Growing more with less space

[maddie]

8 years is a long time. Poplar sounds like a good way to go; I'll have to look into what the cost is in this area. Two of those pyramids would go a long way and seem they would be easier to manage than a plot or raised bed.

@Maddie and @Flourishes, keep in mind that metal is going to heat up in the sun and you might not want it to have contact with some plants.
@Claudine, one of the local supermarkets has those planters on the roof.

Chanell, if you have them indoors or in the shade.. the warmth would be welcome..the PVC pipes may have some drawbacks.
But the basic idea is good..
Darn I can't climb up ladders to tend to my plants though..lol

 

[ChanellG]

Chanell, if you have them indoors or in the shade.. the warmth would be welcome..the PVC pipes may have some drawbacks.
But the basic idea is good..
Darn I can't climb up ladders to tend to my plants though..lol

Maddie, I wouldn't recommend something like this for indoors, at least not the pyramid. In the shade, they wouldn't be heating up in the sun, but there aren't that many food plants that you're going to be growing in the shade. I think wood is the best material. 8 years is plenty of time and untreated wood can be recycled in many ways.

You wouldn't need to climb up ladders, you could just build to the height you need, or do the rectangular ones.

 

[claudine]

Tmann, this bridge looks wonderful, I'd love to have a bridge in my garden...and a brook of course. It must be so relaxing to just stand there and look at the water!

 

[Tmann]

Tmann, this bridge looks wonderful, I'd love to have a bridge in my garden...and a brook of course. It must be so relaxing to just stand there and look at the water!

It is great in the spring and summer!! Just a few minutes ago I had a heron standing on my other bridge trying to get one of my goldfish, not sure if he got one or not.

 

[claudine]

It is great in the spring and summer!! Just a few minutes ago I had a heron standing on my other bridge trying to get one of my goldfish, not sure if he got one or not.

I hope he didn't, goldfish are so pretty! Do you have frogs there too? If I'll ever have a pond in my garden, I want to have frogs in it

 

[ChanellG]

@Claudine, trust me, if you have an outdoor garden with a pond, you will get frogs! Though you can easily go to a park and look for tadpoles in shallow water.

@Tmann, I knew someone who had a pond and migrating cranes used to eat the gold fish so he switched to a different kind (probably minnows, I can't remember now).

If I were to do a pond where I live now it would have to have mosquito fish.

 

[Tmann]

Claudine, I have frogs. Not as many any more since my koi have gotten bigger. They hang out mostly in my creeks and occasionally in the big pond. I used to have two that were huge, I nicknamed the one Jaba the hut.

My koi are about 2' long now. Here is a pic of them last spring.

 

[Tmann]

ChanellG, I thought I had mosquito fish that I had gotten from someone but they turned out to be rosie reds instead. Probably a good thing as later on I learned that mosquito fish multiply like crazy. I still have some of the rosie reds but mostly goldfish and then 3 koi that are about 6 years old.

 

[ChanellG]

ChanellG, I thought I had mosquito fish that I had gotten from someone but they turned out to be rosie reds instead. Probably a good thing as later on I learned that mosquito fish multiply like crazy. I still have some of the rosie reds but mostly goldfish and then 3 koi that are about 6 years old.

I've heard that the mosquito fish reproduce quite a lot, but I just figured I'd start another pond with them or give them away. The mosquito population here is such that just about everyone could stand to have a small container pond with fish in their yard.

My issue is where I would put it. Right now, the best spot would be near the house, but that means mosquitoes hanging around close to the house. It would be nice to have some carnivorous plants near the door to help with mosquito control, but that's a ways off yet.

 

[claudine]

Tmann, your koi are so big - they're enormous - and colorful, they look very pretty. Do you have to feed them with anything special?

 

[Tmann]

Claudine, No i just feed them regular koi/goldfish food. Some people feed their fish lettuce, watermelon and other things but mine don't care for any of that.

Chanellg, I have never had a problem with mosquito's since I put my pond in. Just put in a few fish and keep the surface water moving and you should not have a problem. The larvae don't like to lay their eggs in moving water, they look for stagnant non moving water.

 

[DrCase]

Chanellg all you need is one fish and the mosquitos are under control

 

[maddie]

PVC pipe gardening may be an easy to grow more in less space.. I would try this if I can find someone to help me with this project.

 

[ChanellG]

PVC pipe gardening may be an easy to grow more in less space.. I would try this if I can find someone to help me with this project.

Maddie, do you have a home improvement store anywhere near you? Even a place that sells plumbing supplies should carry the PVC. Personally, I am trying to get away from using plastic. I'd still like to find a couple of those canvas hanging shoe organizers to grow herbs and flowers, but I am finding I don't really need more space, but more time.

 

[maddie]

Getting the material is not the issue, there are hardware store near home where I can get all the material from.. but getting the fixture attached to a wall is where I need help. I may have to enlist my husbands skills for those.. but it looks like he is going to be busy unitl March.. Hopefully by the we would have moved from this home of ours.
I don't mind using PVC pipes or soda bottles as long as we reuse them. I need to grow more in less space.. Time is something that we have to find.. Gosh between work, running a home gardening and Church work I hardly find enough time for anything but then That is life.