Had a very small garden this year, mostly in containers. The tomatoes and cucumbers did okay in the “Earth Box” made from a Rubbermaid Roughneck 18 gallon container, and the potatoes were an interesting experiment.

I had taken a 50 gallon plastic water drum and cut it into thirds, the intention being to fill each third as the plants grew with compost and grass clippings, doing the same with the potatoes on the ground.  The potatoes in the ground died back in early September, while the potatoes in the barrel continued until the frost.

With a warm early November weekend and a few moments to spare, I was able to go and harvest the potatoes. From each “plot” of five plants, here are the findings:

• The ones in the ground took about twenty minutes to harvest an yielded 2.71 lbs. with many immature potatoes.
• Many roots from the invading blackberry plants made difficult digging.
• Easy to damage the potatoes with the pitchfork
• The barrel potato planter took five minutes to harvest and yielded 3.56 lbs.  with mostly full size potatoes.
• No invading roots
• easy to harvest
• most potatoes full size

The barrel was at a little over 1/3 filled with compost/grass clippings which makes me think adding more compost and less grass clippings I may be able to create three potato “rings” by laying down several layers of newspaper for the bottom layer, putting the potato seeds on the newspaper then covering with good garden soil, adding materials as they grow to the top, then topping off with grass clippings.

Sadly this is all I was able to do this year, but a couple of more warm days may allow me to set up the beds for next year with some well rotted manure and a good layer of grass/leaf clippings from the last mowing of the year.

Potato “plot” on the ground. Many roots from neighboring blackberries and “creeping charlie”.

Potato barrel with second “ring”.

Potato barrel second third removed – only three inches above the top. Could have done without it.

Potato barrel dumped onto the ground with spuds exposed.

Spinach in the steamer – only 1″ of soil.

The lettuce has been doing well, but seems to have “lost it’s steam” – so to speak.  Each “steamer salad makes about one garden salad with the addition of some tomatoes and some chives, making it a viable option if you like “baby salad greens”.

They have grown up to about two and one-half inches, but seem to have stalled.  We’re starting a new experiment to see if – despite the popular belief – that lettuce is a shallow-rooted plant.  Indeed it may be, but how shallow? The spinach seems to be trying to bolt as well – at least some of them.  I’m letting them continue to grow, and have transplanted some of them into a six inch pot as well to see if it helps.

Transplanted spinach now in a six inch pot.

We have planted five “salanova” lettuce plants into a steamer tray, and five into a six inch pot to see which type it likes better.  The pictures would be of bare soil, so I have spared you the download time by not including the pics.  Stay tuned.

Snowy Sundays always give me a little time to poke around on the net, and we found a couple of interesting tomato planters that could also be used for cucumbers and other tall plants.  The first one that caught my eye was the “Tomato Trellis Garden on Wheels” by Hydrofarm.  Large enough to grow at least three tomato plants, possibly more (or companion plant some other edibles), this one is big enough to need wheels.  Expandable with drop-in trellis, this would work great on a patio in just about any setting.  Self-watering, too!

The next one is the smaller round “cousin” to the Tomato Trellis Garden on Wheels: the “Tomato Barrel“. Enough space for one plant, it can be moved easier and can fit in the corner of a sunny room to provide tomatoes without the need for bug sprays or worrying about critters from snagging your summer treats.

At $54.99 and $23.00 respectively, the Tomato Trellis and the Tomato Barrel are great containers for the apartment/condo gardener, as well as those who may want to extend the season by bringing the plants inside before the first frost.