Traveling vegetables, the pot garden.

[Ctalk]

Since I am traveling, and so are my family in the summer, but still would like to have vegetables in their summer house/cabin/ RV , we have started to plan for a traveling garden. A garden that is planted in easy to move pots and vessels.

Obviously milk cartoons are a perfect vessel to plant a few plants, they are good for planting seeds and easy to move around. So far we have carrots, peas, cabbage, leek, tomato and cucumber. Next will be radish, cauliflower and rutabaga.
It all looks promising, but we will have to see how well our plants tolerate the travel and the different gardeners.

Last year it worked very well with herbs and the small lemon tree , not sure that this will work.
We are also looking to see what plants can be better to have in the same pot , so far we are trying carrots and leek.
So any advise , anecdotes or warnings?

 

[blueeyes]

Sorry, I don't have any advice but I think what you are doing is a fantastic idea. Traveling veggies is a new one on me. Before last year, I grew all my vegetables in pots because I didn't have a yard and did quite well with them.Of course I only grew, tomatoes, peppers and green onions. Do, let us know how your veggies make out

 

[Pat]

This is a very interesting idea to take your garden with you as you travel, a vertical garden my be able the container type you can use to grow you plants something like this.

 

[claudine]

I love those vertical planters, Pat! They're made from plastic bottles, aren't they?
As for the traveling garden, it's a fantastic idea. I could use one too. My boyfriend and I, we've just moved to our first apartment and we don't have a garden here.

 

[Ctalk]

They look nice Pat, but I am unsure about the size, they might prove a bit large to move in a regular car.
But they look great thee on the wall, it is a lot like the poly-sacks we have for strawberries, you can see the type in my other thread.
I always thought that they could not work for heavier vegetables, the strawberry plant is not very heavy , now I have to go look into that too.
Thanks for the heads up. Please tell more about the use and maintenance of these type of gardening.

 

[Cereus]

I'm constantly moving and bringing plants with me. As long as they're well cared for, get sunlight and water, they're alright. It's just about taking care of them more than anything else.

 

[dave david]

my wife and I moved a few years ago and put some containers of daylillies in the box trailer. Unfortunately our move was delayed for over 4 months and we were not able to get back and rescue them. When we did move and opened the trailer doors for the first time in months, I was aghast as they were so white and almost translucent. We took them out, set them in the shade for a few days, and then slowly back in to the sun. That was over two years ago and they have done just fine.

 

[Trellum]

This is a very interesting idea to take your garden with you as you travel, a vertical garden my be able the container type you can use to grow you plants something like this.

Now that is a really nice idea, Pat! It looks like the perfect container garden! Might try that in the future! No excuses related to lacking space, hehehe! Will surely look more into this in the future.

 

[galmal]

I've never used them, but I had a friend who used the "topsy turvy" planters, and he swore by them. He said he planted a full size tomato plant in it, hung it up and had tomatoes all summer long. He liked that he could move it around, so that it got full sun when he was home, but if he was going to be away for a couple of days, he could move it into the shade so it didn't dry out. He actually planted peppers and cucumbers in them, too.

 

[Shimus]

I really am starting to like the concept of hanging and vertical gardens more each day. Not only for space around where I live, but they actually look really cool and it looks easy to prune them if they're just popping out from the wall or dangling in front of you instead of constantly being hunched over or on the ground.

As to the original post, I feel if you are porting them in a car (from what I read between the lines, I may have inferred wrong) but Milk Cartons are one of the best ways to go. A good alternative would be:

Growbags. They resemble padded lunchboxes but they absorb a good bit of impact and they insulate very well for those tricky sprouts and early seedlings. Best thing is they barely take up room (up to a lot, depending on plants and sizes) and can fit next/side by side very well so they fit firm and snug so they don't jostle around like a mobile garden shouldn't.

 

[Ctalk]

Shimus, thanks for the info.
You are right most of the time it will be by car, but we also have an RV for the summer.
Growbags looks really good ,and easier to move than huge terracottapots that we tried to use last year, they ended up on a neighbour's porch.

We have had the hanging bags for strawberries for years, it was so much easier to prune and pick and care for , we had a avid gardener getting sick with cancer and loosing mobility a few years back and looked for alternatives, that is ow we found out, a nice berrygarden on the veranda.

 

[Shimus]

I just think this is an awesome idea, traveling gardens. Bringing fresh produce and floral qualities to many other areas has a nice ring to, I think. Sorry to hear about the cancer patient, and your personal problems. But however,

 

[ChanellG]

Well, first off I commend you for wanting to take your garden on the road. I have quite a few recommendations, and the first is to keep it simple. Companion planting is a good idea as some herbs grow well with some fruits and vegetables and can even contribute to better yields.

Before I recommend a specific container or plant I need some information: How will you be traveling? How long will you be gone for? How long will you stay in one place? And, last but not least, have you considered the weather conditions in the places you will be traveling to?

For the summer house or cabin, I recommend the self watering patio containers and plants specifically suited to them - unless you will be someplace where it rains a lot.

 

[cntrlwagdnr]

I've never used them, but I had a friend who used the "topsy turvy" planters, and he swore by them. He said he planted a full size tomato plant in it, hung it up and had tomatoes all summer long. He liked that he could move it around, so that it got full sun when he was home, but if he was going to be away for a couple of days, he could move it into the shade so it didn't dry out. He actually planted peppers and cucumbers in them, too.

View attachment 4438

Tried them. Don't work worth a damn. The regular tomatoes grew great, so not conditions. I think the ad photos are fake. They turn a regular plant upside down. The leaves and stems don't grow pointing down, they try to turn upwards.

 

[cntrlwagdnr]

I should say "didn't" work...... for us.