Ooh, it sounds like you have an Earth Box! These can be much fun, and since I have a bindweed problem, I plant only in containers of similar design, but they're from Garden Patch and they're called Grow Boxes. They're AWESOME!!! Google both, and read on what you can plant, how dense, etc. Here's an important question: do you have an elasticized cover that is black on one side and white on the other? This is KEY to your success using the EB; if not, there are ways to improvise; I currently use a hybrid of the EB & GB versions using some 4-mil plastic that I bought at Walmart, cutting it to size like the GB does, and using some good fertilizer, also purchased at Walmart, and using it ala EB instructions. (if you're totally lost after googling and reviewing the box instructions, email me and I can give you more specific details) You can plant alot into one box, if you plan accordingly. Since you have limited sun, you'll definitely want to get the biggest babies you can find (try Walmart, Lowes, look for garden centers in your area), because they may not grow a ton; you may even want to consider getting some additional lighting to supplement. As far as what varieties do well with less sun, you may want to post a question in the vegetable gardening forum--I would think a tomato on one end, but in my experience, peppers need full-on sun to go anywhere. Maybe you could do a pizza & pasta garden, and do a tomato plant, and some herbs on the other end--chives, basil, oregano. Don't know how well the herbs do with the limited light, though. Again, there are other forums where you might get better answers there. If you find yourself shopping at a nursery, seek out the most experienced gardener there (usually not the clerk, right?) and ask if they know of something you can plant for your sun exposure. They may not be familiar with the EB, so don't let them talk you out of planting the number of plants that you can put in there. The other thing you can do is to maximize the light that you do get, as well as the ambient light, by putting up thing that will reflect the light. Your patio may already have a reflective coating; if not, it's a minimal expense to put some up, and I wouldn't think you would even need to ask the building super if you do a nice job on it. If you're not concerned about looks, of if you can do it nicely, put up some white sheets on the non-glass portions to reflect as much light back onto the container plants as possible. Good luck!

What JaG said is good advice. The Tomatoes will take the container over. If possible (seperated enough where roots aren't inermingled), remove everything but the 2 mater plants. One way or another, remove the cinnamon basil & parsley immediately & transplant to their own containers (10-12 inch). The Basil will get big. The Bell Pepper plant under the maters, if it can not be safely removed and is far enogh away from the two tomatoes to grow 2 ft or so, should be fine. I'd start it a training program, if that's the case (can't be removed w/o hurting something) where you can start some thin bamboo stakes to make it grow a certain way (away from tomato plants). Maybe 2-3 stakes...2 across each other meeting at the main stem to put sufficient force on it to make it grow away (but not push it too much) & one (or two) later on to help with support. Sorry...went off to gardening idea land there for a minute. =) Raybo has some great ideas, so post pictures of yours on Tomatoes & see what he says. The Basil & Parsely would be fine in your 3 gallon containers. "I also planted 4 bush bean plants in a rather large (24 inch diameter) container, 3 of them seem to be doing well, they are still quite small, though." They should all 4 be fine, but may need vertical support soon. Hope this helps. Peace - Steve

I haven't had a veggie garden in many years and am getting back into it this year. I tried tomatoes in buckets in the past with mixed results. I was reading on GW and will pass along my newly acquired knowledge LOL. Buy tomato plants that are smaller, also known as container or pot tomatoes. The larger varieties require staking and will quickly outgrow the containers. Tomatoes require a lot of water but don't like soggy feet...make sure you have plenty of drain holes in the buckets. You may want to place a piece of PVC pipe into to bucket to where the roots are to make sure they get the water they need as buckets dry out quickly. Since it will be so hot during mid day in AZ, your tomatoes may require some mid afternoon protection from the sun. I found cucumber seeds that only spread 2 ft which I think would be good for containers...same thing as tomatoes though as far as water and sun protection. I can send along a couple seeds for postage if you would like. Don't know much about eggplants but am pretty sure grow much like tomatoes. Below is a link to some inexpensive containers that I think you could grow your plants in. I am also thinking that a bucket could be modified in a similar manner. Enjoy! Kim Here is a link that might be useful: Inexpensive growing container

Al, Thanks for the link. I'll read all of that when I have more time. I'm a slow reader to begin with, so you can imagine how long it would take me to read all of that...awhile, but I really look forward to learning about container gardening. I'm glad to hear that I can keep trees and other plants in containers indefinitely. About root-pruning skills...I guess I don't really have any, as I've never really had any need to prune roots. I've heard that in bonsai you prune roots, but I've never done bonsai, so I wouldn't know how they prune the roots, although I wouldn't mind doing at least one plant that way. I think just regular container gardening is all that I'm going to attempt for now (besides my regular outside gardening in the ground). I forgot to mention that I did have my hackberry outside in a one-gallon pot over the winter last year and it was fine in the spring. I put it next to the house and surrounded it with bags full of leaves for insulation. It sounds like I might not have to do that anymore since you said it would need minimal protection. I'm not getting it out from its nestled-in-again position now, but I mean for following winters I guess I wouldn't need to do that, right? I didn't exactly know what you meant though. That's good that myrtles can be kept in pots over the winter. Last year I didn't quite trust it outside over the winter so I brought it into our laundry room until it was warm enough to move the pot back outside. The plant is about 1-1/2 feet tall and in a 3-gallon pot. I wish I could leave it in that indefinitely. My problem with moving things is that I have a bad back and so once I have them in a pot (especially if I have to get pots that are bigger than 3 gallons...I can barely lift those with potting soil and a plant in them) I wish that I could keep them in a permanent location in that pot and not have to move them...or maybe that's asking for too much. Oh, and I don't know how long it takes myrtles to bloom, but the one that I brought inside last winter didn't bloom at all in the spring or summer. It's a little cooler in our house than it is in the rest of the house, but it's nowhere near like being outside; it's probably 55-60 there for the plants that I have there now. I started crepe myrtles from seed last year and want to plant them outside this year. I won't hold my breath for them to bloom this year though because they're inside like the bigger one was last winter (but now it's outside against the house and surrounded by leaves just like the hackberry and a few other plants are. I will also have to read up on how to prune myrtles. Wow, I have a lot of reading to do! I do want to learn how to do these things though. Cathy