Monday, July 11, 2011

Container garden (Mid-Winter)

Last warm season most of our harvest were from our container garden. But this cool season in the middle of winter, not much to harvest from our container garden since most of the plants are growing very slowly. Most of our plants are grown in containers at our backyard. When we first started growing our food in containers there were only about 5 polystyrene containers . However, we keep on expanding after we got more and more experience growing food in containers.Not everything goes well it is all about trial and error, and not following many rules written in some gardening books. I think it keep on expanding is because we run out space to grow things at the front yard. Moreover dear husband sometimes find some polystyrene containers for me after he finished work when he knows that I was very stress with my studies and Rayyan's health at one stage that I need to grow things during weekend as it helps clear up my mind. At the moment, I am not sure how many polystyrene containers we have. A very short tour this middle of winter of what is growing in some part of our container garden.
Ranunculus and pansy seedlings in the round plastic pots. Giant purple mustard and pest-ravished komatsuna seedlings growing together in the same containers. Planning to harvest those mustards soon as the bigger they grow will taste more bitter and hot.
Leeks and root vegetables growing at this corner.
We were rearranging the container garden 2 weeks ago, and move many of the containers around. The yellow cherry tomatoes that look so healthy before got very sad after we moved it to another spot. I think roots that had creep out from the holes were uprooted and cause the yellow cherry tomato plants to look like this now with all the leaves dying. Not sure whether this plant will recover but it will be nice to continue to harvest cherry tomatoes when we finally have some baby lettuce to harvest and make salad together. We still managed to harvest a bowl of yellow cherry tomatoes once a week. Not many tomato blooms anymore but there are still many green tomatoes taking it sweet time to mature which is good because we won't have a glut.
Hope you got most of the gardening tasks set out this weekend done!
We hope for more strawberries next warm seasons, so transplanted runners and some self-sowed alpine strawberries on Saturday.
Sunday was too cold for my bones and had to accompany dear hubby for shopping.

11 comments:

Mark Willis said...

I also have loads of plants growing in containers, because I am never satisfied with the space I have in my raised beds. Somehow there always seems to be enough room for just ONE more container, in a corner somewhere!
For me of course, it is high Summer, so things are growing pretty fast.

Kelli said...

I really like your use of containers. I seem to be growing more veg in containers this year. Hope you tomato plants recover from the move. Your broccoli (last post) looks good, hope I have same success. Kelli

Charmcitybalconygarden said...

I always have to remind myself that it is in winter where you are! How cold does it get? It looks like you have a lot growing there:)

Daphne Gould said...

I love your containers. I'm always afraid to grow things in containers because I have a habit of forgetting them and they dry out.

miruku said...

Gardening is my stress buster too, i tend to 'dig' more when im feeling stress. It work for me and i hope it works for you too. Your garden is still doing so well despite the cold weather, still looking so green. Oh looking forward to your strawberry harvest!

Sue Garrett said...

We've mainly been picking fruit again this weekend See the photo on Martyn's blog here

shaz said...

Hope your tomatoes recover. Oh, no wonder I didn't like the mustard I grew. It was too old, and too spicy!

Malay-Kadazan girl said...

Mark~Mid-Summer is the time when my plants stop produce because the sun is to harsh for them. Everything stops for a while like winter, it picks up again in fall. What great about container is that it can be move around.

Kelli~My mind is still imprinted with your cabbage growing so well in that pot!

Charmcitybalconygarden~At night it can get to 2 degree Celsius sometime.The weather so unpredictable this year it changes every week.

Daphne~the only thing about container is you have to water them regularly when they are no rain. But I found that putting in green waste at the bottom of the container keeps it moist longer.

Milka~I hope those new strawberry plants will grow well and I don't mess up this time.

Sue~ I am green in envy with your fruit harvest :).

Shaz~Yup I also don't like them when they grow big and old. But mustard are good for the soil. They have a role like marigold. I read that in Australia, mustard are much better to keep away nematodes than marigold.

Wendy said...

Your veggies look so amazing. I cna't beleive you grow all that in containers!

Chloe m said...

Containers are the way to go when you have limited space and I also consider them vital to a garden that is infested with voles. THey can't get in the pots, yeah!

Malay-Kadazan girl said...

Wendy~ Space are never enough for a gardener, I guess another alternative is to grow them in containers.

Rosey~ That is a brilliant idea. Those voles will have a huge bump in the head to try getting into pots.