May Have Bit Off More Than I Can Chew

14 years ago

...so today I went to Baker's Nursery and splurged on fruits/veggies for my containers. I am an impulse girl, so of course did not do research before my purchase. I figured I could just put everything in the 7 or so containers I have here at the house (I only do container gardening, as my dog will pee on stuff otherwise, plus I rent, so it is easier).

Here is my purchase:

1 dwarf meyer lemon

1 dwarf navel orange

1 big boy tomato

6 red bell peppers

6 celery

1 blueberry

6 brocoli

3 asparagus

6 onion

3 cauliflower

3 cabbage

6 pees

lots of strawberries

1 romaine

and some other stuff that I can't think of off the top of my head.

So my dilemma here is...does anyone know any places that sell containers in Phoenix for a reasonable price since I am going to need a lot of them? I know plastic containers are cheap, but I don't want my plants getting scorched in the summer. I was thinking of half wine barrels, but those are still $40+. Also, if anyone has suggestions on how to plant stuff, what to put with what...anything...I'm willing to listen and learn. Thanks!

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Comments (3)

tugbrethil
14 years ago
Get the cheapest plastic containers you can stand, but buy them in pairs: one to plant the plants in, and one 2-4 inches wider. Put the small one into the large one, and fill the space in between with styrofoam peanuts (preferably recycled). In case of high winds, put a thin layer of gravel on top of the peanuts. Fill the inner pot with your favorite potting soil, and plant.

Tomatoes, broccoli, and cabbage like to be planted deep--up to 6 in. deep for tomatoes, 1-2 in. for broccoli and cabbage. Everything else shouldn't be planted any deeper than it was in the original pot. In fact, it's best to leave about 1/4 in. of the original soil showing.

As for what to plant with which, everyone has different ideas about companion plants. I haven't noticed much difference, myself, except that onions, garlic chives, basil, rosemary, and oregano repel many pests. Also, the blueberry will probably need to be by itself, since it will need special acid-forming fertilizer.

Don't be surprised if the broccoli and cabbage are disappointing. They need cold weather to form heads, and almost all of our cold weather is past.

Hope this helps!
Kevin : )
lazy_gardens
14 years ago
You only need containers for the top part of the list. the rest will be harvested and eaten, or dead, before the end of June.

Grow pretty easily in Phoenix:
1 dwarf meyer lemon
1 dwarf navel orange
1 big boy tomato
6 red bell peppers (don't like the heat as well as chilis)

Grow poorly, will be harvested, and/or don't survive the hot late spring:
6 celery (will die or be eaten by june)
1 blueberry (may die real soon!)
6 broccoli (will die or be eaten by june)
3 asparagus (need large containers, grow huge and don't produce an edible crop for a couple of years)
6 onion (will die or be eaten by june)
3 cauliflower (will die or be eaten by june)
3 cabbage (will die or be eaten by june)
6 pees (will die or be eaten by june)
lots of strawberries (will probably die by june)
1 romaine (will die or be eaten by june)

************
If you want to grow things that thrive:
Okra (from seed, start in March)
Eggplant (from seed, plant now)
Summer squash (from seed, start now)
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carlibaby
Original Author
14 years ago
I decided to build my own raised bed so I went to Home Depot today, bought all the supplies and am going to start building in a few minutes. It is going to be 6x2x1.5 and on wheels so I can move it where ever I need to on my patio. For some of the stuff (strawberries, broccoli, celery...something else, can't remember) I'll put in the containers. I have 7 gal. containers for the lemon and orange dwarf trees...so we will see how things go!

May Have Bit Off More Than I Can Chew

Comments (3)

tugbrethil

lazy_gardens

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May Have Bit Off More Than I Can Chew

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tugbrethil

lazy_gardens

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