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The Kitchen Table

Cool ideas for space-saving gardening!

10 years ago

I love container gardening, and especially vertical gardening. (Many of you have put up with my bragging about my bean arch--and we're erecting a second one this year.) I clicked on the "vertical gardening" link at the top of our opening page and found this great thread full of innovative ideas. Lots of pictures--check it out:

Growing lettuce in hanging shoe organizers, and other interesting ideas

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Comments (9)

OklaMoni
10 years ago
Right, good ideas... but only for people that stay home, and can water... :)

Moni
alisande
Original Author
10 years ago
He said he was inventing an irrigation system. I didn't read through the whole thread, so I don't know if he described one. Yes, I imagine the shoe compartments would dry up quickly--especially in the Oklahoma sun, but even here in PA.
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I would first dig a series of shallow "swales" throughout the beds, having the plants at the higher side of the berms. Follow the contours of the space, so that when it rains the water is captured in these swales and slowly seeps into the ground, rather than sheeting off. I would also plant a great deal of plants that have deep taproots, such as chicory, maybe seeding a living mulch such as alfalfa, and/or legumes (nitrogen fixing). You could also consider plants that will provide a lot of mulch and compost, through their clippings, like comfrey and other plants in that family. These can be planted inbetween other plants (although comfrey can be invasive). It will take time, but these things will help aerate the soil, bring up nutrients from below, and build better soil throughout.
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Y'all are so sweet. My goodness and what cool photos! I love putting old stuff in my garden. Its a container garden in a little fenced in courtyard. I have old tarnished silver oval platters hung on the wall like mirrors, and I buy old salt and pepper shakers for cheap at antique or thrift stores or on vacation and put a wooden skewer with a paint chip stapled to it in one of the holes and use them as plant markers (Go Sharpie!). They're nifty and some can become pretty cool little garden statues with a purpose. And they're two for one technically! Plus they're cuter than plastic sticks and gives you something to do with all those pretty, colorful (and often waterproof) paint chips you have leftover from that one project. I think putting different items in your garden or among your plants is kind of like jewelry for your garden. Gives it character and makes it fun to look at while you're waiting patiently (or not so patiently...)for the seedlings to really fill in and become plants. Like the post Marcia! Thanks, Sarah
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Started ssome more seeds today Need ideas on space saving
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Comments (10)
Twelve cherry tomato seeds! YouÂre going to have a lot of little tomatoes if those all sprout. I start my tomatoes indoors when outside temps stay in the 40s at night. When they have true leaves, I stick them outside in a milk jug thatÂs cut almost completely in half (next to the brick foundation of the house for extra heat/protection). It serves as a mini-green house. If the weather is bad, tip the top back over the plant. Sunny and fair? Tip it open. No need to harden them off before planting. They stay short, with a thick main stem and develop a good root system. And best of all, more room for the other plants. Jen
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Yesterdish a cool idea!
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Comments (3)
This is wonderful! Both my MomÃ¢ÂÂs and GrandmotherÃ¢ÂÂs boxes disappeared when my brother and I were clearing the house after my dad died. IÃ¢ÂÂd asked for the boxes many time while she was alive (Mom was blind the last few years, so not actually using them), but all she would let me do was copy out a few recipes. I was heartsick. I hunted everywhere. I would guess someone working in the house just threw them in the dumpster. But I can have hope they were donated instead.
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nanny98
10 years ago
Thanks for the trip. Just the kind of thing that can keep me 'off the streets' all afternoon. (LOL) What an interesting man he is and he has made several folks put on their thinking caps and come up with some creative ideas. I'm familiar with drip systems (the only way to go for any gardening) and further along in the thread he advises to figure out a drip system before getting it going. Probably need separate timers too, if you are gone a lot. We have our whole yard and garden area on timers so we can be gone for weeks at a time (The weeds love that!).
party_music50
10 years ago
alisande, I want to see your bean arch! :)
alisande
Original Author
10 years ago
PartyMusic, here's the bean arch when we first put it up in the spring of 2010.

Bean arch on Flickr

And here's a thread I posted on the Beans forum when it was producing, that summer:

Cattle panel with bean plants

The cattle panel is 16' long, so when you bend it in half it makes an 8' tall arch. It's 5' wide, and you can plant beans on either side of it, giving you 20' of row.
party_music50
10 years ago
Thanks for posting... I've never heard of cattle panel. lol! Your arch looks neat!
joyfulguy
10 years ago
I imagine that they'd grow better, produce bigger beans, and more of them, were one to add some of the by-product produced by the cattle, as well.

o j
sjerin
10 years ago
Your arch looks very interesting! Was it difficult picking the beans that grew on top? Maybe it's the pic, but the arch looks rather tall. I suppose a ladder would do the job?
alisande
Original Author
10 years ago
The arch is 8 feet tall. I envisioned the beans hanging down inside the top, just waiting for me to come along and pluck them off the vines. Ha!

You're right--although some grew inside, many grew on top of the arch. I didn't actually need a ladder, but I dragged a Rubbermaid stepstool out there more than once during the growing season.

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