Create a container garden on my porch

It seems like it gets easier every year! I’ve got tomatoes (we’ll see if I get any this year) hot and sweet peppers (both have been very good in the past) and once the weather levels off, we’re putting out the herb pot. Still got a huge lavender and aloe plant, as well as chives and rosemary which survived the winter in the house, as well as my slightly strugging red roses…

I really want to buy more plants for this year, but I’m going to wait until after my vacation. I might have a little plant problem…

I think my tomato seedlings were killing my cucumbers, so I replanted the cucumbers and carrots. That makes nine six inch wide pots, and my oversized planter (two feet wide and about 18” high) which has the rest of the tomatoes and some bell peppers.

My father sent me a clipping for an Earth Box, which seems to be a planter designed for container gardening, with it’s own water resevoir. The ads make it sound great, but it’s $30. Does anyone out there use one?

The other big news! I got my hammock.

http://www.target.com/gp/detail.html/ref=br_1_12/601-8212924-2716902?%5Fencoding=UTF8&frombrowse=1&asin=B0007Z2BIW

It’s not really what I was looking for, but since my porch isn’t build out of solid wood, but ply, I couldn’t anchor a rope hammock to the walls. It swings like a dream even though it’s going to take some creativity to hide the metal base.

I can’t wait to lay there and watch my garden grow!

My peat cups are growing… tomatoes, cucumbers, and the peppers are just starting. Most all of them are about two inches tall, which usually means they’re supposed to be replanted, but it’s not warm enough to transplant them yet. It is a bit odd to have a 3’x2’ clear plastic box on my living room floor… but now that there’s bits of green, it seems a bit better than a box of dirt.

Eventually, it will stop being freezing cold here, and then I can go grab some new pots for the extras. Aside, the basil is struggling, I think the cold hasn’t been good for it.

Part of my tomato problem last year (yes, I refer to it as my ‘tomato problem’—as in I never got a tomato off my tomato plant!) was that I started too late. This will not happen this year.

I bought peat pots, tomato (2 types!), cucumber, sugar peas, carrots, jalapeno and bell pepper seeds. The hardware store was trying to sell me a little growing kit, which was seed cups in a tupperware, but I avoided the spiel and just bought a clear storage box, which should give them the same warmth/moisture advantage as soon as it gets a little warmer around her.

speaking of which, the heat is out, and I can’t seem to get it back on. Pooh. At least I don’t have to worry about any plants freezing yet (though my basil looks anything but hardy lately)

in the next couple weeks, I start on growing the seedlings!

for next container garden season!

Not only do I know where I can buy plants (yes, no snickers that was a big issue last year) but I already have come pots, and big plans for the porch! I’m going to build out the window ledges (only about 4” at the moment) so they can sit a pot, and then put together a rack to place opposite the windows on one side.

It’s not determined yet, but I’m doing my best to figure out how to put a hammock on my little 4×10 porch. I don’t give up easily.

I have started on my container garden… I’ve got… well containers, and plants. I’ve added a Chives, Rosemary, and Basil plant to my Aloe plant, and bought a Tomato plant (I’m skeptical) and a hot pepper plant just bursting with unripe peppers (I’m afaid).

The local garden store is run by a family and they’ve been very positive, and I’m feeling good about this. Hopefully I’ll add a little bit at a time and end up with a good garden!

So, added to the fact that I don’t exactly have a natural green thumb, and the hot weather has been killing two of my current plants (They’re made for cooler climates than we’ve had around here!) I’ve learned that most of the greenhouses in my area have stopped selling many plants since the summer is nearing it’s end.

I was hoping to get in on some sales and stock my porch. Also, planters haven’t been cheap! Glazed pots like I read were suggested have been priced somewhere between 10 and 25 dollars a piece.

I’ve been working on it. Hopefully it will start paying off soon.