introducing my ugly, beautiful garden

[tlintx]

Thanks for the reply, I am strongly considering going that route. I wonder if oil-rubbed bronze spraypaint will stick.

Why wait until late October, by the way? You must be farther south than I am, I've been using the settfest guide for Houston for my planning. I can't wait 'til October, I'm ready for September 1st!

[unless]

i am further south and inland from the coast, and the average september highs are in the 90s, which is a little warm for lettuce seedlings and such, i think.

[Deborah]

I think it's all marvelous ! It must be fun to be in it all.

[Rockporter]

Originally Posted by unless

i am further south and inland from the coast, and the average september highs are in the 90s, which is a little warm for lettuce seedlings and such, i think.

Lettuce will bolt pretty quickly in our heat so planting fall to very early spring are all ok.

[hdrider]

Wish mine was that ugly...lol

[Vespertino]

All that colorful produce... Looking at it is like being lost in a dream!

[unless]

thanks all! gardening has afforded me the opportunity to explore my crafty, pintrest-y side by repurposing all kinds of old junk for SIP (sub-irrigated planter) use. i call them "lazy-tainers" or "cheapo-tainers."

and vespertino, looking at the delicious, ripe tomatoes is made all the more mesmerizing when i consider all the sweat, blood and tears that have gone into them!!!

i'm back y'all, as promised, with some more treasured garden moments!!! i've got some old photos as well as some new.

the festive cilantro SIP, late march:



the sage SIP when it was flowering, late march:



the mint SIP after an AGGRESSIVE pruning, late march (i can't stop it from growing through the gaps in the wicker):



the thyme, before i chopped it all off and dried it, late march (it turns out five plants is WAY too many for one household):



one of the tomato SIPs at planting time, late march:



same tomato SIP, june 1 (at left; some are now 7' tall bushy behemoths):



cucumber SIP, mid april:



cucumber SIP, june 1:



some patio SIPs (including squash, eggplant, corn, okra, blueberries, and fig), mid april:



same patio SIPs (with some more tomatoes visible in the background to the left and red noodle beans in the background dead-center), june 1



basil 'barrow SIP, june 16:



one quart of fresh basil pesto, june 17 :



finally, a fine specimen of the prettiest eggplant ever, "rosa bianca," june 17



MERRY GARDENING, ALL!!!

[JamesL]

Great, just really really great. Love the wooden tomato SIP.
You should post a thread on how you built it sometime.

[tlintx]

Your garden is such an inspiration!!! It's obvious that you have a spectacular eye for beauty!

You've just inspired me to insist on picking up some not fugly containers. I love those first pots. And the galvanized metal -- does it hold up well?

Love the cucumber! Is that one plant or several? And that rosa bianca -- I just started seeds for some, couldn't resist trying it. They are adorable.

The more I see of the wood boxes, the more I think I'd like to add some to my garden. Just have to go figure out where! I saw a pattern online using cedar fence boards.

[Deborah]

I love most the picture showing the corn. Your garden looks like something in a magazine. I'm both impressed and envious.

[unless]

thanks, friends!

there's actually four plants in the cucumber box. the box itself is a bit bigger than an 18-gal tote, i think--maybe 24 gallons or so. so far, i have had no crowding issues, as they've sprawled out over the lawn every which way.

i have fun making found junk into planters. go to any liquor store (or maybe fine dining restaurant) and they almost always have wine crates out back they're eager to get off their hands to spare themselves the hassle of disposal. you wouldn't believe the things people throw away in my neck of the woods; those larger wooden boxes were picked off curbs over the past couple years. that wicker basket was actually a trash can. the galvanized tubs were found at a garage sale.

most all of these old containers have cracks and/or holes and are far from watertight; that's OK, because i use sections of husky brand 3.5 mil black plastic sheeting to line the insides (you could use pond liner, which is much thicker still, if you're feeling fancy). then for the water reservoirs, i use anything from nursery flats (free to take if you ask politely) to sterilite shoe boxes (under $1 a piece) to plastic food containers (free!), provided they're an adequate height for holding lots of water (4-6" or so) and are durable enough to have several pounds of dirt piled on them (sometimes, i ensure this by nesting one inside another, doubling the thickness). i poke plenty of aeration holes in them and set them at the base of the container, making sure to cover over 90% of the area at the bottom (the remaining ~10% is wicking area). before i fill the containers with soilless mix, i fit a pvc into the corner of the reservoir for filling.

the last step is a light mulching of pecan shells, which i am OBSESSED with because they're pretty and easy to work with and don't break down quickly or get soggy when it rains.

tlintx, the metal tubs have held up well so far. because of the liner, the dirt doesn't come in direct contact with the metal, and so there is no evident rusting.

[jdcooper]

Gorgeous.

Please will you post a photo walkthrough of how you make these SIPs? I love the heck out of them but have no idea how you made them work!,

[tlintx]

Sounds a little like this?

http://www.insideurbangreen.org/2010...s-no-home.html

I've done a couple like that, and a couple "inverted", where the reservoir is under a tray that holds the dirt in a much larger pot than I wanted to fill up!

It's neat the you can find so many things. Around here, people tend to reuse things, even stuff like sofas and flooring left out on the curb is gone by morning. I haven't even been able to source free 5 gallon buckets!

But your photos are so inspiring, I want to keep trying!

[lycomania]

You have a beautiful and well-tended garden.

[unless]

Originally Posted by tlintx

Sounds a little like this?

http://www.insideurbangreen.org/2010...s-no-home.html

I've done a couple like that, and a couple "inverted", where the reservoir is under a tray that holds the dirt in a much larger pot than I wanted to fill up!

It's neat the you can find so many things. Around here, people tend to reuse things, even stuff like sofas and flooring left out on the curb is gone by morning. I haven't even been able to source free 5 gallon buckets!

But your photos are so inspiring, I want to keep trying!

bingo! inside urban green is a great resource and the inspiration for my setup. but unlike the setup in the picture, i would advise not using a plastic milk carton as a water reservoir (they are too flimsy and tend to collapse under the weight of moist mix). nursery flats are great for reservoirs, provided you double them up for sturdiness.

perhaps try posting a wanted ad on your local craigslist asking for 5-gal buckets?