No matter where I lived I have always planted Sun gold cherry tomatoes in pots...since you can easily get a good variety of red tomatoes at farmers markets I always plant these incredible sun golds! Good luck...basil is easy to grow and I love having lots of basil to make pesto later in the summer.
First of all, congratulations on the sale of your novel! What wonderful news. Now, welcome to the world of gardening. A few resources which may be helpful:
Awaytogarden.com- Wonderful information for the beginning gardener with a monthly calendar and podcast.
66 Square Feet, Marie Viljoen- Part gardening, part cooking, part foraging, based on the author’s NY terrace
Paradise Lot- Eric Toensmeier- a permaculture on 1/10th of an acre in MA.
You can start from seed or seedlings. It is getting close if you want to winter sow, though there is plenty of time to start vegetables inside and some things, like peas and kale can already be direct sown outside.
For some herbs and vegetables, succession sowing (planting some seeds every week, rather than all at once) works well for basil, cilantro, peas, beans, and greens. There is a slow bolt cilantro, and a Mexican herb, culantro, which is similar to cilantro and much more heat tolerant for later in the summer.
Also, think about the different varieties of herbs. Genovese basil is fabulous, but a pot with that, cinnamon basil, lemon basil, tulsi, and lettuce basil, which gets leaves large enough to use as a wrap, would be fabulous. Lemongrass, lemon verbena, and ginger are also all very easy to grow.
Once you get more experience, consider plants and varieties that you can’t get at the store or in the farmer’s market. Egyptian walking onions, ground cherries, logan berries, and wild blueberries, can all be grown in pots.
Check the label on your rosemary to see how cold it can get and bring it inside if the temperature drops. Good luck!
Hi Adam Last time I wrote to you we talked about Lolita so its been a while. Rhododendrons grow to be large shrubs. Can you put it in the ground anywhere? If not, the roots will freeze in a pot in the winter, and it will die. Also make sure if you grow tomatoes in a pot that is big enough. Talk to your garden center. They'll help you get the right stuff. Mostly you'll learn by your failures Unfortunately that's the life of gardening. Good luck.
I agree with the comments about herbs and tomatoes in a pot! The biggest thing to know about basil is to try not to let it flower and if it does start to, do some pruning right away to keep it producing. Rosemary is really easy too. I agree that cilantro is hard, it likes to bolt and then stops producing. I try again every year though! I think you have to be really on top of harvesting. Parsley produces a TON. I never start from seed on anything, always from the starter plants. Wait on basil, tomatoes, and some of the more delicate herbs till it gets a little warmer at night. I'm in the Boston area and usually wait till around Memorial Day although could probably do a few weeks earlier. I have done chili peppers. Last year I tried Thai chilis and the peppers stayed teeny tiny, like one of those ornamental plants, so I never picked them but I've had good luck with jalepenos. The longer you leave them on the stem the hotter they get, they'll turn red eventually. I've had more luck with cherry tomatoes than the bigger varieties.
Keeping pests away can be tricky although I'm in the suburbs, an urban area might be different. Neem oil is a good all-purpose organic pesticide. You can buy the oil and mix an oil/water solution (w/a few drops of Dawn to emulsify) and spray it on but I'm lazy and buy a spray that's already diluted. You just have to keep up with it to have it work. Basil and tomatoes are the ones that I've had the most trouble with pests, they don't bother the other herbs too much. One year I had squirrels that kept eating my pepper plants, although they would pick off the pepper, leave it there, and eat the leaves and stalk. I keep everything in a fenced in area now and haven't had a problem but again, I live in the suburbs and you definitely don't have the wildlife that I do!
Peppers do great in pots! Maybe sure you get a fairly deep pot so it can have a strong root system. If you start from seed, you’ll want to start inside and transfer to a pot once they are saplings.
It’s smelly but fish emulsion (I think neptune is a common brand) is a great fertilizer.
You can pick up small pots of herbs from the green grocer or a coop--it's easier than starting from seeds. Transfer them to bigger pots so they have room to grow. I grow cherry tomatoes in large pots, also some smaller sized tomato plants like "early girls." The cherries do best. I like to put some marigolds in the same pots (to keep away pests). Stakes and/or tomato cages are helpful to keep your plants tied and secure. For a lot of colour, try annuals in some big planters; they will only last the season but are bright & will give you lots of flowers all summer long. Perrenials are great but they do best in large garden beds, grown over the years.
Spend an afternoon at the library and browse the gardening section. You can borrow some books and come away with ideas about a few worth buying.
Winston looks adorable. What's with the expression (?!@#$)
Everyone here is right! Your main tasks at this point are deadheading, watering, appropriate fertilization, and monitoring (and hand to hand combat with) pests.
I guess it's a good thing your plants are in pots. We're still March. Okay fine, I might be a few hundred miles due north, but I don't dare put anything outside until May! :D
Pay attention to the guidance on how much to water your plants. It can be easy to overwater them just out of enthusiasm for caring for them, and some do better if the soil is allowed to dry out a bit.
I’ve planted various tomatoes in pots - sungolds and other various grape/cherry tomato varieties. With some bigger pots, I’ve even planted more than one plant. I buy most of my seedlings in May at the USQ green market on Saturdays. I’ve definitely started some things from seed (cucumbers, lettuces, beans, summer squash) but generally have bought seedlings for tomatoes, eggplants, and herbs (although my chives, oregano, and sage are now perennials!). While ive transitioned to beds from vegogarden, I used to buy many a pot at mazzone hardware
In addition to the recommendations I’ve already seen for veggies and herbs, I recommend you try growing lettuces in pots, too. And growing them from seed works great. As they grow, you can cut the leaves you need and they’ll grow back again. They like cool weather so how’s the time to plant them.
Hi Adam, welcome to the garden obsession! Rule #1: sunlight dictates vegetables and herbs. Very few like low light, so focusing on Vining plants and a trellis on the fence for scarlet runner beans would be super satisfying: scarlet blooms bees + hummingbirds like on heart shaped leaves vining up to 10 feet. (Plus the beans are pink/ purple). If you have enough sun, oregano and mint are wildly invasive and thus perfect for pots. Rule #2: soil depth matters. Bigger pots for tomatoes and peppers and potatoes (12" deep minimum). The scale of bigger pots also looks good as a backdrop. Smaller pots for basil and parsley and chives. I love the colorful ones you chose and the bowl garden is gorgeous 😍. Enjoy!! I'm the BotaNanny
Easiest herbs to grow IMO: basil, parsley, chives, thyme, mint.
I've not tried cilantro but heard it's difficult.
I grow tomatoes in a pot (but you can also do in the ground) - make sure you get stakes.
I never start from seed since I'm not that great of a gardener, I find it much easier to start with plants.
Get some plant food (like EB stone products) that are usually fairly specific for things like tomatoes or citrus. And make sure to keep away aphids!
No matter where I lived I have always planted Sun gold cherry tomatoes in pots...since you can easily get a good variety of red tomatoes at farmers markets I always plant these incredible sun golds! Good luck...basil is easy to grow and I love having lots of basil to make pesto later in the summer.
First of all, congratulations on the sale of your novel! What wonderful news. Now, welcome to the world of gardening. A few resources which may be helpful:
Awaytogarden.com- Wonderful information for the beginning gardener with a monthly calendar and podcast.
66 Square Feet, Marie Viljoen- Part gardening, part cooking, part foraging, based on the author’s NY terrace
Paradise Lot- Eric Toensmeier- a permaculture on 1/10th of an acre in MA.
You can start from seed or seedlings. It is getting close if you want to winter sow, though there is plenty of time to start vegetables inside and some things, like peas and kale can already be direct sown outside.
For some herbs and vegetables, succession sowing (planting some seeds every week, rather than all at once) works well for basil, cilantro, peas, beans, and greens. There is a slow bolt cilantro, and a Mexican herb, culantro, which is similar to cilantro and much more heat tolerant for later in the summer.
Also, think about the different varieties of herbs. Genovese basil is fabulous, but a pot with that, cinnamon basil, lemon basil, tulsi, and lettuce basil, which gets leaves large enough to use as a wrap, would be fabulous. Lemongrass, lemon verbena, and ginger are also all very easy to grow.
Once you get more experience, consider plants and varieties that you can’t get at the store or in the farmer’s market. Egyptian walking onions, ground cherries, logan berries, and wild blueberries, can all be grown in pots.
Check the label on your rosemary to see how cold it can get and bring it inside if the temperature drops. Good luck!
Hi Adam Last time I wrote to you we talked about Lolita so its been a while. Rhododendrons grow to be large shrubs. Can you put it in the ground anywhere? If not, the roots will freeze in a pot in the winter, and it will die. Also make sure if you grow tomatoes in a pot that is big enough. Talk to your garden center. They'll help you get the right stuff. Mostly you'll learn by your failures Unfortunately that's the life of gardening. Good luck.
#1: Fertilize! Get something meant for vegies and herbs and use as directed. Get something different
for your flowering plants.
#2: Grow the herbs you use that you can't buy either in the grocery store or at a farmers' market. For
me those are summer savory and curry leaf.
I agree with the comments about herbs and tomatoes in a pot! The biggest thing to know about basil is to try not to let it flower and if it does start to, do some pruning right away to keep it producing. Rosemary is really easy too. I agree that cilantro is hard, it likes to bolt and then stops producing. I try again every year though! I think you have to be really on top of harvesting. Parsley produces a TON. I never start from seed on anything, always from the starter plants. Wait on basil, tomatoes, and some of the more delicate herbs till it gets a little warmer at night. I'm in the Boston area and usually wait till around Memorial Day although could probably do a few weeks earlier. I have done chili peppers. Last year I tried Thai chilis and the peppers stayed teeny tiny, like one of those ornamental plants, so I never picked them but I've had good luck with jalepenos. The longer you leave them on the stem the hotter they get, they'll turn red eventually. I've had more luck with cherry tomatoes than the bigger varieties.
Keeping pests away can be tricky although I'm in the suburbs, an urban area might be different. Neem oil is a good all-purpose organic pesticide. You can buy the oil and mix an oil/water solution (w/a few drops of Dawn to emulsify) and spray it on but I'm lazy and buy a spray that's already diluted. You just have to keep up with it to have it work. Basil and tomatoes are the ones that I've had the most trouble with pests, they don't bother the other herbs too much. One year I had squirrels that kept eating my pepper plants, although they would pick off the pepper, leave it there, and eat the leaves and stalk. I keep everything in a fenced in area now and haven't had a problem but again, I live in the suburbs and you definitely don't have the wildlife that I do!
Peppers do great in pots! Maybe sure you get a fairly deep pot so it can have a strong root system. If you start from seed, you’ll want to start inside and transfer to a pot once they are saplings.
It’s smelly but fish emulsion (I think neptune is a common brand) is a great fertilizer.
Just curious, how much is a lobster roll at Red Hook running these days? (it looks delicious)
You can pick up small pots of herbs from the green grocer or a coop--it's easier than starting from seeds. Transfer them to bigger pots so they have room to grow. I grow cherry tomatoes in large pots, also some smaller sized tomato plants like "early girls." The cherries do best. I like to put some marigolds in the same pots (to keep away pests). Stakes and/or tomato cages are helpful to keep your plants tied and secure. For a lot of colour, try annuals in some big planters; they will only last the season but are bright & will give you lots of flowers all summer long. Perrenials are great but they do best in large garden beds, grown over the years.
Spend an afternoon at the library and browse the gardening section. You can borrow some books and come away with ideas about a few worth buying.
Winston looks adorable. What's with the expression (?!@#$)
Congrats on the book, well done!!
Everyone here is right! Your main tasks at this point are deadheading, watering, appropriate fertilization, and monitoring (and hand to hand combat with) pests.
I guess it's a good thing your plants are in pots. We're still March. Okay fine, I might be a few hundred miles due north, but I don't dare put anything outside until May! :D
Tomatoes do AMAZINGLY well in pots!
Pay attention to the guidance on how much to water your plants. It can be easy to overwater them just out of enthusiasm for caring for them, and some do better if the soil is allowed to dry out a bit.
I’ve planted various tomatoes in pots - sungolds and other various grape/cherry tomato varieties. With some bigger pots, I’ve even planted more than one plant. I buy most of my seedlings in May at the USQ green market on Saturdays. I’ve definitely started some things from seed (cucumbers, lettuces, beans, summer squash) but generally have bought seedlings for tomatoes, eggplants, and herbs (although my chives, oregano, and sage are now perennials!). While ive transitioned to beds from vegogarden, I used to buy many a pot at mazzone hardware
In addition to the recommendations I’ve already seen for veggies and herbs, I recommend you try growing lettuces in pots, too. And growing them from seed works great. As they grow, you can cut the leaves you need and they’ll grow back again. They like cool weather so how’s the time to plant them.
Hi Adam, welcome to the garden obsession! Rule #1: sunlight dictates vegetables and herbs. Very few like low light, so focusing on Vining plants and a trellis on the fence for scarlet runner beans would be super satisfying: scarlet blooms bees + hummingbirds like on heart shaped leaves vining up to 10 feet. (Plus the beans are pink/ purple). If you have enough sun, oregano and mint are wildly invasive and thus perfect for pots. Rule #2: soil depth matters. Bigger pots for tomatoes and peppers and potatoes (12" deep minimum). The scale of bigger pots also looks good as a backdrop. Smaller pots for basil and parsley and chives. I love the colorful ones you chose and the bowl garden is gorgeous 😍. Enjoy!! I'm the BotaNanny