we don't have anywhere to plant, so I would like to do a few items in containers out on my front porch...that does get TONS of sun.

I am not looking for too much in the herb department, but more veggies and fruits if possible.

Any ideas?

I used to do a lot of container gardening. Tomaoes, peppers, and eggplants did really well. Beans, peas, strawberries, and leafy veggies were good, too. When we were in an apartment, we even grew raspberries in a big pot. We did some root veggies, but you don't get much for the amount of container space they take up. You can get extra-dwarf fruit trees that can live in a half-barrel size container. If you can afford them, self-watering containers are a good idea. I didn't have them, and sometimes during really hot weather I had to water twice a day. I did eventually set up a drip irrigation system for some of the pot, but self-watering would have been easier.

Originally posted by thea
I used to do a lot of container gardening. Tomaoes, peppers, and eggplants did really well. Beans, peas, strawberries, and leafy veggies were good, too. When we were in an apartment, we even grew raspberries in a big pot. We did some root veggies, but you don't get much for the amount of container space they take up. You can get extra-dwarf fruit trees that can live in a half-barrel size container. If you can afford them, self-watering containers are a good idea. I didn't have them, and sometimes during really hot weather I had to water twice a day. I did eventually set up a drip irrigation system for some of the pot, but self-watering would have been easier.

thank you! what kind of leafy veggies did you do??

on the beans and peas....I have never grown those before. She said she thought the peas made a bush...is that right?? I know i want to do some peppers etc....and since I stay home I love to water every day especially when I am pregnant, so this will give me a good excuse to go outside in the heat! LOL...although self watering containers sound good too.

what are extra dwarf trees?? that sounds cool.

thanks! I am SOO new to this.

Tomatoes did the best for us. Patio tomatoes was the variety (I think)

Leafy veggies: in general, any kind will work, but if you want lettuce, leaf (rather than heading) varieties are best for containers, because you can cut them and they will regrow.

Beans and peas: These come in pole types and bush types. You want the bush types for containers.

Peppers: Pretty much any kind is good.

Johnny's Selected Seeds (www.johnnyseeds.com) has a little flowerpot symbols in their catlog next to plants that are especially good for containers.

Extra-dwarf fruit trees are trees that only get about 6 feet tall. Try www.raintreenursery.com . www.starkbros.com also has a few, along with "colonnade" apple trees, that just grow straight up with no branches. They look kind of neat.
Have fun! I'd love to hear how everything works out for you.

I have had many deck gardens as well... the things that did the best for me was tomatos and herbs. I grew peas under my deck and they came up and threaded through the poles on the deck railing and we ate them from there. It was great. (the deck was only 4 feet off the ground).

Now that I have garden space I still plant some things on the deck, one cherry tomato plant, a basil pot (with Thai, green and purple basil... beautiful!), chives, *nastershums (in dh's old boots), *borage, and *viola's (*you can eat the flowers and they make great salad toppers). Last year we had a salad garden under the deck and it did not do well. So this year I redid the soil, and am researching shade garden plants. There are not many that do not bolt under shady conditions. So I may put flowers there again.

My sunny spot is about 25 ft X 35ft. So I have to be really careful how I plan it... whatever can go up, must go up. I have learned to put everything I can on trellises. Cucumbers, pumkins, beans, peas, squash, tomatos, and many other things that do not normally go on trellises do in my yard. Then there are things I hang from the wall too... nastirshums, and many types of climbing and trailing plants I put in containers and hang them from the wall to trail down. This works great as long as it does not get too hot. And this is another thing I did while deck gardening... many things like to be along a wall that gets morning sun. I got the best cherry tomatos from hanging 1 big plant in a peat basket...

Love Val

Tomatoes, green beans, cucumbers, peas (all will grow vertically if you use a trellis, netting, or cage of some sort). Peppers, herbs are a must! Dry them and put them in canning jars for storage. You can use them all winter long! Lettuce.

Fruit trees, perhaps. :) Lemon or lime trees? (that you can move indoors when weather gets too cool). Strawberries.

Good luck!

thank you guys! I forgot to mention that tomatos were OUT...we HATE them! LOL

Stacy, how do you get them to grow vertically? i would love to do my own green beans.

how about peas too?

thanks for all the information!

Most climbing peas and beans can be planted in about 1 cubic foot of space... So any planter box that is 12" by 12" by any amount of length will do. Make sure they have at least that, and with that you need to be careful of them drying out... that will kill them quickly. So a spot that gets morning sun is best for these. The afternoon heat can dry things out really quickly. The best luck I have found is when I used a seedling soil for my entire planter box, and put rocks in the bottom of the soil for good drainage, and then watered at night. That way they are able to take whatever water they want, and the rest drains away by monring so the sun never cooks the roots in the sitting water. I have gotten many crops this way. :)

If you have a very large pot... in June loosen up your soil, take a packet of Basil seeds, and pur them in the loose soil. (If you want them started earlier than that you can put a plastic plate (like the cheap ones they sell to put under pots for water damage) over the top for a little green house effect.) If the average temp is over 40 and the plants do not get drided out, you will be able to cut them to 2 inches about half way through the summer and have the same amount again at the end of the growing season. It is amazing... and I never run out of pesto. :)

Do you guys have an over hang where you can hang plants? There is one type of tomato called a "ground cherry". They are yellow, and really sweet and my brother (an avid tomato hater) even likes them. Also they are great to plant in peat baskets hanging from the wall because they train down from the basket... A good snacking item. (They taste quite a bit like cherries... and less like tomatos. And they are paper tomatos (friend of the tomatillo) so the kids really like watching them grow!)

Ok I have babbled long enough.

Love Val

Originally posted by jessica_momof5
Stacy, how do you get them to grow vertically? i would love to do my own green beans.

how about peas too?

I'm using our fence line for our vertical crops. I used plastic netting and will carefully tuck and weave the green beans, cukes, and peas into the netting so they grow UP and not on the ground. The benefits are that there is more circulation, no worries about bug-wuggies eating the crops that are on the ground, mold, rot, etc. You can make your own trellis from twigs in your yard and twine.

In 12" by 12" spot (1 square foot) of space, you can grow 8 green bean plants, 8 pea plants or 2 cuke plants, or 16 onions or 16 carrots or one pepper plant. :)

HTH!