Smart Pots

CapeCodGardener
Yes I have to bring them in, but not for very long. I am in north Alabama
just below the TN line. We have regular cold winters here but they only last about
5-6 weeks. I have mine where I just set them up on a round wood thingy with wheels
( bought at Big Lots for under $5) and I just roll them into the utility room. I have
a large blue plastic pot I thought I might put the lemon in but haven't got around
to it. And yes they are a lot lighter, believe me if I can lift them almost anyone
can.

Annie

Annie: Wow, and I was wondering what to plant my pomegrante and banana dwarf in when they get here in September, what size smart pot did you get for the dwarf trees? I'm contemplating moving to southern Tennessee as their weather is just like this part of Florida's weather only they don't suffer from hurricanes or tornadoes in that area, found a real country area of about population 2,000, two cops in the whole town I think.
joy

CCG & Joy
I use the 5 gal smart pot for my dwarf citrus. As for the cold weather here.
We do have a longer period of cool weather but it is not what I call cold.
Cold to me is below 25. We are in a valley here and sheltered by
mts. on one side and the Tenn. river on two other sides. This means it actually
gets colder and sometimes stormier a little south of us. Where in Tenn. were you thinking of ? Joy
CCG I see on the map about zone 7a. Every 10- 15yrs or so we have a really cold winter
like -2 also our last frost date is April 10. Well we hadn't had a hard freeze in March let
alone April for ~20 yrs. so everyone puts their gardens out in March with some cold crops
the last week in Feb. Well last year come April 8 and 24 degrees. But that is the chance
you take if you garden.
Annie

Annie: A place called Spring City, but I seen it first. LOL Watch everyone in Dave's Garden will move there now, hmmmm, might not be bad if that happened though hey?
joy

Bumping this up.

Moonglow: Thanks I was looking for it and couldn't find it.

CapeCod Gardener: Can you take me step by step through what you used as a medium for your smart pots for the potatoes and how you planted yours?

Also has anyone grown beets in the smart pots yet? Any particulars and what medium did you use and such?

Has anyone grown a tomato plant in one?

joy

Joy I have beets going right now and carrots. Used coir. It is still way too hot here and I think I started them too early. They are not progressing too well right now. May have to wait a few weeks and try again. The heat here has been brutal.

Juanita

Just an FYI, I grew carrots and beets last fall for the first time (very successful crop). I sowed seeds too early, too, and the carrots took forever to come up. The beets came up quickly when they did like the temps. Keep the soil moist and THIN, THIN, THIN, if you don't want stunted carrots and smallish beets.

I grew Bull's Blood and Chioggia in a small bed filled with rich organic compost, Black Kow composted manure, and coffee grinds. The medium was VERY, VERY loose. Only real problems I had were 1) I planted the beets too shallow so they grew almost on top of the soil, and 2) my homemade compost attracted every pillbug that ya'll did not have and they started munching on my beet green tops (which are TO DIE FOR!).

This year, I'll sow my seeds Labor day weekend. Since I discovered how wonderful the beet greens are, I'm growing strictly for the tops this time. Will be using Sluggo Plus to handle the pillbugs and snails.

Oh, and these are what I consider to be high moisture content veggies, so they'll take water -- try not to let 'em dry out, but don't drown 'em either. Good, fast drainage is key, and coco coir should work beautifully.

Gymgirl: I was wondering what to use in my smart pots that would be loose and I think you have come up with the answer to that one. LOL So; should I put light weight compost, Black Kow manure, and some coffee grounds in my smart pots for my beets? Don't know what pill bugs are; but can't have bugs eating my tops, I want to try them after listening to everyone say how they taste close to spinach taste. I like the beets though too. I was going to look for beet startings and starting mine next month, the beginning of the month. Was thinking about the Chioggia too, as someone else is growing that and it was suggested that I do too. Never heard of pill bugs or snails, nor seen them yet; what pest control do you for them? Sluggo I don't think is for my smart pots. LOL

Juanita: I am waiting til after the first week of September to plant mine. The heat and rain both have been brutal here, and the rain brings the bugs which I'm constantly under a battle to keep them under control.
joy

Joy, although the Bull's Blood and Chioggia ROOTS were very similar, the TOPS were very different. I'll not grow the Bull's Blood for its purple tops, as they were much less to my liking than the green Chioggia tops.

There's also a variety out there that is grown especially for the big green tops and the very insignificant roots. I'll be looking for that variety next time!

Gymgirl: Let me know when you find out the name ok? I'm anxious to taste the tops.
joy

Joy, good discussion going. Perhaps a copy should be made or the thread moved to Container Gardening so others can benefit from it. I love my SmartPots, but of course it's not SWC.

I hope I'm not stepping on people's toes.

Moonglow: I'm anxious to see how the new plans work for the 5 gallon pails and colander with the straw instead of using two 5 gallon pails to make one self watering 5 gallon bucket. If it works, then I will have 5 new ones instead of 2 waiting on a another bucket right? LOL I have a wind fresh bucket and a kitty litter one also, they are oblong like instead of round, now where is Gymgirl as I think she was the one who used the kitty litter one right? Problem is both the oblong ones won't fit into each other.

I'm going to have 3 more yard sale tables made, modeling the new ones I just bought, using plywood and 2x4's, then I'm going to nail Tyrus' wooden staking system all around the table leaving the ends open. Will have to show everyone when they are done, they will be perfect for the EBS and tomatoes. Had to run one of the new EBs outside and put it on the table to see if it would fit, and it does perfectly, could put 6 on there; but will put 5 instead they need to breathe right? LOL
Joy

Sorry, Moonie...

Ok everyone bumping this thread up so I can get some much needed advice here. My Yukon Gold potatoes showed up from Gurney's and I have them cut into chunks waiting for them to callous over and for my Gurney potato fertilizer to get in before planting them in my smart pots. Question: It calls for 6.0 PH and garden soil and compost. Can I use Black Kow instead of the compost? I heard that potatoes don't like lime? So; how am I going to bring up the PH to 6.0? Also; can I use Jungle Grow Potting Mix instead of garden soil, if not, it's no big problem I can buy a bag of garden soil for this project. I received 2 lbs of Yukon Gold and have cut them into 31 chunks with 2 eyes per chunk. Now if I plant 5 chunks per #20 bag, I have both #15 and #20 bags, I will use about 4 of the #20's which I have, and then use up the remaining #15's with what 3 chunks per bag? I want to do this in about two days, so, please help me get the anwers before then. Thanks in advance.
joy

Joy I don't know for sure, but I'm thinking I planted more than 5 pieces per bag. I can't lay hands on the Smart Pot instructions right now, but I think you can put more in there than 5.
Juanita

Joy, I planted 5 chunks per bag according to instructions and had 10-12 # of potatoes from my two bags (Yukon gold and Blue), which I think is about what they expect.
I note that smart pots/grow bags are now being offered for other sorts of veggies at Gardener's Supply.

Thanks to both of you, I will plant them tomorrow, and 5 per #15 bag should work then hopefully, I have 5 bags and I think I will use one of my leftover totes to place the other 6 in. I made a gardener friend who lives really close and that helps me a great deal, she is a dirt farmer, I called her last night, she puts hers in trenches and uses red potatoes.

I was told that potting mix would work also; but since garden soil is cheaper than potting mix, I should just go out and buy some of that and the one bag of Black Kow mixed in really good into the garden soil with 13-13-13 fertilizer would work great.

Do you remember how long it took for the yukon gold to produce? I'm thinking they should not get direct sunlight as they will need some shade soon, hopefully Spring is round the bend right? It's been warming up a bit; but my last frost date is March 13th and with this crazy winter who knows how right that is going to be this year.

joy

Joy, they also have a site where you can READ.

Think also LOCAL. What gardeners in YOUR AREA do. Local nurseries help. From my experience, people love to answer queries when you ask real questions. Make notes, lots of notes that you can remember.

This message was edited Feb 21, 2010 10:17 AM

Moonglow: Thanks I had planned to call Crestview Nurseries and Ace's Garden Department tomorrow to find out what they have and suggest also. My dwarf banana tree will be in around March 23rd also.
joy

CapeCod Gardener: Thanks, it's raining out right now, so, have decided to wait til this evening and then plant them, I am going to be using 4 #15 smart pots with 5 pieces per smart pot and then put the remaining 6 pieces into an 18 gallon tote, cover them all up about 1/3rd the way to the top. Picking up some garden soil, 13-13-13 and some compost today.
joy

Joy, it sounds as if you are going to have a bunch of great taters! I loved the ones that I grew last summer.
I'm envious of your planting season, to say the least!!

CapeCodGardener: Well, you know how I have a problem refraining myself in the garden stuff right? LOL I went to Ace Hardware to pick up my garden soil, compost and 13-13-13 and lo and behold, here they are selling 5 lbs of red skinned potatoes for under $2.00; man the price was right and out the door 5 lbs came, so now, will be planting half of them and giving half away to another gardner buddy of mine.
joy

Anyone grow squash in Smart Pots? I'd like to grow yellow crookneck squash and zucchini (can't remember exact type). I have lots of space in my backyard, but I would have to build a raised bed for these plants since my soil is mostly clay. I would like to try 3 plants each so to me, this would entail an very large bed and a lot of work.

So, what do you guys think: 10 Gal, 15 Gal, or 20 Gal Smart Pot per plant?

John, I'm currently growing potatoes in 20-gallon smart pots. It's roughly the diameter of a large washing machine tub, and about 24" tall. I've never grown squash before, but have been toying with the idea of starting mine in my eBuckets and letting them sprawl out from there. But, I hadn't thought of using add'l SmartPots.

That's really Smart!

I also have potatoes growing in actual washing machine tubs so you can get an idea of how big your 20-gallon SmartPot would be. It's closest to the tub on the far right, only a little wider in diameter. It's about the same height.

LMK! Have you ever grown squash before? I haven't. Educate me!

Hey Linda! I remember seeing those pics before. What a great money-saver that must be, great job! I'll have to look around the house/ garage one more time to see if I have anything similar.

Yeah, I realized I would be doing a lot of digging/ building in order to construct a bed totally dedicated to squash and zucchini. I looked at the plant files and the pics gave me a great idea of how the plants develope. They're odd, dense bushes that sprawl in all directions and one would need to space them about 3-4 ft from other squash plants. This be my first time growing squash/ zucchini as well so I guess we'll be learning together for the most part. The Yellow Crookneck squash matures in about 55 days, so the plants are really fast growers. They are heavy feeders as a result, and develop extensive root systems so I am inclined to believe 15 Gal is a minimum- I just don't know for sure. I also need to research a little more to determine precisley what nutrients are needed by the plants.

Also, the dreaded SVB will be attacking these plants so be prepared!!! I will be staggering the sow dates as well so that may help.

I WS'd 4 Yellow Crookneck squash seeds and 4 zucchini seeds Monday evening. Need to do more.



This message was edited Mar 10, 2010 2:31 PM

I grew Sure Thing Hybrid squash(no pollination needed) last year in 7 gallon ones and they did very well. I grew a few in pots and some in a EB....let's just say I got sick of zucchini rather fast. They grew fast and wouldn't stop producing no matter how much I tried to slow them down. Was picking 12-20 weekly for months before I finally pulled them and planted eggplant and melons in their place.

John I've got a co-worker who makes Zucchini bread. I'm attempting2 become his sole supplier, so having an abundance might be ok! How much do Zukes go for these days? What's the common variety called that's sold in the stores? Thx!

That's the problem, or downside I guess. Zukes/ yellow squash are fairly cheap at Kroger or HEB. I'll make a note of the prices next time I stop by the grocery store. I'm thinking they are around $1.79/ lb at Kroger. I just remember rolling my eyes last time I glanced at the prices. But, if we are successful like Ray_Der_Phan then we will be alright!!! I'm really concerned about the SVB, though. Controlling them will be the key.

Oh- thanks for the info Ray...Oceanside, CA, huh? Sounds like a dreadful place...

I'm not sure what varieties the stores usually stock, that's a good question. I found my Zuke seed packet and it is called Black Beauty (Ferry Morse seed co.). I bought these at Lowe's, I believe.

I was just browsing thru the above and if I listened to Joy's advice about not going out in hot weather I might not have had my heart attack #2 on 06/06/09 and be in a lot better shape right now? But live and learn and glad I'm still here to learn and doing all the right things.

Well, we're glad you're listening NOW! And still here to follow instructions!

Been, missin' you, Paw! Impart your wisdom and knowledge from the comfort of your computer table!

Hugs!

Linda

Hi Linda -- No work today! Rainy....Want to plant my melon seeds ASAP.

Ray: My bees are flying around like crazy, they are always a good sight to see, I've been running myself ragged, as here in about a week, I gotta get my maters into those 40 five gallon buckets, where did the time go, they (17 of them) are behaving nicely on the deck overnight with 50 more in the seed starter kit under the lights, I gave 17 away; keeping 2 of each kind for myself of the first wave. I wish my onions would hurry up, I want to use those containers for my corn in about 2-3 weeks!

Got 8 chocolate pepper babies sprouted, no black beauties yet; but the FL highbush has sprouted and still waiting on the lavender touch to sprout. All my tomatoes sprouted in the 2nd and 3rd wave except the Abraham Lincolns and the Aker's West Virginia's, still waiting on them.
joy

My potatoes in my smart pots are starting to flower with pretty purple flowers, and some of the bottom leaves are turning yellow. So; if I'm going to just dump out teh smart pot, when do I do so? I don't want to rush this and have puny taters.
joy

When the flowers and vines die back....

Gymgirl: Thanks, I'm no good at digging around in those things, I dug down and felt lots of roots and snatched a good sized red skinned potato or two and then dumby me pulled the plant up and found all these little red balls on the roots, which would have been nice taters had I not messed it up. Glad I got about 40 more plants. Will post pics of my plants this weekend, just got my brandywines in and my peppers. Got a "I fooled you pepper" which I've never tried and most will be first for me this year.
joy