Just a few (hopefully) quick questions

Kingpin008 · November 23, 2010

Hey all - relative new guy here. Got a few questions that I hope ya'll can help me out with.

I'm hoping to grow a small container garden this coming spring - two tomato plants, one small row each of beets and cukes, and some pea plants.

I'd like to avoid building anything like an Earthtainer this first time around, for a few reasons, most important being the fact that my budget for this project is meager to say the least, and I'd like to avoid any unnecessary expenditures if at all possible.

So I'm wondering - how well can I expect to grow tomatoes in regular old five-gallon plastic pails? I'd make sure to drill holes for drainage, of course. I can get them for free from school (hooray culinary school!) so if they'll do the trick, that would be awesome.

Another reason I'm interested in using simpler, less elaborate containers is because due to a bad back, I'm hoping to build some sort of simple platform for all my containers and the less bulky, heavy equipment I have to lug up and down from time to time the better. I don't mind the extra work that more conventional containers may require - as a "baby gardener" I consider it part of the learning curve.

And lastly, some info on my growing conditions. From what I've read, my particular setup isn't exactly ideal for growing, so any advice/info/warnings you've got to offer about getting the best results is much appreciated.

I'm in the Mid-Atlantic (20 mins south of Baltimore)
Will be growing my garden on the side porch on the NW corner of my west-facing house. I have no idea how much sun it gets during the day in the Spring/Summer, but I feel like it's pretty decent. The porch has no roof, and three sides are made of lattice, which I figured I could use as support for the tomatoes, peas, and cukes.

The tomatoes I chose are San Marzano and Cherokee Purple, btw. One for sauces, one for sammiches. Hopefully they're a good starting place for neophytes.

Sorry for the novel, thanks in advance for the help!

November 23, 2010	#1
Kingpin008 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Nov 2010 Location: Maryland Posts: 21	Just a few (hopefully) quick questions Hey all - relative new guy here. Got a few questions that I hope ya'll can help me out with. I'm hoping to grow a small container garden this coming spring - two tomato plants, one small row each of beets and cukes, and some pea plants. I'd like to avoid building anything like an Earthtainer this first time around, for a few reasons, most important being the fact that my budget for this project is meager to say the least, and I'd like to avoid any unnecessary expenditures if at all possible. So I'm wondering - how well can I expect to grow tomatoes in regular old five-gallon plastic pails? I'd make sure to drill holes for drainage, of course. I can get them for free from school (hooray culinary school!) so if they'll do the trick, that would be awesome. Another reason I'm interested in using simpler, less elaborate containers is because due to a bad back, I'm hoping to build some sort of simple platform for all my containers and the less bulky, heavy equipment I have to lug up and down from time to time the better. I don't mind the extra work that more conventional containers may require - as a "baby gardener" I consider it part of the learning curve. And lastly, some info on my growing conditions. From what I've read, my particular setup isn't exactly ideal for growing, so any advice/info/warnings you've got to offer about getting the best results is much appreciated. I'm in the Mid-Atlantic (20 mins south of Baltimore) Will be growing my garden on the side porch on the NW corner of my west-facing house. I have no idea how much sun it gets during the day in the Spring/Summer, but I feel like it's pretty decent. The porch has no roof, and three sides are made of lattice, which I figured I could use as support for the tomatoes, peas, and cukes. The tomatoes I chose are San Marzano and Cherokee Purple, btw. One for sauces, one for sammiches. Hopefully they're a good starting place for neophytes. Sorry for the novel, thanks in advance for the help!