My very small space.

Discussion in 'Small Space Gardening' started by honoryourlife, Jun 25, 2008.

  1. honoryourlife

    honoryourlife Member

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    I live in an apartment, first floor with a balcony. I am currently growing all 13 of my plants in front or around my window in my room. My window is facing south east I do believe.

    Here are the plants I am currently growing:

    (1) Golden Pothos
    (1) normal Pothos?
    (1) Mass Cane?
    (1) A Ficus Tree of some sort.
    (1) Dragon Tree? (Marginata?)
    (2) Spider Plants
    (6) Bell Pepper Plants

    I live in Thompson, Manitoba. "The Hub of the North" They call it. It's right on the line of the 0b, and 1a. So I’m looking for a list of the plants I can grow outdoors in a raised garden bed or small green house on my balcony. Or in my home like I am already doing.

    The Winters here usually start around October/Novemberish and ends around March/April. The winter weather usually ranges from -15 to -40ish without wind chill factor. The summer usually starts around the end of May until September. The summer weather is usually about +15 to +30ish. We have quite the extreme weather. In fact most automotive companies do their winter testing here.

    There are many different species of coniferous trees here, along with some deciduous trees. There are a vast amount of different types of fungus, some of which are very strange looking and I’ve yet to find out what they might be. There are also lots of types of berries that grow all around.

    Wal-Mart is the only supplier of plants in this town, so my selection is kind of limited. I could order off of the internet but I’m yet to find a nursery that also sells some plants/seeds that I am interested in, that is located in Manitoba or a province close to Manitoba.

    Some other plants I am interested in growing include:

    Atropa Belladonna (Deadly Nightshade)
    Datura Stramonium (Devil’s Trumpet)
    Hyoscyamus niger (Henbane)

    I was wondering what Berries might be good to plant in pots? There are Blueberries, Raspberries, Strawberries, Saskatoon Berries, Currants (Atleast at Wal-Mart), Indian Berries (Not sure what these actually are, they call them that here), probably black berries and maybe gooseberries.
    Some vegetables I would be interested in growing in pots, raised beds, or a small green house would include:

    Belle Peppers
    Tomatoes
    Potatoes
    Carrots
    Spinach
    Broccoli

    So if any of you have any suggestions, comments, etc they would all be very welcome, plus maybe some tips/techniques to growing some of these plants as well. Thank you very much.

    -Ryan,
     
  2. Michael F

    Michael F Paragon of Plants Forums Moderator 10 Years

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    Whatever you do, don't mix up the Atropa, Datura, and Hyoscyamus with your vegetables!!
     
  3. honoryourlife

    honoryourlife Member

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    Haha that I won't! Thanks.
     
  4. Annell

    Annell Active Member

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    I've had very good success growing many veggies in pots. My kitchen in on the second floor of my house so i like to have my greens near the kitchen door on my deck. Potatoes and other root veggie might be tough, cuz they like it deep, but there's a kind of carrot that grows short and thick... looking for seed packet now.. West Coast Seeds "minicor" are supposed to do well in raised beds or small spaces.

    I've grown tomatoes and peppers in pots too, they do well in them- it's important to keep them well fed as they are heavy feeders and will take the nutrients from the soil in pots quickly. Some of those organic nutrient sticks or pegs work very well. I think the company that sells them is 'Jobes' or 'Jobies'

    This year I'm experimenting with growing peas and beans in hanging baskets. We'll see how it goes.

    Watch out for the henbane - it is a super stinky plant and you may not want it in a closed space. Angels trumpet is beautiful and smells lovely - it'll need a greenhouse or come inside for the winter tho. I haven't had much luck getting nightshade to grow from seed. tho I am proud on my baby mandrakes I got some going this year, unlike last year.

    Good luck with your garden. Let us know how it goes!
    A.
     
  5. honoryourlife

    honoryourlife Member

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    Thank you very much!

    I will have to go out and buy some of those pegs, I know my grandmother used them many years ago with success. The peppers I have now are just out of their trays about 5-7 days ago. So will they need the pegs right away? Or when they get a bit bigger?

    I too also wanted to try peas and beans in pots, hanging baskets sounds interesting.
    The Angels Trumpet will be kept inside year round I'm thinking.

    I shall update. Thank you!
     
  6. Annell

    Annell Active Member

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    In my opinion I'd put some of those pegs in now since you've put them in bigger pots and then look at the recommendations on the pack. I think it says every 6 weeks or so.

    Mostly I'm trying the hanging baskets because we're planning on resurfacing the deck this summer and I want to keep as many pots off the deck as possible. If it works I'll have a pretty and edible hanging garden over my patio doors.

    Peas and beans like to dig their roots deep, so whatever pots you try make sure they are nice and deep for the roots.

    I'll try to get some pictures of the hanging baskets. My camera works intermittently.
     
  7. honoryourlife

    honoryourlife Member

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    Thanks for the advice. I shall go shopping some time today.
    What about ice cream pails? Like the big ones? The 5 gal ones I think?
    Pictures would be awesome, I lost my digital. :(
     
  8. Annell

    Annell Active Member

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    You can give them a try. 5 gallons is pretty big, so i don't see why not. I'm all for experimenting to see what works. I don't have any formal gardener training, just years of growing stuff by trial and error. I grow tomatoes in pails about that size and they like it.
     
  9. honoryourlife

    honoryourlife Member

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    Ok, well for right now they are in about medium margarine containers. Well the plant pots (so water doesn't get everywhere). My peppers seem to be growing very quickly.

    How do you think a Cherry Tomato plant would fare in my room?
     
  10. Michael F

    Michael F Paragon of Plants Forums Moderator 10 Years

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    If you use ice cream or margarine tubs or similar, remember to cut some drainage holes in the bottom (and stand them on a tray to catch the excess water!). Otherwise you have a much higher risk of overwatering the plants, leaving them to rot sitting in a stagnant pond at the bottom of the tubs.

    PS let me know if you need some help finishing the ice cream first ;-)
     
  11. honoryourlife

    honoryourlife Member

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    That's what I am doing, haha. Thanks! But I have to lift the pots out of the margarine containers a bit.

    Thank you.
     
  12. jg156

    jg156 Member

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    straw berries,but they multiply quickly so have an extra pot ready.
    almost any tomatoes will grow pretty well in a small area.
     
  13. Daniel Mosquin

    Daniel Mosquin Paragon of Plants UBC Botanical Garden Forums Administrator Forums Moderator 10 Years

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    Perhaps more as an aside, but you might like to investigate some of the publications put out by the University of Alaska, Fairbanks: Horticulture and Home Gardening
     

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