innovative gardening

The upcoming gardening season is begining in the northern hemisphere. Due to rising food costs, demand, lower incomes, and survival awareness the individual or family or group gardens seem to be on every ones agenda this year.

A TV ad currently running is selling a hanging "upside down" tomato grower. It looks simple to construct and would be ideal for those with limited on no growing space. It also makes sense. The ad said there are a variety of other veggies grown in the same manner. Any info on this would be great.

How about any other creative gardening ideas before this years planting season revs up?

Great opening!!!
Growing our own produce has become a necessity indeed!!!
I live in an older "neighborhood" where the yards are large!! Built in the 1930's.
And we actually talk to each other. Two years ago, about 6 of us banded together and began our community garden. We have been collecting heirloom, and organic when possible, seeds. We work together on this and take advantage of each one's likes and green thumb specialties. Mine is a purple thumb, therefore, I am responsible for planting and maintaining the border areas of natural pest deterants and edible herbs, weeds, flowers. Our harvest is amazing...providing fresh foodstuffs for over 20 people every season. We have included a much older neighbor woman to aid and oversee all of our preserving methods. One person has an old, hand crank cement mixer for our compost; another has a small walking tiller and then it's us and elbow grease!!!
We have found that good soil, great seeds and starter plants, and our like minded endeavors pay off grandly.

No...this is not a "dinner club" neighborhood affair. This is survival!!!

Of course, we have the space to do this. Perhaps with limited room, one could just use small containers (anything that holds soil....anything at all), and again, good dirt, good seeds and pereseverance.
Am not much into purchasing gimmicky planters.......we start everything in restuarant supplied "pickle buckets" that we get for free..Just ask.!!
Your container does not have to be "designer"......Eating good food should be the priority!!

Peace.

The New Frugality:

The Organic GardenerWith sales up 500%, John Dromgoole's "The Natural Gardener" organic nursery is having a very good year


www.time.com...

I'm starting my own hydrophonic operation. I'll be growing tomatoes, potatoes, strawberries, herbs, maybe a couple other things too. Nice post

I would like to add that it is important to put those little special touches to your family gardens, to make it have a decorative sense that in the end will make you proud and feel good about the space which is potentially the most important place on your property.

What am I talking about? Well for instance at the edge of our family garden we placed a big turquoise colored wrought iron heart and then made a little simple garden in front of that with a plack that reads "Believe", also around the edge of the garden we planted garden flower seeds which will help cut down on bugs and then become a healthy addition to my Bach flower assortment.

The children made a beautiful brick walkway in front of the pea poles. We took large wooden dowels and placed them in the ground and placed string across those for the peas to grow up. It looks great and these 'special' touches gives everyone a favorite place in the garden which when life makes you feel bad, you can go to as a reminder of the richness we are all blessed with.

Subsequently, I have been able to get the kids to pull those pesky weeds as we see them rise without any complaints and that is a biggie.

Speaking of weeds, the gardeners single biggest obstacle, especially when first attempting a garden... So learn to LOVE pulling them, and discovering interesting ways to make those special touches to address that problem.

I placed some newspaper down wet it and then covered the area in old straw out of the chicken coop. It butts up next to the plants and seedlings, helps to keep moisture in and weeds to a minimum. Looks fantastic and feels wonderful under foot.

This year I went a bit more and purchased some weed barrier for the family gardens and placed those down and then continued with the straw.

All in all it will be the focal point when friends drop by as there is a lazy hammock and a few other kind and thoughtful touches here and there which makes it more a piece of art than a labor camp environment.

So add those special touches from things that add beauty and your own special touch to create a space you want to be in and others will be inspired by!

Edit for sppeeeel ck

Also we added a couple of Teepees, to grow the pole beans on and I love the look and feel of them, it is a reminder of our connectedness to nature and the real founding Fathers and Mothers of this beautiful planet. We said prayers and gave gifts of tobacco and lavendar before we built them as well as offering our prayers for the abundance of wellness in all things of higher energy. We love to use rock, and mulch too!

[edit on 19-4-2009 by antar]

Originally posted by huntergatherer
A TV ad currently running is selling a hanging "upside down" tomato grower. It looks simple to construct and would be ideal for those with limited on no growing space. It also makes sense. The ad said there are a variety of other veggies grown in the same manner. Any info on this would be great.

These are great for people with limited space. I had some hanging from my balcony when I lived in an apartment. You can also grow peppers upside down. There may be others, but I know you can get the upside down hanging grower for tomatoes & Peppers.

Flower boxes also work great for growing veggies when you live in an apartment.

I would like to add that I have serious doubts about the seed which comes with those upside down ready made commercial planters. If you choose to grow this way I would look it up online, build your own and then purchase your seed from a NON GMO non hybridized site...

reply to post by huntergatherer


I have seen gardeners grow tomatoes just out of a plastic bag, so you don't even have to buy the hanging planting set if you don't want too.

I personally do cluster gardening. where you plant a lot in an area, instead of rows. The plants are smaller and produce less, but since so much more are in an area, then you actually get more out of a space.

Like antar, i have used the newspaper. Cheap way to prevent weeds. Not 100% fool proof but it makes life easier.

Also, you can use pine needles as an effective cover and mulch, that prevents weeds. Which is why you don't see much growing under pine trees. And the best part is that it is free.

You can use marigolds as a border, they are cheap, you can harvest the seeds later, and they repel some pests and critters.

Originally posted by huntergatherer
A TV ad currently running is selling a hanging "upside down" tomato grower. It looks simple to construct and would be ideal for those with limited on no growing space. It also makes sense. The ad said there are a variety of other veggies grown in the same manner. Any info on this would be great.

How about any other creative gardening ideas before this years planting season revs up?

I would try an experiment. Take some VINE veggies and try and grow them in that manner. I have worked on a farm most of my life, and i always have my own garden, i love to grow flowers and i have succesfully cloned many of my plants. I learned most of what i know by experimenting. I say vine plants because most other plants with hard stalks will turn upward and grow tward the sun. bvine plants can not do this with out the help of some kind of structer. Just try it. what do you have to lose. Let us know how it goes.

AND GREAT THREAD, good luck

What about 'Guerilla Gardening'?
It's essentially planting things to eat wherever you can, absolutely anywhere.
Sounds like an interesting concept.
Check this out:

Guerilla Gardening

It seems to be taking off here in the UK.

Peace

This is a copy and paste from a text file I was working on.

Simple Self-watering balcony gardening units

TWO TYPES- Tupperware/Containers and Tupperware/Tupperware

Tupperware/containers setup

Materials required:

One Large watertight tupperware storage bin which is equal to, or taller than, the plastic drink containers that are to be used.

Six to fourty plastic liquid containers, with cap, or something similar serving as a replacement cap.

some clean cloth/rags (highly recommended)

*Vermiculite (not required- but it is an excellent water regulator and does its part with the cloth in helping to keep the water
reserves dirt-free by separating the water from the soil/soilless mix.

A lightweight, varied content and lightly misted soilless/growing medium that keeps but breaks its shape easily when squeezed.


-I like to buy an prepared growing mix and make it more premium by adding slightly more sand, vermiculite, and perlite.

- Depending on how expensive your seeds were you might want to sterilize your seedling soil by covering it, then microwaving it at
the rate of 2:30 minutes per 1.5-2 liters of moistened, very lightly packed soil. Don't microwave soggy, compacted or dry soil-
it has to be uniformly moist, or 'out of the bag' to be able to properly heat it to the desired 170F internal temperature.
If the temperature goes over 180-200F, it might make the soil toxic, especially if the heat is prolonged.

Instructions:

1) Drill two or three sufficiently small holes through the cap of each drink container. This is for the wicking action that will
bring water to the growing medium.

2) Cut a hole about two inches in diameter out of the bottom of the drink container. A well cut-out hole will help with water retention.

3) Place a piece of cloth onto the inside of the cap. This will keep the water clean by preventing heavy dirt from leaching into
the water reserve inside the large Tupperware container.

4) *Pour enough Vermiculite through the hole to cover the cap and cloth piece, up to half an inch deep.

5) Carefully pour/insert some of the soilless mix on top of the Vermiculite strata to compact and stabilize the Vermiculite before
adding more of the soilless mix to top up.

6) Finish filling up the plant container with your soilless mix.

7) Put the plant container into a shallow bucket so you can plant seeds or transplant plants through the exposed hole without it
tipping over onto its side.

8) Dust off the container of any debris, and place it into the large Tupperware reservoir. Have something ready to keep the
containers from tipping over and spoiling the cleanliness until you fill out the large Tupperware reservoir with any additional
ready plant containers.

9) Fill the reservoir up to near the soil level of the plant containers with fertilized water.


This setup is excellent and recommended for tomato plants or any other plants that need to be hydrated 24/7, especially during the
fruiting stage.

Cover any large gaps between the containers and the reservoir with plastic coverings to help prevent excessive water evaporation
on the hottest days.

For best results, Foliar feed - Spray a very dilute fertilizer mix onto the leaves at sundown/low winds two or three times a week
to maximize growth output and plant health.


Tupperware/Tupperware

A bit more expensive and doesn't use leftover drink containers and is a bit more cumbersome, but uses the greatest space.

Materials:
Two Tupperware bins of same size.
6 aluminum cans or bricks.
A towel/absorbent cloth large enough to cover the bottom of your Tupperware bin with room to spare for the towel to have contact with the water
below.

Instructions:

1) Cut a long, very narrow horizontal slit the width and length of your towel on each side of the Tupperware bin, just slightly off
the bottom of the Tupperware bin. The slit shouldn't be so wide that dirt slips through.

2) Insert anything durable, like bricks, onto the bottom of the reservoir. This will keep the water pool in the Tupperware reservoir
and the Tupperware plant container separate. Only the towel will be in contact with the water.

3) Insert a towel through one of the slits and out the other, and put the plant container into the reservoir, and overlap the
dangling towel ends into the water of the Tupperware reservoir below.

4) Pour your growing mix into the Tupperware plant container onto the towels that are in the bottom.
The water should begin to wick into the soil.

This info is great.......lets try to keep it going especially at this time of year.

Thanks to you all!

One additional question I have is about growing a garden in the woods. Any veg varieties grow well with less sunlight?

In my backyard i have 2 gardens both 20foot squared. On my fence i grow kiwi vines. And around my back porch i grow currents. I can grow enough food around my back yard to feed my family of 3 for the year. And we always have a ton left over. Only thing we dont do on our own is any kind of meat products. I live right outside the city but still in the middle of a neighborhood. If the enonemy does go south ill invest in some chickens. After that i wont need food from the store anymore.
This year my garden is consiting of:
Green Beans
Cabbage
3 kinds of lettuce
Carrots
Kohlrabi
Cucumber
cantaloupe
Green Onions
White Onions
radish
turnips
Butternut squash
tomatos
Peppers
and miscellaneous herbs

Im sure i forgot some things but you get the idea. This year i might add a small potato garden.

I also have a couple asian pear trees but they need a few more years till they are producing.

One thing i would like to add is my garden attracts tons of rabbits. I have a white german shepherd and he tries to keep them away but there are just too many. If i ever need meat in a pinch its crawling all over my back yard. My garden is fenced in but some of the items i let grow through the fence to keep the rabbits coming back. You never know.

[edit on 19-4-2009 by Darkice19]

reply to post by Darkice19


Great story...in regards to the rabbits and perhaps future stews!!!!
And sounds like you have a fantastic garden.

I am really enjoying what everyone has to say here about growing their own produce and attracting a few extras!!!

Thanks everyone.

Peace.....

This year I'm doing something different in my garden. Just an Experiment. Im going to home depot and buying several tubes of PVC pipes. Ill lay them down in the garden to form rows. Ill connect all the ends and attach a garden hose to one corner. Ill bury the PVC pipes but leave just the tops exposed. On the bottom of the pipes ill drill tiny holes so the water will bleed out into the garden. In Nebraska it gets pretty hot and dry and the water evaporates fast. I find myself watering almost every day.
The PVC pipes will stop erosion from rain. And the water inside will feed the roots from the bottom up. And ill just have to refill the reservoir every couple of weeks.




[edit on 19-4-2009 by Darkice19]

reply to post by Darkice19


not a bad idea but be care full and have a diffrent fitting for each row not all plants require the same amout of water. most garden plants need less than a 1/2 inch a week. if you have more than one type in the same row make sure they use roughly the same amount of water. good luck i hope your garden is fruitfull and multiplys. seriously good luck and have fun in the garden, god knows i do...

Yep..the PVC thing is great.....
We drill different size holes according to what is in the rows...and..we have the whole lot of the pipes connected to our rain catcher barrels with a control spigot.
Love those elbows!!!!
Our garden is a community one; so with the barrels, we do not have to burden the closest house with an extra water bill.

This is making me hungry for fresh spinach!!! Am patiently waiting!!!

Peace....

I like soil moist, its an additive but if you are without water for a long time, soil moist will keep most water in for the roots and it wont evaporate. I think it is one of the coolest inventions for arid/desert areas or if you forget to water for a week.

I am doing irrigation with pvc as well however I am not putting it on the ground as it gets clogged by dirt and also makes it a drag when the weeding happens, also to get the tiller over the pvc, well...

So I am taking the pvc and placing it on block so it can be mowed around and weed eaten.