Hi, Curtis--

We have a family member who made a very cool greenhouse out of old windows and sliding glass doors. If you can scrounge the glass, I don't see any reason you should do fine with that. We've considered that idea as well. I've not used a greenhouse myself, but the one thing I've heard is that you definitely need to be able to let some air out, if it gets too hot. I imagine your links above address this to some extent.

We were given a set of grow boxes (not sure if it's the brand on the link you sent or not, but the same basic product) a few years ago, and we've used them. They are super-easy, and they're also nice if you aren't home every single day to water. (Not sure where you're located; where we live, there's no natural precip during the growing season.)

Last year we only grew onions, but the year before we totally overloaded the two of them, and harvested a nice succession of radishes, carrots, and lettuce, plus long-term garlic chives, peas, green and wax beans, tomatoes, sunflowers and a tomatillo plant.

It was probably twice what the grow box people recommended, but it sort of worked like "French intensive" gardening, kept a nice cool, moist microclimate, and produced a nice little harvest of various veggies. Not enough to can or freeze, and we still had to buy some from the store; but every plant but the tomatillo produced great. (That was our fault... we got a late start. We used the tomatoes green, too.)

So, I would say that if **I** grew all I did with the profound neglect I subjected those plants to that year, they're truly "idiot proof" for a small, short-term, low-maintenance mini-garden. You can't possibly have any LESS green a thumb than I do. : ) And if you follow their directions, I bet they work even better.

Have fun, whatever you decide to do. Sara : )

Loghousenut, I recently read that tires release a toxic agent over time and are not a good idea to use for growing unless they are old. Just tought Id let you know.

lol@ at "bumping up the wifes life insurance."

Mother Earth News magazine just put out a seperate supplement magazine about organic gradening for beginners. ($6 in the grocery stores). As far as using old tires? They also mentioned not to use old tires for planting purposes. With hot sun hitting those black tires it leeches out lots of nasty chemicals. Don't use pressure treated wood either.

And yes you can have near perfect gardens using organic growing methods.

I don't know how old they have to be and the author was not a scientist either. I wish I could find the article again :-(

I've seen a few fifferent set ups now and I wish I had time to try and put a system together AND maintain it. It's basically a tank (saw one that used an above ground pool) with fish in it and a pump circulates water to containers filled with gravel that your plants grow in. Fish poop provides nutrients for the plants and the beds clean the water for the fish. Fresh fish and crazy amount of fresh produce sounds like a great plan to me. It seems that most people prefer tilapia since they are so hardy but I have read any almost any fish will do.

I have been reading many books and the text book by Bill Mollison written on permaculture (permanent agriculture, or permanent culture). He encourages using recyclable materials such as tires.

I use 55 gallon poly drums cost me $5-$10 each (actually 60 gal) cut in half to make 2x 30 gallon pieces that I use as planters. I have potatoes in one that will produce about 30-50 good potatoes out of 8 spuds in a year.

I am building a greenhouse for next season out of 3 pieces of cement wire reinforcement material. Then covering with thick mil plastic. It will give be about 150 square feet of space and cost about $80-$100.

Now people have asked about using rail ties for garden borders. I have heard that the arsenic creosote if old enough of a tie will have no effect on the produce. They test the tie (where I get them) and they can read the amount of creosote left. If they are allowed to sit outside under weather for a while, they lose their creosote, and companies rename them to landscaping ties and are safe according to their tests. I know of people that have had their garden with rail ties for 20 or so years and they have no problems.
If worried about tires or ties use a thick mil plastic liner on side walls, just so roots and plants do not come into contact with it. Of course now you have placed a type of petroleum (plastic) into the ground.
-Can't win for anything!

Remember the treated wood that was not good to use in gardening? Well the companies who treat the wood now use a treatment that has less or no harmful chemicals now. Check your local stores for those.

I guarantee people have far worse "pollutants" in their water or air in most parts of the world, than what could be picked up from tires and rail ties.

I use egg cartons, large flats. Place starter soil in so it is flush with top and press seed in slightly then cover with thin layer soil. Then water down and cover with clear plastic for out side or greenhouse it.
The flats (usually made from cardboard) can be cut into individual pieces and then planted.

two simple and great ideas I had forgotten about!
now onto hyper-tufas

5/ACRE...

Course they also said:

I suspect that the quote is the real number (altough they are trying to sell it, so it is likely optimistic)

Peter

Rod, why not just use a hanging basket? (and plant it from the top) That's one I'll probably try this year.

I've seen pictures of it done on a site somewhere but can't recall which.

Tomatoes will sprout new roots- if you want it a little stronger add some soil close to the stem in the pot and it should sprout some support roots.

Wait.

Listen to us- discussing the structural integrity of a tomato stem. :crazy: hehe...

edit- another trick regarding rooting- if you want more plants, pinch off the suckers, add to a jar of water and you'll soon see them rooting.

Maybe I read it wrong Peter, I gotta quit getting on here at 3 in the morning. lol Rod I was talking to a guy at work just the other day about how his neighbor uses five gallon buckets with a hole in the bottom to grow tomatoes. He said they get huge and there are alot of them on the vine. I think good dirt and some plastic buckets are all you need to make it happen.