- Joined
- Feb 27, 2011
- Messages
- 1,020
Hi all you Survival Guys an' Gals,
B2D is back with more observations, experiments, and advice on Urban Survival Skills and Gardening.
So far, I've had the most success in using crates lined with BLACK garbage bags (this keeps light off the roots, and holds in the moisture),
and in that the weather is hot and dry (a container which drains will dry out much faster), I water early in the morning..usually between nine and ten am. Now, I have other plants which live in pots at the moment, and I've taken to putting these also into containers which hold moisture (crates with black garbage bags). I've found they need less water, in that the water given them is held longer, and they grow more effectively. I have several tomato plants which look more like trees, and EVERY blossom has been pollinated and is growing a tomato--sometimes these are in different stages...smallest, smaller, small, med, etc.
Also, all the pots, seedling planters, hanging pots, etc, can be re-used year after year, so the invest will continue to pay for itself. It wasn't a bad deal overall. I've spent over one hundred fifty dollars -- total. I've already made half of that back.
Insects...well...I haven't seen but maybe five or six since this experiment began. Usually, I just grab them and squish them (with the exception of spiders, manti, lady bugs, etc...these I'm happy to see.) Everything is starting to bloom or fruit. I shocked a farmer's market vendor I know, when I told him what I'd done. So, in this, my plants have been completely pesticide free.
I also managed to grow strawberries in the same manner, and these turned out to be sweet and sour at the same time. The flavor was very interesting.
Estimates for harvest:
Several dozen bushels of tomato, squash, cucumber, and corn.
--
Plants for July.
Cucumber
Squash
Tomato
Corn
Collards
Beans
B2D is back with more observations, experiments, and advice on Urban Survival Skills and Gardening.
So far, I've had the most success in using crates lined with BLACK garbage bags (this keeps light off the roots, and holds in the moisture),
and in that the weather is hot and dry (a container which drains will dry out much faster), I water early in the morning..usually between nine and ten am. Now, I have other plants which live in pots at the moment, and I've taken to putting these also into containers which hold moisture (crates with black garbage bags). I've found they need less water, in that the water given them is held longer, and they grow more effectively. I have several tomato plants which look more like trees, and EVERY blossom has been pollinated and is growing a tomato--sometimes these are in different stages...smallest, smaller, small, med, etc.
Also, all the pots, seedling planters, hanging pots, etc, can be re-used year after year, so the invest will continue to pay for itself. It wasn't a bad deal overall. I've spent over one hundred fifty dollars -- total. I've already made half of that back.
Insects...well...I haven't seen but maybe five or six since this experiment began. Usually, I just grab them and squish them (with the exception of spiders, manti, lady bugs, etc...these I'm happy to see.) Everything is starting to bloom or fruit. I shocked a farmer's market vendor I know, when I told him what I'd done. So, in this, my plants have been completely pesticide free.
I also managed to grow strawberries in the same manner, and these turned out to be sweet and sour at the same time. The flavor was very interesting.
Estimates for harvest:
Several dozen bushels of tomato, squash, cucumber, and corn.
--
Plants for July.
Cucumber
Squash
Tomato
Corn
Collards
Beans
