Smart Pots

Just got my smart pots in the mail today. I got 4 of the #10's and 5 of the #15's. My neighbor says I shouldn't do all 5 of the 15's of potatoes or I will have them coming out my ears. I was going to try onions, beets and carrots in some also though; but was going to use the #10's for them. How is everyone else doing with thiers?
joy

Joy, the only thing I've been growing in smart pots are potatoes (my first time with them.) It's also my first year growing anything in smart pots. I have two filled with Yukon gold and blue seed potato vines. In one pot the Yukon vines are beginning to yellow, which I have read is a sign that they will soon be ready to harvest. The second smart pot is still filled with lush green potato vines.
As far as yields, here's what I've read:
"As a rule of thumb, a pound of seed potatoes will produce 15 to 25 pounds of potatoes at harvest. If you plant chunks, figure that each start will produce 3 pounds of potatoes."
So that's probably a good idea not to fill all five of your 5-gal smart ports with potatoes!
I'll be interested to hear how the other veggies that you plan to grow in smart pots work out. Please keep us posted.

Cape Cod Gardener: I'm planning on planting the carrots and beets sometime in late august and the onions during the same time frame, where I am I don't plant potatoes until January. I love potatoes and was thinking of trying different varieties in different smart pots. I can always give some to family and friends. LOL I'm also thinking about the rougher coconut coir the kind that serves as a mulch in the potato smart pots, I get the sneaking suspicion that they will do better in that, drainage wise and warmth wise.
joy

Hi Joy,

I'm doing potatoes in one right now. Was going to harvest over the weekend but it rained and I want to let it dry out some. My business partner dumped his on Sat. and got about 35 potatoes out of ranging in size from smallish to pretty big.

I just planted beets in one and am waiting for my shipment of coconut coir to arrive so I can plant the rest with leeks, carrots and more beets. Hoping to at least get some baby type veggies out of them before winter. I don't get full sun here so all of this is a huge experiment. Everything takes longer to happen and I get a lot of stretched out plants, so it may not work.

Juanita

Rvnsbrk--how many potato pieces did you plant in each smart pot? I just harvested mine--some were in smart pots; others were in homemade "cages" that I made, and mounded up with shredded leaves/straw. My results were mixed, probably due to not enough sun for some of them. Nowhere near the yields mentioned above. However, I am growing leeks in 2 15-gal smart pots (using coir as my growing medium), and they are doing wonderfully. I'm sure beets and carrots would do well also.
Keep us posted (you also, Joy). There's always so much to learn from sharing with others.

Juanita: I'm sick of the FL sun already, too hot, then it rains, we are getting drenched right now and have been for 3 days running now. I've lived in FL for 30 years and there is hardly any country left, so thinking about moving to southern TN on about 9 1/2 acres and getting a 2 bdrm/2 bath cabin, just below Chattanooga, out of tornado and hurricane country, population there is around 2,000. I will be able to shoot any varmints that intrude on my property without being taken to court by the humane society and will have the same water (well water) and lots of room. The weather there is pretty much the same. This 4 bdrm, with office, and 2 baths 2,000 sq ft of house is just too much for little ole me.
joy

mom2goldens: I'm looking forward to Fall/Winter and Spring, this summer has been depressing. I did get a lot more tomatoes, cukes, peppers and eggplants and okra than I expected; but now that we are nearing August, it gets hot and very humid and I am not into anything but getting ready for Fall. LOL Giving those huge green tomatoes enough time to turn red and then they are history also.

Everyone using smart pots for beets, potatoes, carrots and onions please keep me updated, this is first for me on all of it except the candy apple onions I grew and started them too late, same with the carrots. LOL
joy

This message was edited Jul 28, 2009 6:30 PM

Joy I feel your pain. We have 18 acres in the woods. I couldn't live in a neighborhood again. If I want to stroll around the yard in the morning in my bathrobe no one can see. I've shot my fair shar of "varmits" as well. :0)

Mom 2Goldens, I'm glad to hear the leeks are working out. I can't remember how many potato pieces I put in. It was whatever the amount recommended by the smart pot folks for a 15 gal. pot. Might have been 10 or so.

Juanita

Joy--while you have been suffering with heat and humidity, we've had one of the coolest Julys on record. We've actually had several days of highs in the upper 60s--should be well into the 80s. At this rate, it will be October before we get any ripe tomatoes, if at all. It's been the strangest growing year....things are just blooming at odd times.
I'm using some grow bags and smart pots for some herbs, turkish eggplants and mini bell peppers--they all seem happy (although the peppers and eggplant would like some warmer weather and more sun).

mom2goldens: We have had 80 degree weather but the humidity and stickiness brings it up to around 100 degrees. My electric bill was $400 this past month and if that is any indication of what is to come, I'm a scared for sure, never had one that high.

TPlant: You better be being the good boy and staying inside.
joy

It was so bad yesterday, I could have just cried. The car themomenter said on 86..unhear of coolness in FL...NOT. It keeps raining, just enough to make steam, and its miserable and makes it really hard to breath. FIL passed out on the stationary bike sunday. almost called 911..he came to tho. dr said just heat and dehydration.
I will say this, my daylily frineds up north have had a horrible sason. rain rain and more rain..plus cool. I hear you on the electric bill. Mine was 540 and I keep the house hot, for me. It got up to 900 bucks last yeat and im seariously still trying to catch up from that. That does include 'inside' water. But come on........... I took a good look...just the taxes on the 540 bill were 137.00 bucks. What the ding dong is with that. EVERY transaction at the DMV DOUBLES on Sept first. Property taxes insane. I figured out the other day they are over 125 bucks a week...OK..so whats do I get for that???? Maybe the boot...cuz im behind..sure hope not. Anyway
If the housing market would pic up...i assure you...I would be right behind you..someplace.

o that is exciting. I cant believe all that in a 15 gallon pot. Amazing. Ive got to have some. Ive never eaten a fresh beet, want to grow some of them too.

CapeCod: That is some beautiful greenery and lots of it. I think they are done when the tops start to yellow and die?
joy

Gardenglory,
My 93 yr-old Aunt Beatrice asked me if I had ever eaten the beet green tops. I love beet roots, but never ate the tops. I LOVE collard and mustards and spinach. Sooooooooo, when I harvested a mess of beets in February this year, she said she'd cook them for me.

I came home late that night to find two containers on the counter. I thought, she'd left me some dinner. Well, the top contained the sliced beets with carmelized onions. The beets were sweeeeeeeet, and the onions were salty! I'd never tasted anything so good.

The other container had the beet "greens". I tasted them for the first time and, OH MY GOODNESS!, I would have killed anyone trying to take that container away from me! I mean they were absolutely awesome! Sort of like spinach, but with veeeeeeeeery complex, earthy undertones. A very rich flavor, to die for! Try em!

Now, I grow beets in anticipation of eating the tops! Can't wait to sow my seeds. Also, I just discovered there's a beet grown only for the large tops, cause the root doesn't develop into a big beet ball. I'm ordering some of them for next time.

Where are ya'll getting the best price on the 10 & 15-gallon smart pots? Please LMK, cause I could place several on the sunny patio or in my neighbor's sunny yard.

Linda

This message was edited Jul 29, 2009 10:42 AM

Gymgirl
For the smartpots try www.smartpots.com. They may have them
cheaper on Amazon but I havn't looked yet. I really like mine.
I have them on the Patio.

Annie

Linda ditto what fbded said. Get them straight from the company.. Best price I could find.

Juanita

Linda: I've heard the beet tops are supposed to taste delicious too, can you share your Aunt's recipe with us? That beet and carmalized onion dish also sounds great.
joy

Aunt Beatrix's Pickled Beets - FINAL VERSION

Pick and clean fresh beets under running water. Trim the greens from the beets, leaving about 1" of the stalk attached so they won't bleed. Reserve the beet "greens" for another dish.

Put the beet bottoms into a pot of water and bring to a boil. Lower the fire and gently boil at medium just until the beets are tender enough to stick a fork in them. Remove from fire, drain, and let cool long enough to handle. Peel the outer "shell?" "membrane?" off. It should come off easily because you boiled the beets.

Slice the beets and arrange in layers into a container that will have a tight lid on it. Add two tbls. vinegar (you can control how "vinegary" you want your pickled beets to taste), a pinch of salt (just enough to enhance the natural beet sugar), two tbls. SUGAR (again, adjust to your taste) and enough Olive oil to cover the slices just to the top.

Slice a large, red onion into long (julienned?) strips about 1/4" wide and sautee these in a saucepan with a little Olive oil. Add some fresh minced garlic and some salt (you get to control how "salty" your onions are, so play with the recipe to your taste buds). Sautee until the onions begin to carmelize, then pour the remaining oil and the onions and arrange on top of the beets. Aunt Beatrix says you can also sautee some bell pepper, too. And at Christmastime, use red, yellow, and orange bells for a festive platter of beets!

Cap container with a tight fitting lid and put in the fridge. The more the beets marinate, the better the flavors blend.

As long as your beets are covered by the oil and vinegar, they will be perfectly good to eat. I ate pickled beets as far out as three weeks (because I was eating them slowly, and all by myself).

Preparing these for me was a gesture of love. Aunt Beatrice cooks them so deliciously, but can't eat beets because they give her very bad headaches.

Enjoy!

(Someone will let me know if I left out a step or ingredient...)

RECIPE HAS BEEN REVISED. PLEASE REVIEW FOR CHANGES!!!!

Linda

This message was edited Jul 29, 2009 2:24 PM

This message was edited Jul 29, 2009 9:01 PM

Thanks!!

Do people eat beets that are not pickled??

This message was edited Jul 29, 2009 3:23 PM

Yep,
You could just boil, peel and slice, and serve them with a little salt and pepper. They can be served hot or cold.

I asked Aunt Beatrix if she had put sugar in the beets and she said no. They were just unbelievably, naturally, sweet! Now, I will never eat another processed beet from a can...

This "fresh" veggie thing is ruining me!

I'll post the "Beet Greens" Recipe tonight, after I confer with Aunt Beatrix, just to make sure I remember how she did it!

I planted some of the golden beets since I eat a lot of salads. They are supposed to be good just grated raw. We will see. If I ever get any..:)

"Open, open, open!"

Gymgirl: When I was stationed in Europe with the Air Force, in Weisbaden, Germany I found out that the germans use beet sugar instead of cane sugar (which is what the US uses), the beet sugar is sweeter and you don't have to use as much of it, plus it is much better for you, supposedly. Thanks for the recipe, I love picked eggs and beets and I also love cold beets with cottage cheese. I can hardly wait to try beet tops this next season, as I'm going to grow beets, I'm going to buy beet startings I hope, instead of starting mine from seed though.
joy

Love beet greens! I start beets for the greens! For the beets, I buy at Trader Joe's! No fussing and clean up since they come steamed! LOL.

Moonglow: Can't go wrong with the nutrition beets give us for sure.
joy

I just planted my 1st tomato plant of the "fall" season BHN444 Hybrid in a 5 gallon Smart Pot. I really am one month early planting outside, but what the heck. The plant in the picture is 4 weeks old. I started from seed indoors. I will be trying the Smart Pots alot this year.

BocaBob

BOB'S BACK!!!! HEY BOB!

It's so good to hear your voice! And to see a seeedling without crinkley brown edges,looking free of DISEASE, and like it might just make it into a beautiful tomato!

And just WHY will you be trying out Smart Pots ALOT this year?

Bob: What are using inside as a medium and how much of it does it take? I got the smart pots, just nothing to put in them yet; and no idea how much they will hold either. I have 4 of the #10's and 5 of the #15's and last night I took advantage of the free shipping and handling on the EBs and bought 5 of them, green ones this time!
joy

http://www.smartpots.com/how-much-mix-or-medium-do-i-need

Joy this might help mix the amount of mix question. This whole site has great info on the smart pots

To really simplify how much mix to use, i.e. 2- 3 1/2lb blocks of coir(the amount in my 5 gallon grow bag) or 4 - 1 1/2lb bricks will fill a 10 gallon Smart Pot.

Gymgirl- I'm fascinated by these Smart Pots. I am also a dealer now for them. I am interested in the breath-ability and air pruning they claim, so I'm going to try them in different sizes and with different vegetables.

gessieviolet: Thanks, didn't realize they held that much potting medium (gulp). LOL

Bob: So, you are saying that it will take 4 packages of coconut coir or more to fill these bad boys? That is a lot of coir isn't it? Two of those fills up 3 EBs doesn't it?
joy

I had to do a double take on that as well...went and looked at his website. I think he is using the 1.5 lb bricks..not the big blocks like we order for the EB's.
Contemplating some of those 'crop circles'..the seem to come in pucks

Yea, not talking about those big 11 lb blocks, but the 1 1/2 lb bricks (as a example) I have a lot of them so that is what I used to see how much coir it took to fill the Smart Pot.. 7 of the bricks equal a big 11 lb block. So one 11lb block should fill 2- 10 gallon Smart Pots.

The crop circles are a great mulch to put on top of any container thinnly. The picture above has a very thin layer of the crop circle mulch.

Bob: I will go look, I notice that you are selling the smart pots for the same price smart pots.com sells them for, wished I'd of known that before ordering mine from smart pots, could have given you the business instead. Maybe others won't jump the gun like I did.
joy

I discovered "smart pots" only a week ago while lurking around here and have also been intrigued. The price is right, that's for sure. I recently bought a $20 pot (5 gal) and thought, "This sure is gonna add up if I want more pots." The thing is, the pot was 1/2 off...sure is pretty though I guess LOL.

Anyway, dumb question...are these pots reusable? I think the answer is no since the roots grow into the bag (from what I read on the smart pot website) but I wanted to be sure.

Straight out of the mouth of the Smart Pot Company: Reusable up tp 7 years !!!!!!. At the end of the season or harvest, just empty out the pot of mix, wash it and let dry. That really makes them a bargain over the long haul.

Yes they are reusable. THe roots do not grow into the pot but are air pruned at the pots
edge. They are really nice but they are just black. I have my two dwarf orange trees and a meyer lemon in 3 of mine and thay are doing great.

Annie

7 years? Wow. Thanks BocaBob/ fbded. I must have missed this important detail while browsing smartpots.com.