In Dallas, SMALL Apartment- NEED HELP!!!

[Jmarie7410]

Hi. I have fallen in LOVE with gardening and just CAN'T seem to get enough of it. I have had gardens (small scale) both in the ground and in pots...sometimes hanging on the fence... I loved growing potatoes last year (in the ground) but now that I am in an apartment I plan on growing them in grow bags.

Has anyone used grow bags before? Also- the upside down hanging tomato plants...can someone please tell me if this is better? I dont have a lot of space on my patio- but i do believe that if i plan it right I can grow in 2 potato bags, 1 upside down hanging tomato plant (maybe 2) and peas...maybe onions.

I am really excited about getting started but I wanted to ask someone who knew more than me.*which is almost everybody :)

I hope to get some answers soon.

I'm glad to be a part of this site! :) i think i watched EVERY garden girl video lastnight. eep!

[shebear]

Sorry can't help you with grow bags but I have grown potatoes in pots and it worked out pretty good. I would think bags would be even better because you can roll down the bag when you start and then unroll as you bury the potato plant. Tumbling Tom is supposed to be a good tomato to grow in a hanging pot so you might try that. And Patio Tomatoes were bred to grow produce on a small plant so you might try one of those if you have room.

Do you live anywhere near one of Dallas's community gardens? Maybe you could get a plot.

[Garden Green]

I've not done the grow bags, but I have done the upsidedown tomato and if you do nothing else, make sure you have a large enough container for it because mine did not do well in a smaller container. I got tomatoes from it, but the plant just did not have enough room to produce like a champ. So large container for the tomato!

Good luck!

[Sinfonian]

Hey there, I think you could do very well with early season varieties of potatoes in grow bags. I also love the idea of hanging tomatoes. May I also recommend Self Watering Containers for any number of plants? You can even put them on casters so they can be moved around (weigh about 60 lbs. fully loaded).

Good luck and welcome!

[Backyard Permaculture]

You've been watching too many late night INFOMERCIALS---LOL

Actually I have too.

You can do the "topsy Turvy" thing with tomatos by gettin a normal 5 gal plastic bucket, cut about a 1 in hole in the bottom, put about 2" of pot soil in the bottom of the bucket, except around the hole. Carefully feed the foliage of a started tomato plant through the hole, from the inside so it hangs down from the bucket. Tuck straw or cardboard or other fibrous material around the tomato stem, keeping it centered in the hole. Work the potting around the rootball and add more filling it up 1/2" of the top.

A novel advantage of this is you can plant something else, since Carrots Love Tomatoes, maybe carrots and get double planting area for the price.

Hang the bucket where you can remember to water it. Remember, it will be quite heavy when it has just been watered, and when the tomato plant gets big and loaded with tomatoes. Also remember that excess water will drain out of the bucket through the tomato hole in the bottom and provision should be made to catch the water.

Maybe another potted plant beneath to capture and utilize the excess
tomato/carrot water.

Hey, that's 3 plants in the space of 1. Maybe that would help you apartment dwellers.

Ron

[shebear]

You should see the video on Sack Gardens in Uganda. Here's the link....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ul0kQ_2lvrE

I think this is a great idea for small garden areas. And it would be good for strawberries too.

[plantoneonme]

I tried the upside down tomatoes and honestly think they aren't worth my time. I found this forum and think if I grew anything in a container, it would be the way to grow (pun intended).

http://forums.gardenweb.com/forums/load/tomato/msg0321401028869.html

Other things to consider are pole beans, cucumbers and other vining crops that take up very little in the ground and can be grown up. Why not try them in the hanging buckets instead of tomatoes. I am biased on tomatoes though as I simply LOVE them and want the maximum harvest possible.

Here is a discussion about upside down tomatoes...

http://forums.gardenweb.com/forums/load/tomato/msg0618273221916.html

Check out this utube found on one of Patti's other sites. It is about growing potatoes in pots...I plan on starting one indoors as soon as I get a potato to sprout.

http://thegreenlivingtvnetwork.blogspot.com/2009/01/growing-potatoes-365-days-year.html

Welcome to the forums, Kim

[Jmarie7410]

Hahahaa- I DO watch infomercials...they are so sickly addicting. but gladly i have a husband who talks me out of MOST of what i see. :) that and i google the products to see that HALF or more of the people who buy these things are very disappointed.

I want to thank all of you who responded to my questions. I am forever grateful!

Janet

Gardening ROCKS!

[gardengirl72]

Gardening does ROCK! Hey Janet welcome to the boards. Can't wait to hear about what you do. Look for a community garden as well, you will meet new friends. I have never experimented with an upside down plant but I am going to try someday without a kit and see what happens.