Container Gardening

**olympia621** · 09-05-2007, 07:13 PM

I would love to get in to container gardening. There is a class this weekend at the Fruit and Spice park in the Redlands. I'll go if I can wake up.

http://fruitandspicepark.org/index.html
I'll share tips when I return.

Y'all got any tips?

**aquababie19** · 09-05-2007, 07:32 PM

i did a container garden this year. i have tomatoes, banana peppers, cayenne peppers, jalapenos, and bell peppers.

**deecoily** · 09-06-2007, 06:11 PM

I'd love to grow peppers again. Unfortunately we get late frosts and I don't have a hot house to put them in

I still have a lot of containers for my herbs and this is the first year I put strawberries in the ground and didn't grow them in containers.

Those self-watering pots are a must have.

**mscocoface** · 09-06-2007, 06:33 PM

I went to the fair in July and bought some tuberose and a lot of other Hawaiian plants. So far so good. I am hoping to get some flowering here real soon before the weather changes too much at night.

I placed them all around my swinging couch outside hoping to spruce up the area. We shall see, I don't have much luck with container plants, but you are right Dee those self watering containers have saved some of those poor souls out there, thank goodness!

**kmacbaje** · 09-08-2007, 10:51 AM

Love this forum!!! i did a small container garden this year. grape tomatoes,peppers and watermelon. it was hard keeping everything well watered but i have more experience for next year. best memory-everytime we came home. my son would go right and pick some grape tomatoes off the tree and eat them! i tried to get him to let me wash them first but that was rare.

kmac

**ChandraNH** · 09-09-2007, 11:22 AM

I use earthboxes for my container gardening. Work very very well, can fit into small spaces (even on balconies). Grew tomatoes, peppers, basil, oregano, mint and strawberries. No watering problems or anything.

**olympia621** · 09-09-2007, 11:36 AM

A few people in the class I went to said they liked earth boxes. Another alternative for the space and budget crunched is to plant into a bag of soil. Make sure it's a good grade with all of the nutrients, cut water holes in the bottom and you can grow whatever you want.
Since the growing season in SoFla is year round, I may do this while I figure out what to do with my patio.

@kmac
How did you do your watermelons? One vine or 2 vines? I did learn fow to pollinate mal to female also so I may not need 2 vines. I think it's almost watermelon and cucumber season here so I'll start with those.

**kmacbaje** · 09-09-2007, 01:08 PM

olympia-i did two vines per pot but that was purely by accident.. i really didn't know anything about growing watermelon and was just trying to not have to but a lot of pots ^_^ . i think i picked up on that pollination thing. one vine would have lots of flowers but only two to three made fruit. now i definitely know for next year. :blush:

umm what are earth boxes?

kmac

**ChandraNH** · 09-09-2007, 04:00 PM

Here's the address for earthbox. It's a self contained planting and watering system (I grew lots of tomatoes this year using it). Earthbox

**olympia621** · 09-09-2007, 04:25 PM

The top stem is male. The bottom stem is female. The ovary is the bulge. Take the male and pull the petals off of flower and also pull the flowers off of the female. Make sure the male's "stuff" pollen get down into the female receptacle. The flowers above are water melon but the shape holds true for most plants I think.