The first layer is coarse material from my manure pile, which has been getting rained on for several months...
...and over each layer I sprinkled a "nutrient mix". Using the book "Lasagna Gardening for Small Spaces" as a guide.... 
...my mix consisted of equal parts bone meal, greensand, and kelp meal. The book suggested equal parts blood meal, rock phosphate and greensand, but I used what I had on hand.
The rest of the layers were: coarse sand, peat moss, well-composted manure, and the top layer was a soil blend (composted manure, old soil from last year's hanging pots, peat moss, nutrient mix and Hyponex "potting soil", a.k.a. MUD). Now for the planting, which took place fairly late in the season on July 1st. These are all plants I started indoors from seed, as you can see they are plenty healthy!
I planted the tomatoes the way my mom taught me-lying down, lower branches pinched off with the leafy top branches above ground.
There! In one tub: 'Abe Lincoln' tomato, 'Green Zebra' tomato, purple basil, Greek oregano, 'Boy Oh Boy' tomato. In the other tub: 'Amish Paste' tomato (two), 'Red Rubin' basil (two), and 'Sun Pride' tomato. Just one more detail...
....top layer of wood chips to help retain moisture. The plants look as excited as me...
...even the teensy basil!
Then just two days later-varmints! Bummer! Luckily none of the plants were uprooted or damaged, so I just filled in and replaced the mulch.
By August 23rd my plants have come a long way....
....but by September 17th the only ripe tomatoes are the 'Green Zebras'. I see an 'Amish Paste' getting close....
....but the rest of the fruits on 'Sun Pride' and 'Boy Oh Boy' are very green and funky-looking. The cool weather made harvesting ripe tomatoes very challenging...
....and the hungry creatures around my yard didn't help! They were beating me to the ripe stuff, and settling for green tomatoes as well.
Overall I have to admit that this planter was a success, and the herbs that grew alongside the tomatoes were harvested several times. (Some of the items in this dish are from other containers.) I originally decided to grow veggies as a fun experiment, but now I'm hooked!
The rest of the layers were: coarse sand, peat moss, well-composted manure, and the top layer was a soil blend (composted manure, old soil from last year's hanging pots, peat moss, nutrient mix and Hyponex "potting soil", a.k.a. MUD). Now for the planting, which took place fairly late in the season on July 1st. These are all plants I started indoors from seed, as you can see they are plenty healthy!
I planted the tomatoes the way my mom taught me-lying down, lower branches pinched off with the leafy top branches above ground.
There! In one tub: 'Abe Lincoln' tomato, 'Green Zebra' tomato, purple basil, Greek oregano, 'Boy Oh Boy' tomato. In the other tub: 'Amish Paste' tomato (two), 'Red Rubin' basil (two), and 'Sun Pride' tomato. Just one more detail...
....top layer of wood chips to help retain moisture. The plants look as excited as me...
...even the teensy basil!
Then just two days later-varmints! Bummer! Luckily none of the plants were uprooted or damaged, so I just filled in and replaced the mulch.
By August 23rd my plants have come a long way....
....but by September 17th the only ripe tomatoes are the 'Green Zebras'. I see an 'Amish Paste' getting close....
....but the rest of the fruits on 'Sun Pride' and 'Boy Oh Boy' are very green and funky-looking. The cool weather made harvesting ripe tomatoes very challenging...
....and the hungry creatures around my yard didn't help! They were beating me to the ripe stuff, and settling for green tomatoes as well.
Overall I have to admit that this planter was a success, and the herbs that grew alongside the tomatoes were harvested several times. (Some of the items in this dish are from other containers.) I originally decided to grow veggies as a fun experiment, but now I'm hooked!
As I plan for next year, my focus/obsession is with speed. I'm searching high and low for the fastest maturing cultivars, because now that I'm an official "farmer" I simply must be as successful as possible! Another container review will be coming soon.....
9 comments:
I love lasagna layering--that's how most of my beds took shape from lawn. I don't think Pat Lanza travels much these days, but if you can hear her speak, she's funny, practical, and did I mention funny? She's a very nice person who actually made time to speak with me on the phone when I was preparing to write my winter-sowing booklet. She is very gracious and savvy.
Greensand is one of those things I've always heard about but never seen or used. I assume one gets it from a decent nursery (as opposed to a big box store)? I'm definitely wanting to "beef up" to soil in my little garden bed and what I'll use in veggie containers.
Happy new year!
Hi again, I forgot to say snicker-LOL about your description of Hyponex as mud!
Also, don't you love that radius tool? I use mine for everything--and they're made in Ann Arbor!! (Well, the company is here, anyway; maybe they're made in China!)
And, you sent me your address for the seed swap back in Sept. so you're all set!
I linked to Pat's blog because I enjoyed the book so much...she has tons of great ideas! I got my greensand at a big box store, actually. The rock phosphate has been much harder to find, although I see it in some of the seed catalogs I get. Blood meal worries me as an additive though, my mom had raccoon problems when she tried it. (Heh, and I already have plenty of them around without enticement! :) Funny how Hyponex sells that awful mud as "potting soil"...what grows in goop? I like to use my little Odjob mixer to combine lots of ingredients for good soil, so a little mud was fine for that. The tool is sooo much easier on my elbows and wrists, and it's made extremely well. I got mine (and one for my sister) online at a seed place...I forget which one. BTW, I'm really excited about the seed swap!
My goodness. Lasagna is one of my favorite low chloresterol dishes. Here in southern Minny it was the worst (read coolest wettest yuckiest gardening summer) ever. Next year has got to be better!
LOL! I think lasagna sounds great right about now! I have high hopes for better weather next year, but I'm tracking down short-season varieties just in case. :)
Your veggies look very happy and healthy! I like lasagna layering too, but it's always nice to see an example of things other folks use to layer. Like you, I just pile on what i have on hand.
I was reminded once again that I NEED me one of those little mixers you have. I always forget, then another year rolls around and there you are mixing soil and additives...
Remind me where you got it, please.
I had a heck of a time with rabbits this year. We stopped the coons with elec. fence, but those dang rabbits took a bite out of every acorn squash in my garden!
grrrr.
v.
Thank you! I can't remember exactly where I got my mixer, but the link in the post is a potential resource (the price is the same I paid). Rabbits run amok here, too. Even now, you should see the "fertilizer" they are leaving under my birdfeeders! :)
Lovely tomatoes. Almost every single one of my 40 plants succumbed to that nasty blight going around last summer. I was so bummed. I like growing heritage varieties and there are so many great ones out there.
Ah, I am longing for summer.
Last year was definately a bad one for tomatoes, I'm hoping the early varieties I bought (mostly heritage/heirloom :) will do much better this year. Spring IS coming, but this time of year it seems sooo far away!
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