I want to grow fresh vegies at home but have limited space & is hard with water restrictions. Any suggestions?

Question

I want to grow fresh vegies at home but have limited space & is hard with water restrictions. Any suggestions?

Answer 1

Depends on what veggies you want. I would focus on what's worth growing (yield) compared to what you like to have fresh. I tend to focus on the following. Tomato, zucchini, cucumber, and mabye peas. All of these grow nice in pots or raised gardens just fine. Keep watering regular. Using a drip system works well. You can buy a simple battery powered timer that can even be programmed for daily watering. Everything can be purchased at a homecenter like home depot or lowes.  

Answer 2

Polystyrene boxes with hples punched in bottom and growing medium placed inside.plany either seeds or plants in this,old mosquito netting can be thrown over the top to protect against insects.Growng veges this way can be achieved without any insecticides or chemicals.growing medium can be reused by mixing with a little compost and fertiliser.Happy gardening and good health.cheers.

Answer 3

We have no space,but grow tons of veggies every year. Including corn. So much as a matter of fact,we give lots to the neighbors. We grow them all  in pots except for the corn. We built a wooden box, four foot by six foot,filled it with potting soil and grow corn that gets up to ten feet high. As for the water,we also are restricted. I added some pellets to the soil that holds water until the plants needs it. That is a great product and everyone should use them. They are made by Zebra.com Byee

Answer 4

Hi how are you, i have seen a product that sounds perfect for you. it works by saving the water underneath the soil in a chamber. The vegies that i am growing at the moment have only taken me 3 weeks. You can see them its called little garden be on, www.thomasplastics.com.au, let me know how you go.

Answer 5

Virginia Cooperative Extension

Vegetables Suited to Container Growing

http://www.ext.vt.edu/departments/enviro...

The link below not only gives the vegetables best suited for containers but also suggests what kind of container.

Texas A&M University

Texas Agricultural Extension

Vegetable Gardening In Containers

http://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/exten...

For water conservation learn to harness and save rainwater from the down spouts buy a small submersible pump/(even a aquarium size) with tubing to empty water for plants

You might find this interesting for containers

((It has a plethora of good veggies for containers including what size pot and what fertilizers))

There was a time when growing fruit in a pot wasn't even thought of as possible

STARK BROTHERS

Home page

http://www.starkbros.com/index.jsp

fruit trees for containers

Meyeri Lemon Potted Kit - Catalog # 36400

http://www.starkbros.com/access?action=p...

Tangerine Citrus

http://www.starkbros.com/access?action=p...

Key Lime Plant

http://www.starkbros.com/access?action=p...

Stark® Sensation™ Miniature Peach

http://www.starkbros.com/access?action=p...

Stark® HoneyGlo™ Miniature Nectarine

http://www.starkbros.com/access?action=p...

Blueberries in Containers

http://www.davewilson.com/homegrown/prom...

Answer 6

I recommend that you read a book called Square Foot Gardening. It is  an easy to read, non-technical, book that addresses gardening in small areas with efficient use of water. It covers everything from building soil to planting, watering, and feeding. You will never garden the old fashioned way again. :)

Answer 7

I heard the wooden wine barrels that are cut in half work good. Because roots won't be buried deep into the ground you want to make sure you use a big bucket/pot so the roots go deep enough to not burn.

also you can pop holes in a soda bottle bury it and add water to the top of the bottle and it will drain through the holes you made.

Answer 8

I assume by limited space you mean in the yard.The best method to get maximum yield in minimum space is called "Square Foot Gardening". It is done in raised beds built with 2" x 12" treated lumber.It would take much to long to describe the process in detail,so I suggest you do a search for the book.You can also go to the authors website, www.squarefootgardening.com.The basic idea is that you take advantage of the differences in time from planting to harvest to grow fast maturing crops in space that would be wasted by planting single crops in rows in the traditional method.You also combine crops that can be grown in the same space,for example running beans planted with corn so that the beans run up the corn stalk.Much research has gone into this method, and the book will layout all the details with samples of planting layouts based on time to harvest and compatibility of plants that will be grown in close proximity.It also takes into account the hieght of each crop so that all will get maximum sun without being shaded by another plant.It is also taken into consideration the shade tolerance of individual crops.Mulch on the soil surface will conserve water and as was previously mentioned by another contributor waste water can be used during drought.You might also consider rain barrels that are available with spigots at the bottom so that you can attach a hose, and take advatage of rain water from down spouts.I have used this method of gardening for years, and the amount of vegetables I produce in the area I once grew in a small traditional garden is amazing.I would say I easily harvest 4 times as much.

Answer 9

Have you heard of the indoor Hydro vegetable container? Sorry I'm not sure of the exact name but it's a container that comes with a light and you just keep it full of water. I seen it on a commercial. Try to google, indoor hydro vegetable grower and see what you get.

Answer 10

try pots...

use the water from the shower to use on the pots

Answer 11

put them in pots. mine are doing great in pots. make sure you get a least a 15 gallon pot.

Answer 12

What vegies do you want to grow, different veg have different requirements. If you want to grow carrots, potatoes, beetroots.. those underground veg then you need large deep pots (if your a pot type of person) otherwise they need a bit of space around each plant otherwise they rub against eachother and cause warping and rot to set in.

If your planting above ground plants, lettuce, herbs, celery, leek, all those sorts of things, they can all be planted in pots, the more plants you put in the larger and deeper the pots need to be to reduce cramping. About 20cm is needed between each above ground plants. Think about companion planting too like tomato and basil, using the companion method, plants help eachother to grow. Also google "upside down tomato plant" I've tried this method of growing and it works, just gotta make sure you use a big enough bucket for hanging.

Golden rule is the soil for all plants, make sure it's well drained, so good size holes in the pots, and use a good potting mix or buy a few bags of manure and add it to the soil. As for water, chuck a bucket or 2 in the shower while your waiting for the water to heat up then put that on the plants when your done. You can use greywater,  ie soapy shower water, laundry water, but there are bacteria in that water from your skin and clothes that are absorbed into the plants which obviously you end up eating. Think of all the times you wait for the water out of the tap to warm or cool... collect that water and use it on your plants. Also consider a mulch, it retains water in the soil by preventing evaporation. Good Luck. send me some veg....

Answer 13

use containers -read the seed packets for depth of the root system and size of the overall plant.  this way, you can grow veggies year round -move the plants indoors for cooler weather.

Answer 14

I have started to try this, growing veggies upside down I have attached a link for you to look at, its really a great idea, no floor space needed! As far as the watering, you use less soil so less water is wasted. GOOD LUCK!!

http://www.gardendecorgalore.com/growing...