeed if you grow them undercover.

Pepper seeds should be sown indoors in April. It’s easiest to sow the seed directly into 7.5cm (3in) pots, and then transplant into 20cm (8in) pots.

Water regularly. As sweet peppers ripen they change colour from green to red, yellow, orange or dark purple, and become sweeter.

Let hot chilli peppers ripen fully before harvesting. Mature fruits are red.

(I understand that when a plant is fruiting, you want to water it religiously so the fruit is plump and sweet. Who knows? I'll try these one at a time, and maybe eventually do strawberries. :)

Comments

[roaringmice.livejournal.com]

I used to have an apartment garden, back before I owned this house (now I have an actual in-ground garden!) In pots, I had great success growing cherry tomatoes, and very little success with full sized tomatoes - and that continues for me in my house garden - so I wonder if you'd also have the best luck with cherry tomatoes? If you do tomatoes, try at least one cherry tomato plant.

Herbs also grow fabulously. I used to grow basil, oregano, mint, chives and sometimes rosemary, although rosemary takes more water and love than I'm good for. I love the chives as well, because they come back year after year. Mint, in my climate, comes back a couple years in a row - where you live, it may come back for years. But if you plant mint, plant the actual pot in the ground, because stuff's like bamboo - it expands and will take over a garden if not kept restrained.

[icarusancalion.livejournal.com]

Good advice. Cherry tomatoes it is!

[icarusancalion.livejournal.com]

Oh, what kind of cherry tomatoes do you plant? There are, um, a lot of varieties. (Sheesh.)

[roaringmice.livejournal.com]

To be honest, I've planted a different variety every year, and never had a bad crop.

[icarusancalion.livejournal.com]

Right on.

[byandby.livejournal.com]

I have an apartment and last year, I had no luck with tomato plants. If you're going for heirloom which I did, they are very, very picky. A pot may not be the way to go. I am going for hybrid this year to see if it works out. It's not my ideal, but I'm going to see if this works. Others may disagree (and please do so) but I would also recommend a plant instead of seeds as it's later in the season but Seattle could be different. They also require full sun. Check to see if they are determinate or indeterminate too. My tomatoes are on a porch that gets most of the morning and full afternoon sun until it sets. I've also planted them in old but clean 5 gallon buckets.

I get most of my advice from my mom who has been gardening for 25 years and gardening organically for almost 20. She cans, freezes and preserves most of her vegetables so that she doesn't have to really buy any during the winter. I would like to achieve that.

[roaringmice.livejournal.com]

Yes. With tomatoes, I start with plants, not seeds, because we simply don't get enough sun early enough, nor early enough warm weather for me to do them from seeds, and I don't have space in my house enough to start seeds indoors.

[icarusancalion.livejournal.com]

Oh. I know where to get seeds. Where does one get plants?

[icarusancalion.livejournal.com]

roaringmice is recommending cherry tomatoes. I'm in an apartment so a pot is the only way to go for me, but she had a similar experience to yours with regular-sized tomatoes.

I'll be sure to avoid Heirloom tomatoes at all costs.

Seattle's pretty far north, so our season starts late. Plus this is indoors, not on a porch -- does that make a difference? We have such full sun it's almost too much. Blazing full sun. I suspect my biggest problem will be watering as everything in here dries out fast.

What is "determinate" and "indeterminate"?

I'm already impressed with your mom. :)

[byandby.livejournal.com]

I might have to try out the cherry tomatoes next year. My grandmother used to grow full-sized tomatoes in containers on her porch. I'm hoping that luck may be genetic.

In regards to determinate and indeterminate, determinate are bush types that don't usually need staking and produce all at once. Indeterminate need to be staked/cage and will keep producing/growing until frost. I totally snagged that from a garden catalog I had....I thought it had something to do with the amount of daylight it needed (some do better in the south rather than the north because of the longer days) and I was wrong. :/

[seticat.livejournal.com]

Don't know about the tomatoes [still have to pot some] but I got three posts of mixed herbs from Trader Joes [three seperate herbs per pot], repotted them into their own pots and they are going absolutly nuts on my apartment back porch [overlook the Tacoma Narrows Bridge].

And I have a black thumb so I'm amazed.

[icarusancalion.livejournal.com]

Oh. There's a Trader Joes not ten blocks from me. Cool! I so want to get some herbs rolling.

[seticat.livejournal.com]

They may not have them right now - I picked up mine about 3 weeks ago. But if they do, it's a great way to get starts. The plants were big and healthy and came in 'sets' of three different ones per pot like 'mexican cooking blend' or 'aeromatic' [lavender, mint, etc]. I ended up having to repot the individual plants in medium sized pots each for root room and they've just gone nuts.

[icarusancalion.livejournal.com]

I'll check. It's not that late for Seattle, I don't think, and anyway, we've had unseasonably cold weather. I mean, snow! And hail. In just the last week or two. April. Very odd weather.

[seticat.livejournal.com]

I understand completely. I can see the Tacoma Narrows Bridge from my living room window. :}

[icarusancalion.livejournal.com]

Oh. Right. You mentioned Tacoma.

Man, I'm getting sick of having cold ears in the mornings. It's May. It should be, you know, decently warm.

[jimpage363.livejournal.com]

National Gardening Association has a great column called "Moss in the City" and the author is all about gardening in tiny urban spaces and containers. Also, Rosemary Nichols has a fabulous book on container gardening - it's a bible! Lovely ideas and all the info you could possibly need.
Sounds like you are having FUN!

[icarusancalion.livejournal.com]

I'll check the column out.

*laughs* I am having fun.

[monanotlisa.livejournal.com]

Good idea! I plan to do that when I have some security. & :-)

[aunty_marion]

All of those are perfectly feasible in pots, though you'll probably need to open a window now and again, or shade them sometimes, to give them a little rest from constant sun - depends on which way the windows face, I suppose! Cherry tomatoes are indeed very good in pots - I've grown them occasionally outside with some success. I've had less success with peppers, but then this is the UK...

I did have a basil plant that I kept at work, indoors, next to a window (and a radiator in winter!), and it kept going for several years, despite 'received wisdom' that basil is an annual. Hah. By the end of its life it was well over 3 feet tall, and still going strong. What killed it eventually was the fact that we moved offices, and it had to be put in the mailroom while the move was going on - I don't think it got watered, certainly didn't get much natural light, for about a week.

But, basically, most herbs are fine in pots. Chives, parsley, thyme, sage - all will do well in about an 8-inch pot. You can sometimes get multi-hole tower pots with a herb plant for each 'hole' over here.

Alpine strawberries will be much easier in a pot than the ordinary sort, though they may be a little trickier to grow. I've not tried them, but I know they're recommended for pots.

Watering - particularly for tomatoes - don't OVERwater! What you really mustn't do is let them dry out, and then water a lot. You'll really get rot and fruit splitting if you do that. Also, get some specialist Tomato Food fertiliser to use regularly.

[aunty_marion]

Oh - incidentally, there are a few varieties of carrot that have been bred to do well in pots/troughs as well. Some are straight ones, but if you can spot the ball-shaped variety, they're excellent. Early French Frame / Rondo / Kundulus are the varieties my book recommends.

[rabidfan.livejournal.com]

I have grown lots of vegies in pots as we're an Air Force family and move with regularity. Most successful...some less so. But, aside from the variable results it's a lot of fun and uber satisfying. Suggestion for lettuce in a pot?? Don't try to grow heads. Cast the seed, thin the shoots into rows and snip it starting at about 4 inches for your salads. Yum.

I'm not sure we can still be friends. Cilantro is from the Devil. When ever it is listed as an ingredient I substitute Italian Parsley (which I also grow in pots!). Seriously. The. Devil.

[mad_maudlin]

I'm totally plotting a container garden for herbs once I get my own flat here. Because buying herbs in the shops here is a nightmare. I guess Russian cuisine just doesn't use any spices but dill and mayonaise and maybe, occasionally, parsley--but if I ask for things like cinnamon or basil I usually get a "mwah?" stare. And often all the shops have are pre-mixed seasonsing packets, not the individual spices. So I'm def. considering asking for some seeds sent from home (I know that's illegal...shhh...) and try to get some oregano, rosemary, cilantro, etc. going here. All dependson the layout of my future hypothetical flat.