Growing On the Deck

I was over at Kingman's this week and saw he has a rear deck in full Sun. Growing things on a deck is difficult unless you have the time to water a couple times a day. Once will not be enough for vegetables in the South. You can put a water timer that comes on a couple times a day, but that wastes a lot of water.

A few years back I bought a couple of these - http://www.amazon.com/EarthBox-10100...9680911&sr=8-1 Attachment 262

They work. My problem is lack of Sun, but if you have it, these work.
You can build your own. http://www.seattleoil.com/Flyers/Earthbox.pdf

I moved mine into a deck flower bed, and bought some bigger ones like this - http://www.gardeners.com/Organic-Tom...efault,cp.html Attachment 263
These are pricey, but just great. Plus they come with a really useful frame for tomatoes. Right now I have cabbage, parsley and leaf lettuce growing in them. Yes, right now in Feb.


Last fall on sale I bought some bigger ones that seem to not be available right now but they are similar to this, but narrow and cost me less, but if I had the room --> http://www.gardeners.com/Self-Wateri...efault,cp.html Attachment 264 I have spinach growing in mine right now and recommend this big one if you have the room - I don't.:sulkiness:

At the end of the day, these things really will grow things for you with little effort on your part. The pre made ones cost, but all I have mentioned above are tried and true - by me. Others are out there and may be better. The trick is to look for (or build) the ones with as big a water reservoir as possible. Watering is not the same as constant moisture for vegetables.

I have 3 raised beds in the yard that are about 4X10 with good dirt I hauled in. I add cow crap every year in the Spring. I grow a lot in them. Watering them in this on going Summer drought is a problem. At the end of the day, due to no rain, the deck planters produce more for the space and better quality stuff. One box can produce enough lettuce type things for a couple people as the more you take, the faster it grows. In Summer, tomatoes grow best with constant moisture and these do that. Throw in a couple Basil plants and - good eating! :smiley_simmons: Add a few Marigolds (also great in salads) to pretty it all up for the Bride.

If you are lazy, or not, these are great because they work and you don't have to.

WOW !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Sitting on the deck in the rain with the Beagle --

Just copy/pasted the above to my blog which I have been too busy/lazy to spend computer time on since we started this forum and ---> It all went right up.
I did not have to re-add the links or photos -- very good. They automatically just linked to the photos here. All I can say is --WOW !!!!!

http://yardcrap.typepad.com/yardcrap/

Hoping this year will be better for our crops. Last year with the temperatures being over 100 for most of the summer, and no rain, did not have much luck. And what few tomatoes that did grow, were only 1-2" in diameter. Of course the squirrels got more than we did! May have to get out the pellet gun this year. My wife won't eat squirrel , which is a damned shame. Will be planting lettuce and other spring seeds soon. Hope no more freezes this winter.

Just because the wife doesn't eat squirrel doesn't mean YOU can't~

boil them for a couple hours first so they're not tough as shit....then you can fry them & make gravy....mmmmmmm!

LOL, yeah I do know about squirrel. Grew up on a farm down in VA, not all that far from you. Dad and I would hunt squirrel, and mom would fix and make goooooood gravy! YUMMM!

Tomatoes grown the yard are not related as to taste to whatever they sell at the market.

The key is Sun and constant moisture for a good crop.

Tomatoes stop producing as the temp rises and get back to it toward Fall, often too late for my area, hence our love of fried green tomatoes.
A good trick is to pull off the 'suckers' and stick them in the ground around June. They will take off and give a crop before frost. Free and it works. Just get them in the ground about 60 days before your first frost.